Communicate Effectively for Engagement:

Pushpages to EmailWhitney Donnelly and Julia Bannister

A little background...

Students with involved parents, regardless of income or background, are more likely to:

● Earn higher grades & test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs● Be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credit● Attend school regularly● Have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school● Graduate and go on to post-secondary education

http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf

The Johns Hopkins University Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships defines six categories of school-parent involvement. One of these categories is:

Communicating, or working to educate families about their child's progress and school services

and providing opportunities for parents to communicate with the school.

http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/Parent-Involvement/Parent-Involvement.html

Email Communication at Your School

Build community! Connect with:● Parents● Students● Alumni ● Teachers & departments● Prospective families

Use your emails to get the right info to the right people at the right time.

Your e-newsletters (Pushpages) should act as your school's strategic communication tool. If your constituents are only going to read ONE communication from you, it should be your e-newsletter.

You decide: Who to send it to

How often (monthly? weekly?)The layout - keep mobile in mind!

The content

Consider making your e-newsletter about the highlights of life at your school. Include information on school events, philosophy, leadership vision, major changes, and fundraising opportunities.

Find a format that works and stick to it.

The facts: ● Sent out every Wednesday between 2:30 & 4:30 pm ET● Sent to primary notifications at all existing schools, plus

those who've "raised their hand" to be a part of the distribution list

● Content includes all new blog posts since last week (usually 2), event announcements, Support Tip of the Week, recently launched sites, recent school upgrades, and occasional links to outside events

● Goals: educate schools about opportunities and new product info, drive traffic to our site, and increase engagement

My tips:

Set goals

Keep mobile in mind

Be consistent, but flexible

Keep an eye on engagement

Highlight the most important info

What communication tools does WhippleHill offer?

Targeted Communication Delivery Methods:

● Custom Activity Stream● WhippleHill Inbox Messaging● Class/Team Roster Bulk Messaging● Email/Text Notification Preferences

○ News, Announcements○ Games, Practices○ Inbox

● HTML Newsletter/ Pushpage

Communication Purpose:

● Strategic● Informational● Operational● Educational● Personal

CommunicationPurpose:

● Strategic● Informational● Operational● Educational● Personal

DeliveryMethod:

● Activity Stream● Inbox Messaging● Bulk Messaging● Notification ● Pushpage

Pushpage Features:

● Same features in Podium and onMessage● Self-managed Templates● Targeted Dynamic Distribution Groups● HTML formatting● Open Rates*● Click-through content and tracking● Website Message Archive

Peddie SchoolAlumni Connection Pushpage

4/25/2013

Click Thru to Content

North Shore Country Day School Mobile-Specific Pushpage

Alumni Mobile News - June 2013

(300 pixels)

Tips for Working (Communicating) Smarter...

● Publish regularly- not more often● Distribute and target consistently● Repurpose existing content● Encourage participation/ contribution● Provide self-serve archives● Offer preferences (web, email, text)

Now we'd like to open up the discussion to the independent school experts - YOU!

Questions?Comments?Successes?Challenges?

Additional resources:

http://bit.ly/12mR31wLet us know what you thought of this session!

http://uc13.wikispaces.com/Survey+Links