Development Directions
ISPD’s team writes a monthly newsletter on advancement, enrollment management, and strategic planning in Catholic schools and parishes.
Capital Campaigns: Why do Some Succeed and Some Fail?
Do you ever wonder why some capital campaigns in Catholic schools and parishes are successful and some miss their goal? ISPD has had the wonderful opportunity to work with so many successful campaigns over our 35-year history. Our most recent one at Holy Name of Jesus Parish and School in New Orleans, LA, exceeded their “stretch goal” by $600K. The original goal was $5 million; the stretch goal was $7 million, and the campaign ended up raising $7.6 million. Several years ago, we worked with Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati. They had an $18 million goal and went over...
How will 2024-25 Be Different in Your Catholic School and/or Parish?
HOW WILL 2024-25 BE DIFFERENT IN YOUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL AND/OR PARISH? One of the greatest joys in this business of consulting with Catholic schools, parishes, and (arch)dioceses is meeting the many different people who make up the leadership of our Catholic institutions – (arch)bishops, pastors, superintendents, principals, presidents, development and advancement directors, board members, and many others. Although everyone has different situations and challenges, we all want the same thing : to see our Catholic institution(s) improve, stay alive, and thrive. Many go about it in many ways – there’s boss management; there’s team management; there’s in-between management; there are...
Back to School Night and Vision Articulation
All across the country next month, the majority of Catholic schools will open for the 2024 -- 2025 school year and many will open with the infamous "Back to School Night". What a wonderful time for marketing and promoting the value of your school. These can be teachable and/or impressionable moments. Remember that old saying: “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR! This is one that many Catholic schools open with, and for many, this is where first impressions are made – especially for new families and...
ISPD Circle of Catholic Champions
In celebration of our 35th anniversary in June 2024, ISPD is announcing our first Circle of Catholic Champions. This is a combination of individual Catholic leaders, parishes, schools, and (arch)dioceses that ISPD has worked with in the past 35 years. They represent the following traits that exhibit true Catholic Development – Advancement – Stewardship excellence: Commitment to engaging people Belonging leads to believing culture Proactive thinking Excellent stewardship of resources they have been given Collaborative leadership Ability to create and share an innovative and dynamic vision Mission-driven results Commitment to bringing people to Christ and Christ to people This first...
ISPD Celebrates 35th Anniversary Year
(Editor’s Note: This Special Edition newsletter is about the early history of ISPD, the people, and the events that made it happen. I will admit from the beginning that not everyone who receives information from ISPD is going to be interested in how this company got started. It is written with two purposes in mind: 1. As a celebration of our 35 year anniversary, to share the early (and fragile) moments that allowed ISPD to be born; 2. For those who have just started or are thinking about beginning their own company, the fine lines between success and failure and how...
Two Important Ingredients for 2024-2025: “PD” and “SGP”
Professional Development and Strategic Growth Plan. In the battle today for individual sanity and institutional survival, these two ingredients rise to the top as we begin to put the “wrap” on the 2023-24 fiscal year. Professional Development First, let me get my bias out of the way. ISPD is hosting our annual Summer Development School here in New Orleans on June 18 – 20, 2024. This will be the 35th anniversary of our company. Would I like to see you attend? Absolutely! However, there is more to this newsletter on professional development than just a “pitch” for our annual conference....
Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying
This is the famous quote that Andy Dufresne says to Red in the movie The Shawshank Redemption. The message is clear: Life can be spent going through the motions and waiting around for something to happen (reactive), or life can be spent making things happen (proactive). I recently hit the REFLECT button a few weeks ago. With 2023 behind us, the second month of 2024 moving quickly, Catholic Schools’ Week activities on the horizon, and the Lenten Season right upon us, I took time to download and read some publications that were recommended to me. They all reminded me of...
ISPD’S Catholic Development Resolutions for the New Year
Happy New Year! We hope the Christmas Holidays were a wonderful and blessed time for you and your family to grow closer, share stories, worship together, and get that well deserved “down time” that all of us need in order to charge the battery. Here’s wishing that 2024 may be a healthy, prosperous and joy-filled year for you, both personally and professionally. Here at ISPD, we find it beneficial if we use the month of January as a way to take a look at what resolutions are worthwhile considering in order to grow and enhance our Catholic Development efforts. Every...
Institute for School and Parish Development (ISPD) Expands National Footprint by Welcoming Dan Ferris as Full-Time Associate to Lead Regional Growth with New Northeast Office
August 20, 2025
2 min
NEW ORLEANS – The Institute for School and Parish Development (ISPD), a national leader in Catholic school...
Beyond the Balance Sheet: Creating Annual Reports That Tell Your Mission Story
August 12, 2025
6 min
As another fiscal year closes and another begins, business offices are busy with familiar tasks: closing books, preparing statements, and drafting the annual financial report for the parish and/or school. But what if this year-end requirement could become something transformative? Every year, parishes dutifully publish their financial statements, and every year, the same misconceptions persist about how the business of the Catholic Church – and Catholic education -- works.
Is Your Catholic School/Parish Ready for a Capital Campaign?
July 16, 2025
5 min
Discover what it truly takes to launch a capital campaign at your Catholic school or parish. Learn key steps, avoid common mistakes, and explore a proven process that leads to success.
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The Cadence of Catholic School Development: Connecting the Dots
April 30, 2025
5 min
The Cadence of Catholic School Development will provide a roadmap for those who need a clear direction on how development/advancement should unfold while also providing a guide for those Catholic schools who may have taken some detours.
Holding Steady: Faith, Leadership, and Forward Momentum in Uncertain Times
April 7, 2025
4 min
Over the past week, we have witnessed a sharp and sudden drop in the Dow Industrials, triggered...
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The Interconnected Role of the Catholic Parish, Church, and School
March 31, 2025
4 min
March 2025 Newsletter The Interconnected Role of the Catholic Parish, Church, and School: Understanding the Unity of...
