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View answers from our exclusive Q&A session with Angela Schoeffler, Advancement Director at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School.

Q:

Tell us about your path to Our Lady of Fatima School and the work of Advancement?

A:

It has been an incredible path to Fatima and all of God’s doing. My background has always been service oriented,combined with a social upbringing with my family. I have a Business Degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette I always wanted to be in a school environment and family has always been important to me. Here at Fatima School, I was the Associate Director for 10 years and have served as Director for the past 20 years.

Q:

What does Advancement mean to you and how do you define this at Our Lady of Fatima School?

A:

Advancement means involving those in the mission and vision of our school. It’s about serving. I have a Great team with Caroline, our Assistant Director, and Charlotte, our Director of Admissions and Alumni Affairs. We basically are selling a wonderful product – Catholic education. Plus we are serving our church. Advancement to us, is defined by engaging parents, students, teachers, grandparents and alumni. We do this daily.

When I started, it was the Development Deptartment. In Sept 2014, we changed our office to Institutional Advancement and our titles changed then as well, because we were more than just Development. We do development, communications, alumni and community relations, and enrollment for the entire school community. We have a Parents Club that we work closely with and they go above and beyond on many committees such as library volunteers, cafeteria helpers, Fatima Fathers etc… and support events such as Auction, Fatima Fest, Bingo. Our School is 75 years old and was originally a high school. Our Alumni Council is built of very proud and dedicated alumni through the years. Our Foundation has been developed for 55 years and our Endowment is almost $3,000,000 with the interest earned going to the school as $88,000 a year.

Q:

What are the duties of Advancement and how are these carried out each week and month?

A:

Our duties are vast. One day we may be pushing the coffee cart to give a special treat to our teachers, then the next day we are meeting with the Blue and Gold committee, kicking off a major parking lot campaign. Our team tries to meet officially once a month to map out the upcoming couple of months. Of course, there is daily and weekly collaboration on what needs to happen.

Daily, it is social media posts, tours, acknowledgments of gifts given. We believe it is so important to thank the donors in a timely manner. Database entry and keeping it accurate is important too.

Weekly, it is getting ready for the next event. Our office leads events such as Grandparents’ Day, Memorial Mass, and our annual Fun Run. Caroline also does the weekly newsletter, our Weekly Warrior Beat.

Monthly, our office is planning or helping with Alumni meetings, Advisory Council meetings, parents club meeting and Foundation board meetings. This year, we included our school receptionist in our team. She is the friendly face you see right when you walk in to school. We want to make sure she is abreast of what is going on around campus too.

Every summer we do a mini retreat- fun theme, and Professional Development with Bernard. We set goals, and do the WIN analysis. Our principal, Mrs. Isaacs attends as well.

Q:

Please describe your keys to success in Advancement.

A:

Of course there are several factors that all play vital roles in our success. Here are the highlights:

• I have a great team and Admin to work with and you have to love what you do.
• Our teachers are part of the Advancement team, as well.
• Be open – parents and teachers have great ideas.
• We work with the parish on building our school and church.
• We have been doing the Catholic Vitality 360 process since June of 2021. Many goals were set and reached and still more to go.
• Good communication- picking up the phone is important – not always emailing.
• We have many wonderful parents with an array of talents- construction, marketing, graphic design, accounting/legal – we ask them to share their gifts with us for a win-win relationship.
• Be a big picture person – begin with the end in mind. I have seen a lot around here over the years and it helps.
• Blue & Gold Annual Campaign and major donor fund is developed and sent out – the personal ask is the key

Q:

What are the challenges in working with Advancement?

A:

Timing Fund Raisers and Events - You do not want to overwhelm parents and donors, but there are things that have to happen. Scheduling can be tough.

Technology – When I started here, there was only fax machines and an apple computer to do the school newsletter on. We used and still use Blackboard for tracking gifts. There was No emailing. If you scheduled a meeting a fax went out and people called or faxed back. Now look how far we have come.

Communications - Making sure the accurate and correct information goes out.

Crisis Management - When there are tough issues on campus, we have a team that we trust and respect each other. We discuss issues, and come up with solutions that suits the needs of all involved.

Q:

What is your best advice for those working in Catholic school Advancement?

A:

• Teamwork – I always tell our faculty and staff that they are part of the advancement team. We work together for the good of the school.
• Know when you need to ask for help.
• Be willing to wear many hats and be happy to do so.
• Use your parent and alumni resources – they want to help.

• Go to NCEA or other Professional Development and conferences.

• Work with Bernard!

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Thanks, BERNARD Dumond interview with Angela Schoeffler