Author Archives: Alumni Channel

Boost Fundraising with Matching Gifts Services

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Register now for a FREE web seminar on July 24th at 2:00pm EST, Boost Fundraising with Matching Gifts Services. Don’t wait – register today!

Newest Communities – May 2009

[Webb Institute logo]Webb Institute Alumni

Glen Cove, New York. Launched May 1. Visit Community »

  • Webb Institute is a unique, top-ranked undergraduate institution offering one academic option, a double major in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. It is also the only full-tuition scholarship private undergraduate program of its kind in the country.

White paper on community/school partnerships: Unlocking the Full Spectrum of Community Support

A new white paper titled “Unlocking the Full Spectrum of Community Support” has been published by DeHavilland Associates. This paper was written as a briefing for school and district education leaders, but should be of interest to anyone involved in building community/school partnerships. It covers:

  • The key trends that are changing the landscape of K-12 education for the foreseeable future
  • The ways in which different community partners can contribute to schools and districts
  • Thoughts on how to build community support

You can access this paper, along with other DeHavilland Associates papers, surveys and guides, at:

http://www.DeHavillandAssociates.com/resources.html

Cost-effective Yearbook Digitization

Question: We are thinking of putting our yearbooks on-line. How can it be done economically?

The following tip came from Shad Burner, Director of Alumni Services for Southeast Missouri State University:

After exploring several options, we decided that the most practical method was to simply use a digital camera. The question then became how do we take a consistent photograph. There are “picture stands” for such a thing, but we didn’t want to spend money on that, so for about $20 at a local hardware store and a little ingenuity, we made our own. We used a piece of plywood, some threaded metal pipe, pvc, a screw for the camera and a black sheet. There is a picture attached to show how it looks completed. Our digital camera screwed onto the end of the pvc pipe. We then purchased a couple lamps with bendable necks to create the correct lighting to show the image. We had to play with the lights quite a bit to prevent a glare, but we mostly took care of that.

Continue reading →

Let them know what you need

Did you ever create a “wish list” around the holidays?  Schools can have wishlists too, and not just at special times.  Christian Heritage Academy of Oklahoma has taken a page of their school web site and posted “CHA’s Wish List” which gives friends and donors an alternate way to invest in the school’s success.

Sites such as iLoveSchools.com, classwish.org and even Adopt-A-Classroom, allow alumni/development directors, principals, and even individual teachers to create their own wish lists for parents, alumni and others to see. The community can see exactly what is needed and contribute online.

Catholic-School Comeback?

Patrick J. McCloskey
Catholic-School Comeback?
Inner-city kids would be the big winners.
6 April 2009

Since Catholic education in America peaked in 1965, half of the nation’s Catholic schools have shut their doors, with an average of 250 closing per year. Many of these schools have been in inner cities, making the closings a particularly tragic development for disadvantaged students, who’ve benefited tremendously from the orderly environment and first-rate instruction that these institutions provide and who now have no educational alternative but failing public schools. Continue reading →