InterContinental Hotel - Abu Dhabi
Jenny Chiang
Education Consultant in education management, advancement fundraising, admissions, and college counseling; formerly Assistant Head for Advancement at National Cathedral School.
Full Bio
Currently an education consultant to multiple international schools, JENNY CHIANG has three decades of experience in education management, advancement fundraising, admissions, and college counseling. She served as Assistant Head for Advancement at National Cathedral School, completing a 60-million-dollar campaign and co-chairing the strategic plan and re-accreditation. She held fundraising roles at Potomac and Dana Hall Schools.
Beginning her career at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, Ms Chiang next served as University of Pennsylvania Director of Admissions Western Region, Admissions/College Counselor at Brentwood and Shipley Schools and College Summit, and Director of Diversity at Baldwin School.
Ms Chiang has served on the Board/committees at Barnesville and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Schools. She has presented at National Association of Independent Schools, National Board of Advisors, Headmistress of East, Council for Advancement and Support of Education (USA, Asia-Pacific), Association for Fundraising Professionals, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, EARCOS, and CEESA.
Fluent in Chinese, Ms Chiang earned B.A., B.F.A., and M.F.A. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She attended the Strategic Leadership Institute of Experienced Women Educators on Branding & Marketing and the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions.
She has received awards for education and well-run fundraising initiatives. Her artwork has showed in 60 exhibitions (Smithsonian Corcoran, USA Today).Preconference - Weds, Oct. 18
Advancement 101: How to Develop Your Ideal Program
Preconference: Wednesday, October 18
Preconference Fee: $125
Please bring your school team to interactively learn about advancement, to audit your school’s needs, and to define an action plan for your ideal advancement program with these experienced panelists:
- Jenny Chiang, Former Assistant Head for Advancement, National Cathedral School, USA
- Mike Downs, Head of School at Walworth Barbour American International School, Israel
- Julia Martinez, Director of Advancement at American School of Dubai, UAE
- Wayne Rutherford, Head of School at Cairo American College, Egypt
- Kirsten Welbes, Director of Advancement at American International School Chennai, India
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions and suggestions in advance to jennychiang5@gmail.com
Target Audience: Advancement/Development/Fundraising
Preconference Outline:
1. Introduction to Advancement
- What is advancement?
- Benefits and outcomes of advancement
- Advancement models based on school size, maturity and potential
- Ideal advancement program - What are our priorities? Is it Development? Is it Communications or...?
- Annual Fund
- Major Gifts
- Stewardship
- Alumni/Parents Relations
- Advancement services/database
- Communications, marketing, branding, messaging
- Necessary components
- Full board investment
- Relationship of board, head and advancement
- Clear scope of functions, coordination, realistic expectations, return on investment
- Volunteer engagement - a time intensive investment
- How to ask for support - It’s not just about asking for money; it’s about matching needs and interests and helping people to accomplish (philanthropic) goals
- Anticipate challenges
- Giving in other cultures
2. Self-reflect and Audit Our School
- How does our program support our overall strategic plan?
- What are the needs of our school?
- What is our school doing or not doing to meet these needs?
- How do we define success for our school?
- How well is current plan working?
- What aspects of advancement are most needed? (communication, relationships, fundraising)
- What is needed to fully invest in an advancement program at our school?
- Are we moving our audience to action?
3. Define and Next-step Action Plan for Your Ideal Advancement Program
- What are the greatest opportunities (with least amount of risk)?
- What model of Advancement work is best for us? What is our priority?
- How do we start?
3-Hour Workshop: Fri, Oct. 20
Advancement is More than Asking for Money: It Provides Strategic Oversight that Can Impact, Transform and Leverage Mission Achievement
Let’s examine the advantages and challenges of fundraising for our schools and answer some of these questions:
- What is advancement?
- How is advancement beneficial?
- What can we be doing to better position our schools for short-term and long-term success?
- What are the immediate priorities?
- What is needed to overcome some of the hardships of advancement work?
- Who needs to be part of these conversations?
- What are the key questions to answer?
- What resources are necessary?
- What are the skills, traits and roles needed by the Head, board, volunteers and staff?
- What are the expectations?
- How do we define success?
- When is the best time to start?
- How do we begin?
Joining in the discussion are international fundraising experts representing NESA schools:
- Julia Martinez, Director of Advancement, American School of Dubai, UAE
- Kirsten Welbes, Director of Advancement, American International School Chennai, India
Attendees are encouraged to submit areas of interest and questions in advance to jennychiang5@gmail.com.
Target Audience: Advancement/Development/Fundraising
Continuum Level: 1 = Developing Awareness (curious about learning more, seeking to understand, information gathering)
NESA's Learning Continuum:
3-Hour Workshop: Sat, Oct. 21
Invest in Engaging Our Alumni through Relationship Building
Whether you have a well-established advancement/alumni relations program or you are considering one, we will work in small groups to better define how the benefits of an effective alumni relations program can transform a school. We will define goals, plans, and measures for success.
Even if your school is not actively fundraising, you might consider engaging alumni as they are our long-term ambassadors, beneficiaries/”products” and potential supporters of possible future fundraising activities.
Joining in the discussion are international fundraising experts representing NESA schools:
- Julia Martinez, Director of Advancement, American School of Dubai, UAE
- Kirsten Welbes, Director of Advancement, American International School Chennai, India
Attendees are encouraged to submit areas of interest and questions in advance to jennychiang5@gmail.com.
Target Audience: Advancement/Development/Fundraising
Continuum Level: 1 = Developing Awareness (curious about learning more, seeking to understand, information gathering)
NESA's Learning Continuum: