The Fortify Foundation Podcast

Dr. Brian Simmons joins us in today's podcast to share what he's learned over his 40+ years of experience in Christian education. How important is strategic planning? He's come to the conclusion that "a board cannot fulfill its primary responsibilities and a head of school cannot effectively lead the day-to-day operations of a school without a strategic plan!" Why is that?...

If someone were to ask you, what is the framework by which your school operates? What would you say? God has given Christian educators an absolutely incredible mission, but a lot of times the day to day challenges keep us from more fully accomplishing it. How can we change that? In this episode, Todd Clingman shares his framework through the 5 P's and how keeping them in the right order can t...

In this episode, we discuss the key elements to an effective fundraising strategy. Sometimes it can be the simple things that often get overlooked. What is the reason for fundraising and what kind of impact is it really having? Are we effectively utilizing our team and keeping cohesion so we don’t miss out on donor connections? What does our communication plan look like? Do we even have one? We pr...

What type of events has your school been running and are you being as effective as you can be with them? We explore several  opportunities that your school could be implementing and evaluating to maximize impact. Often, we do great at the planning pre-event and execute well at the event. What does the post-product look like? Publish the numbers and move on to the next? You might be missing some gr...

We all know the importance tuition has on our overall budgets. But when is the last time you truly evaluated your school's tuition rates? Was the conversation geared towards increasing tuition or was there ever a consideration of decreasing the rates? The only way we could ever consider a decrease is if our overall budget is more than satisfied, right? Randy Sadler and Bob Arritt of Padeia Ac...

IRA's, RMD's, & QCD's!  What do these acronyms mean and how can they provide a kingdom opportunity for both your donors and your school? Brad Blackburn, the founder of Dyadic Financial Management, joins us in this episode and shares some great insights that every school should consider to provide benefits back to their donors. Understanding a little about RMD's & QCD&ap...

If a person had said to your school board, "We are going to spend a year in our homes and all of your students are going to do virtual school", your board would have probably considered having that person committed. However, we all did it, and no one saw it coming. Very few had a strategy to deal with it, and the role of the board in strategy became very visible and needed. School boards...

In this episode, we have a conversation with philanthropist Wade McGuinn of McGuinn Homes. When learning about fundraising / development, we often focus on methods from within fundraising groups. But how often do we cross over the table and listen for the sake of learning from the givers themselves? Wade McGuinn provides some incredible insights of things we should consider when sharing our missio...

Fortify Foundation exists to financially sustain Christian schools. Often, Christian schools struggle to find the right path in marketing who they are and what they are seeking to accomplish which leads to missed opportunities in growing their philanthropic efforts and building their much needed endowment fund.  In this podcast, we invite guest Andy Lynch, founder and CEO of Tassel, to join us to...

Yes, you read that title right! A truly effective board should be contributing to the fundraising efforts of your organization! If it's not happening, why not? Could this possibly be an area for growth? What would that effectively look like for your school and how can we create a change in the culture if it hasn't been happening? This podcast lays the foundation for all these questions a...

As we continue our series on effective boards / board governance, Fortify Foundation invites Jeff Pickren of Covenant Christian Academy to share some wonderful insights on some of the past challenges they've faced along with current changes to avoid making some of those same past mistakes. Are your bylaws / policies including what they should be? 

Sean Corcoran is a 19 year veteran as a school head. He provides some incredible insights on what it's like to shift the model in board governance. Suggesting, implementing, and adapting to change isn't always easy but sometimes it's necessary for the betterment of an organization. Learn from an insider as to what it's like to go through change and come out on the other side. (...

The Fortify team continues the discussion of board effectiveness by evaluating several areas that often plague many boards. What kind of relationship should administrators have with their board members? Are there missed opportunities from having shallow relationships or is their wisdom in keeping a respectful distance? What are some good ways to evaluate our board? How can a board move from being...

In this episode, Edward Earwood, Ruston Pierce, and Brandon Allen discuss some of the differences between an effective and ineffective board. They take the time to answer some of the lingering questions that often get missed. What is the role of the board? What's the process in selecting board members? Who should serve on the board? How many should be on the board? What is a good balance of p...

We've talked about whether or not a school is ready for a capital campaign and how to plan for that campaign. In part 3 of this series, we walk through the actual campaign process. What to expect, how to plan, understanding and overcoming many of the challenges during a campaign. This is where the rubber meets the road! 

Now that you know your school has the capacity for a capital campaign, what are some things you need to consider prior to launch? What is the biggest reason for either a campaign's success or failure? In this episode, we cover the 6 c's of crafting a successful capital campaign.  This is part 2 of a 3 part series where we dive into the surveying, planning, and execution of a capital camp...

Our school is growing! That is great news! Is the next step really a capital campaign? Join us as we explore several considerations before a school should enter a capital campaign!  This is part 1 of a 3 part series where we dive into the surveying, planning, and execution of a capital campaign. 

Today, we dive into 3 key areas that every school needs to think about when Attempting to Gain New Donors: 1. What are thing you need to consider doing? 2. What might be some things that you need to reconsider doing? 3. Developing a Strategy that Works

Johnson University has an incredibly rich heritage. But that doesn't mean it hasn't been immune to economic challenges. In this episode, we dive deeper into some of the best practices for fundraising and understanding how endowment plays a crucial piece into further sustaining our organizations. 

How do you deal with the constant tyranny of the urgent that end of year events and summer planning brings?

Funding your mission starts with being willing to promote your mission.  In this episode we explore common fears that cause us to stall in our fundraising efforts.

Strategic Planning is important to the short and long term health of your organization.  Join us as we unpack the process, details for execution, and outcomes you can expect!

Strategic Planning is important to the short and long term health of your organization.  Join us as we unpack the process, details for execution, and outcomes you can expect!

In this episode, we dive into the various areas that we are looking to impact Christian education. We aren't the typical foundation that just holds funds and processes donations. We are an institution setup to work on behalf of all Christian educational organizations! Join us for a bird's eye view of our services and how we can help you develop a long-term more sustainable strategy! 

What is keeping you from starting an endowment?  It may seem overwhelming or you may just not understand the steps.  We are here to help!  Join us as we unpack creative ways your organization can get started on the path to sustainability.