The Catholic School Leaders Podcast

Welcome to the Catholic
School Leaders Podcast.

My name is John Mahalio,
the President and Founder of

Elementary Advancement Solutions.

The goal of this podcast is to connect
Catholic school leaders from across the

world to help grow Catholic education.

Visit us at www.

elementaryadvancement.

com to see how we can
help make advancement seem

elementary at your school.

Well, how are you doing today?

I hope that your day is going great.

I hope that your summer is going great.

I hope that you're getting a lot done,
but also having a little bit of time

to rest and recharge your batteries.

Uh, maybe took a vacation, maybe
took a staycation, uh, whatever

the case might be, but I hope
you're doing well on this day.

I hear from, uh, some principals and
different leaders from, uh, not only

across the country, but across the
world, and, and let me know what's

going on in their schools, which is
always exciting, and hearing about the

successes, but also the, the struggles
that, maybe you're dealing with.

And so that's what we're here for.

That's why I do this podcast is to
really help you to connect with other

Catholic school leaders so that,
you know, those things that you're

dealing with at your school, you're
not the only one, I promise you.

And so, keep going, appreciate
everything that you're doing.

Appreciate that you are, you have said
yes to that vocation of leading Catholic

education in your school community.

So it's that time of year again, If you
are listening to this, if you are hearing

this on this day, it has become one
of the most days in our nation where a

lot of people get really excited, where
people get, just all sorts of giddy

because July 16th and 17th is Prime Day.

And if I would have said to you 15 years
ago, hey, it's Prime Day, you might

have thought that maybe you have a math
test coming up or something like that.

But Prime Day has become one of the
most advertised days and shopping

days, for people all over the United
States and probably over the world.

They look forward to
it each and every year.

They do it several times a year,
um, just depending on the frequency.

Uh, it's gonna take place this
year on, July 16th and 17th.

I'm sure it's filled with a lot of great
deals no matter what you're looking for.

Uh, sometimes Amazon tells you what
you're looking for before you even

know it, uh, suggesting things for
you to buy and things like that.

But Prime Day is coming up, and so
I'm going to ask you this question.

Is your Catholic school experiencing
a Prime Day of its own on July 16th

and 17th as it pertains to getting
ready for the next school year?

Now before I get into that, I'd like to
ask you just a quick favor, if you would.

If you're liking this podcast, if you
are enjoying it, if you're benefiting

from it, if you're gaining something from
it, putting a new tool in your toolbox.

Please be sure to like it, to
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leave a quick review if you could
do that, that would be amazing.

What this does is it helps reach
other Catholic school leaders just

like you and, and that only helps us
to grow Catholic education together.

So, if I could just ask you to take
a quick minute, just give that little

button a like, or a subscribe, or
just share it with somebody that

you feel would benefit from this.

I can't say thank you enough for that,
and like I said, it just really helps

us to grow Catholic education together.

So, let's get into Prime Day.

Prime Day, it's an advertised
day, there's a lot of stuff going,

and I mentioned to you before, Is
Prime Day happening at your school?

Now, I don't mean that that's a
special day where you're, hey, for

this day only we're running a special
on tuition or things like that.

That's not what I mean.

But let's look at what Prime Day
represents, the emotions that are

associated with Prime Day, and see
if that's the emotions that people

within your own school community
would use to describe your school.

And if they're not, maybe we can do
something to move you in that direction.

So The first word that I guess I would
use to describe Prime Day is excitement.

Uh, the excitement begins a few weeks
before because, you know, the media will

be out there saying, hey, Prime Day is
coming, and they're placing ads out there,

and they're placing commercials, and
online articles are leaking what the deals

could be this year, and things like that.

How is that going to take place?

How are we going to find out?

And we're on, oh look, you can already
get these deals on Amazon right now.

all this great excitement
that's building up.

How about your school's excitement
for this coming school year?

Maybe when it comes to your new families.

Maybe when it comes for your
recruitment for next year.

Have you already begun to build excitement
about this process for next year?

Um, the new school year is going
to be here before you know it.

Are you taking advantage of communicating
with people, or is the last time they

heard from you the last time they filled
out that final application form and they

haven't heard from you a whole lot since?

Are you building excitement about school
opening for the 24 25 school year?

That's when I'm recording this,
you may be listening to this in

the following year at some point.

But, for the school year ahead,
are you building excitement?

Are you taking advantage?

of the opportunities you have for
well placed communications, maybe

social media posts, maybe things in
bulletins, maybe communicating things

in terms of the exciting growth
that's happening at your school.

How are you communicating
that excitement about why your

school is a great place to be?

Build that excitement up today as
you're preparing for this upcoming

school year, and don't wait until
the school year arrives because

then it's kind of too late.

We want to build that excitement up now to
give people something to look forward to.

And that kind of takes me to the next
word that I would use to describe

Prime Day is that anticipation.

Now, if you've opened an Amazon page, the
first thing you see is a, is a reminder to

say, Hey, Prime Day is coming, and they've
created this anticipation of what deals

there are that are going to be out there.

Are you creating that same kind of
anticipation for your school, for

the class of students that's going
to be joining you for this year?

Now, one of those schools that I served
as a principal of had a call during our

enrollment period, and the person, when
they would ask to enroll their child,

we would get information from them.

And I'll never forget that one time
we had a call, and my recruitment and

marketing director came in and she said,
You're not going to believe this one.

We just got a call.

about somebody wanting to enroll
their, their child in our school.

And I said, great.

And she said, you don't understand
when I asked him what grade the

child would be entering next year.

She said that the child would be born
in a couple of months, but they wanted

to make sure that they weren't going to
miss out on enrolling their, their child.

