Development Directions
ISPD’s team writes a monthly newsletter on advancement, enrollment management, and strategic planning in Catholic schools and parishes.
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...
Revelant Post-Pandemic Macro Considerations for Catholic School Leaders
Hands-on the wheel with an intentional gaze forward, we briefly look into the rearview mirror and see remnants of the Cares Act of 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program 1 and 2, PPP Loan Forgiveness, and the EANS program, all providing a stimulus to the operational vitality of Catholic schools over the past forty months. Looking further ahead as we maneuver along, the winds before us are changing, blowing from different directions, causing us to momentarily consider how these forces will affect our movement and trajectory. Purposeful reflection reveals that pandemic-fueled federal programs behind us were helpful as Catholic schools took...
Don’t Let Giving Tuesday Pass You By!
It’s the most wonderful (and busiest) time of the year! For school administrators, the final two months of the calendar year can be the most hectic – between the end of fall sports, the start of winter sports, parent-teacher conferences, annual fund kickoffs, high school open houses, and all the multitude of special holiday events that fill our calendars. For many Catholic school administrators, the countdown to Christmas Break starts before Thanksgiving break begins. Nestled right in the middle of all this end-of-year chaos is a big opportunity for your school to expand its ripples of philanthropic giving and invite...
The Value of Strategic Planning
When we talk about strategic planning with a Catholic school and/or parish, ISPD’s philosophy of belonging leads to believing takes the front seat. How do we reach the many ripples of people who are not involved? These could be parents, alums, parishioners, past parents, grandparents, community members. In addition, we have found that in most cases Catholic schools and parishes need better processes in place to get to know these folks and their many connections and resources. With evangelization being so important in the church today, the essential role of the layperson has never been so dramatically emphasized, and that...
ISPD Welcomes New Associate, Dr. Ashley Lynn Ogden
ISPD Welcomes New Associate, Dr. Ashley Lynn Ogden The Institute for School and Parish Development is excited to announce the addition of Dr. Ashley Lynn Ogden to our ISPD Consulting Team. Dr. Ogden served as the principal of St. Dominic School in New Orleans from 2017-2023 and also served as the assistant principal from 2016-2017. Before that she served in both public and catholic schools as a teacher and leader. Dr. Ogden has a strong background in increasing student enrollment, special education, establishing mission-driven brand awareness, increasing academic achievement and developing senior leadership teams. Dr. Ogden will be working with...
Is It Really Important to Conduct an Objective Financial Feasibility Study before Launching a Capital Campaign?
In our work with Catholic schools, parishes and (arch)dioceses, we often have questions from Catholic leaders in regards to whether or not they need to conduct a Financial Feasibility Study (FFS) before they launch the capital campaign for their parish or school. Because this question has come up numerous times in the past year, we thought we would use this newsletter to address the issue and give our perspective. Value of a Financial Feasability Study There are usually three schools of thought about Financial Feasibility Studies: Conduct the FFS using outside and objective counsel; Conduct the FFS internally; Move to...
Opportunities Abound With “Back to School Night”
(Although updated for this upcoming school year, this newsletter on “Back to School Night,” is back by popular demand). All across the country, Catholic schools will open the doors on the 2023 – 2024 school year, either before or right after Labor Day. What a wonderful time for marketing and for Catholic leaders to step up their efforts and make a difference. These can be teachable and/or impressionable moments – with many different audiences. It all adds up to whether or not we want to change the narrative. Let’s look at the infamous “Back to School Night.” This is one...
ISPD Expands with New Regional Offices, Welcomes Two Associates
March 13, 2025
3 min
The Institute for School and Parish Development (ISPD), a national Catholic development, consulting, coaching, and educational firm headquartered in the Greater New Orleans area, is pleased to announce the opening of two new regional offices in Ohio and North Carolina, further expanding its national reach.
A Pause for Prayer, A Cause for Mourning
January 3, 2025
10 min
Here in the Greater New Orleans Area, where our company is located, all of us at ISPD extend our sympathies and condolences to those who were killed and/or injured in the early New Year’s Day tragedy on Bourbon Street. We are heartbroken and grieve for those families having to endure the reality of this senseless act. New Orleans is a city built on resilience. Through the years, we have faced adversity and risen stronger. As a friend of mine said this morning, “We stand together, not just in mourning, but in our resolve to heal and grow from adversity.” Mardi Gras will go on; the Super Bowl will be held, the spring festivals will take place, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be staged; and our company’s annual three-day conference (ISPD Summer 2025 Development School) in June will welcome Catholic leaders from throughout the country. We will rise and come back better than ever. As we said in our December Christmas story: “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Candles of remembrance, respect, reverence, and hope are lit in the City of New Orleans.
Case Study: Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Enrollment Management Plan (Part II)
December 13, 2024
6 min
Optimize your school's enrollment with strategic management. Learn how to attract, enroll, and retain students while meeting budget goals.
Case Study: Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Enrollment Management Plan (Part I)
November 23, 2024
4 min
Enrollment management is an intentional, strategic process employed by schools that focuses on attracting, admitting, enrolling, retaining, and supporting families from admittance through graduation. Enrollment management historically began in higher education and has expanded into primary and secondary education.
Capital Campaigns: Why do Some Succeed and Some Fail?
October 21, 2024
6 min
Do you ever wonder why some capital campaigns in Catholic schools and parishes are successful and some...
How will 2024-25 Be Different in Your Catholic School and/or Parish?
August 15, 2024
6 min
HOW WILL 2024-25 BE DIFFERENT IN YOUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL AND/OR PARISH? One of the greatest joys in...