And I thought, wow, you talk
about anticipation, uh, and

excitement for a parent.

They wanted to make sure that
their child wasn't going to get

waitlisted or anything like that.

and so that anticipation of families to
be part of your school and be part of

your school community is something that
they're really seeking and something

that they really want to be part of.

They're enrolling their children in your
school community, but they also want

to be part of that school community.

We talk about that
community engagement piece.

That's why it's such a big part, because
that engagement is going to lead to

involvement, the involvement is going to
lead to engagement, which is just going

to lead to that investment in your school,
and I don't just mean financially, the

investment in your school, whether it
becomes how they talk about your school,

the investment in your school about when
something is needed, a helping hand for

whatever, just that investment in your
school, but getting that anticipation

started for your families now, is
something that you really, really,

really want to start building up.

Now, Prime Day is going to bring, I will
bet you, more visitors to Amazon's site

in search of good deals or things that
maybe they've been waiting on purchasing

for a while and people finally get that
Prime Day and maybe that coupon is just

10 off but people are finally going to
pull the trigger and make that purchase.

When your enrollment opened up, and
when your school year opens this year,

when things are happening, are you
getting a lot of people that are excited

about it, or is that something that
you're not really hearing a lot about?

choosing a school is an important
decision for people, and so the people

that are coming to your school, are they
ready to buy, or are they just browsing?

Um, what's happening right now
when you're doing your tours,

when you're having people come in?

And by now, I would hope that you're
having a lot of visitors coming in in

terms of maybe some community engagement
pieces of getting classes together to

give new students those opportunities
to meet your current families.

it's a great way to get people
together, to visit with each

other, to get to know each other.

Uh, it makes a huge impact on them, to
show them what incredible and unique

opportunities your school has to offer.

And maybe anybody that's still
in that decision making process,

it helps get them over the top.

And make that decision to quote
unquote purchase coming to your school.

Prime day, when we talked about
Prime Day, we talked about

people getting a good deal.

And I think people get excited about
coming away with a great thing.

So admit it, there's that
retail therapy out there.

Uh, there's a happiness
that exists out there.

Maybe until you get your credit card bill.

But there is that retail therapy
out there that I, I don't recommend.

Dave Ramsey would not allow that,
and so I won't encourage that

either, but it does exist out there.

You do your searching.

You find the item that you want at
the price you want to pay for it.

It's a great deal for you.

It's something you've been waiting
for and you hit add to cart and

just like that for many of us, the
item will arrive at our house maybe

the next day or two days from now.

Um, and it's in a nice Amazon box and
when people leave that Amazon box on

your porch or in your mailbox, you're
so excited to get it and you rush

home and you open it up and boom,
that item that you've been waiting for

is there and you're excited because
you have finally made that purchase.

So when people leave your school, maybe
after a tour, after a visit, or after a

shadow day, or whatever the case might
be, when they leave your school, when

they leave your school's website, when
they leave an open house, when they

leave a tour, are they having that same
feeling of leaving with something great

that they were looking for in your
school, or are they leaving disappointed?

Everyone's looking for a unique
reason to come and explore a Catholic

school and your Catholic school.

And when a family leaves your school
after a visit, the feeling of coming

away with something that they just
can't live without is something that

they should feel in their hearts and
something that they're calling you back

immediately going, How do we apply?

How do we make sure our son or daughter
is enrolled in your school for next year?

Because we just have to have this.

When you have that, and you leave people
with that feeling that they're coming

away with a great thing, that's exciting.

And then to actually deliver
that great thing is even better.

To be who you are, to showcase
what you are as a Catholic school

in a Catholic community, is only
gonna get people excited, and that

word of mouth is gonna spread.

Which is a great thing
for your school community.

Now, I mentioned before about that
Amazon box arriving at your doorstep,

and when the Amazon box arrives,
there is that sense of happiness

to know that your order is here.

When your family, when a family
enrolls in your school, are they

experiencing that same happiness?

Or, as Matthew Kelly would
point out, a sustainable

feeling beyond just one moment.

Now, Catholic schools have the opportunity
to partner with their parents and

families to provide the foundations.

With Catholic education at
the center of their mission.

It's got to be the center of
what it is that you're doing.

And not only do we get to partner
with these parents and these

students for one year, It's We
get to do it for multiple years.

Now that's a serious, serious
vocation that we take on

as Catholic school leaders.

So providing opportunities for
your families to experience

that same happiness.

That they experienced on the first
day that they came to your school

is something that we want to do and
something that we want to provide

for them and something that we want
to make sure that we give them.

So, it's Prime Day.

It's here.

Maybe there's some great deals.

Maybe there's something that
you've been waiting on out there

that you're going to jump on.

But don't forget about
Prime Day at your school.

It's a two day event at Amazon,
but it certainly doesn't have to

be a two day event at your school.

Make sure that each experience is a
unique one for each individual family.

It takes a lot of work, but it's
so worth it in the end to establish

a strong Catholic culture at your
school that's going to plant seeds

for each family to help them grow.

So, get out there, make every day at your
school prime day, especially for those

current and new families out there, those
families who are considering your school.

Give them that excitement, give them that
happiness, give them that feeling that

they're coming away with something great
and that anticipation for the year ahead.

If we can help you do this at
Elementary Advancement Solutions,

don't hesitate to give us a call.

Let's set up a time to have a
virtual cup of coffee and talk

about the goals at your school.

What are your aspirations?

What is it that you want to
see happen at your school over

the next one to three years?

Let's grow enrollment together.

Let's spread that message
and, and the joy of Catholic

education for generations to come.