The Proper Growth, Care and Feeding of

Strong Advisory Boards

2008 Summer Institute

Wednesday, July 9

2:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Presented by:

Charlie Katz, Director, Advisory Board Development

National Academy Foundation

What is an Advisory Board?

• A collaboration between schools, business leaders and community members, which provides benefits for each

• A lifeline, and career pipeline, for tens of thousands of students across the country

• Embodiment and application of “Rigor, Relevance and Relationships” for students

What are the dimensions of strong Advisory Boards?

• The Ah-Haahh! Factor– Answer the question, “When will I ever use this?”– Open minds to “worldwide” possibilities– Level the playing field

• The Resources– Human – mentoring, job-shadowing, classroom

presentations, student conferences– Financial – cash, in-kind, scholarships, internships, long

term sustainability of your program

• The Context Bridge– Make anecdotal connections– Apply classroom knowledge to the “real world”

The Context Bridge – Rote Memorization

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The Context Bridge – Rote Memorization

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The Context Bridge – Contextual Learning

The Context Bridge – Contextual Learning

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What are some of the Hurdles to overcome?

• Ignorance – “How could one business person

possibly make a difference?”

• Complacency – “It was good enough for me.”

• Apathy – “It’s not my problem, besides, I’m too

busy.”

• Fear – “I haven’t been in a high school since I

graduated.”

What are some of the Hurdles to overcome (continued)?

• Misconceptions – “It’s just glorified baby-sitting; there isn’t any real learning going on in there.”

• Media Hype – “Our high schools are full of drugs, gangs, teen pregnancies and shootings .”

You are a “relationship broker”

Strong Advisory Boards – a “Proper” Three Step Process:

• Step 1 – Growth - Building

– Recruiting

• Step 2 – Care - Developing/Managing

– Utilizing

• Step 3 – Feeding - Sustaining

– Recognizing

Step 1 – Growing your Advisory Board What are the first steps?

• “Begin with the end in mind” -

• Stephen Covey (The Seven Habits…)

• Build your infrastructure

• Identify and recruit your core group

Advisory Board Development Storymap

Begin with the End in Mind

• What does a healthy, robust, active, engaged Advisory Board look like? What’s your vision?

• What kind of resources do you need?• How will the partners participate?• How many partners do you need?• What level are they in their organizations?• What are their competencies?• Formal or informal Board structure?• Committees or no committees?• Regular meetings or meet as necessary?

Build Your Infrastructure

• Identify key business people in your community

• Call them and invite them to talk, face to face, about forming a business partnership

• Ask some students to talk with them

• “Close the sale”

Identify Key Business People

• Personal/Professional contacts (parents?)• Media stories – “Movers and Shakers”• Professional Associations• Companies who support ‘ee volunteerism• Service Organizations (Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.)• Business department at local college(s)• Chamber of Commerce• U.S. Small Business Administration (SCORE)• Others?

Call them and invite them to meet

• Call them and invite them to discuss your program/school face to face (don’t sell over the phone) – “Elevator speech”

• Know the role of the Business Partner• Know why they should join with you• Bring your “secret weapon” with you• Be able to answer the question, “What’s in it

for me?”• “Close the sale” with a call to action

Role of the Business Partner

• Provide support for your program and students in the form of:– Mentoring– Shadowing experiences– Classroom teaching– Other types of student enrichment– Financing/Fundraising– Community outreach and advocacy– Paid internships– Long-term financial support

Why should I join?

• Financial factors – bottom line– Identify and groom entry level workers– Create positive public relations news– Take advantage of networking with others– Improve your bottom line through reduced training

costs and lower employee turnover• Other factors - altruistic

– Give back to community– Be an agent of change in education– Provide opportunity for future leaders

• “Sell the benefits”

Benefits to Businesses

• Focused, direct way of getting involved in local education initiatives

• Meaningful interaction with students• Active participation through Advisory

Board and classroom teaching opportunities

• Identification of future employees, and business and community leaders

Benefits to Businesses (Continued)

• Help identify, shape and retain entry level employees in the community

• Provide excellent public relations news

• Facilitate networking opportunities

• A visible, meaningful way to give back to community

• Increase your bottom line

“Employers see real benefits from participation [in school partnerships]**”

Increase “bottom line” through:• Lower recruitment costs• Lower training costs• Higher employee productivity• Higher morale of existing workers• Greater ability to work in teams • Higher work ethics• Lower employee turnover

– ** Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University

WIIFMs

• What’s In It For Me?

• Handout

Close with a call to action

• Get a commitment – “Don’t say NO!”• Set the next meeting date to discuss the next

steps (invite them to the next AB meeting)• Ask them to “bring a friend”

Yes, I’m interested in getting more involved.

Name:Address:Employer:Work Location:Telephone:Best Time to Call:

Step 2 – Caring for your Advisory Board

• Now that you have ‘em, what do you do with ‘em?• Tell the Board what you need, then step back

– Activities, Materials, Trips, Other requests

• Let the business partners run the Board• Help them develop specific goals and tasks• Help them form committees to get jobs done

– Fundraising, Public Relations, Board Recruitment,

• Get them personally involved with students• Encourage on-going Board recruitment• Use the Team Performance Model (grove.com)

Team Performance TM

model

Team Performance TM

model

Step 3 – Feeding your Advisory Board • Involve everyone in a project/committee• Help develop an esprit de corps

– Selection of Board Chair is key

• Continue to engage them with students• Develop the partnership beyond the “individual”• Recognize the Board members’ efforts

– Awards, Plaques, Certificates (masterteacher.com)

– Letters of recognition/cc to supervisor– Breakfast, Luncheon, Dinner– Press releases/media involvement– Company recognition

Feeding your Advisory Board (con’t.)

• Show off the students • Show off the program/school• Show off the specific classroom/facilities in

which the program is housed• Show the program materials, brochures, etc.• Show the Administration’s/parents’ support• Show how the business partners actually make

a difference by getting involved• Make them aware of all their “wins”

Feeding your Advisory Board (con’t.)

• Engage the employer, not only the employee• Immerse your program in their culture• Provide information/photos for press releases,

copy student letters to bosses, provide articles/pictures for internal newsletters, etc.

• Send students to company site (meet HR, sit in on ‘ee training, new ‘ee orientations)

• Remember to “tug on the heartstrings, before you tug on the purse strings”

• Don’t forget to ask for what you need

You got questions…….

• I got answers!!!!

Other information sources

• Electronic and printed material– www.NAF.org – Academy Development link

• Advisory Board Development materials

– www.grove.com - Total Performance Model (TPM)– www.masterteacher.com - recognition, awards– The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People – Stephen

Covey

• Other sources– Me - charlie@naf.org– Regional Manager– ABLC member

• The Bridge – Will Allen Dromgoole

The Bridgeby Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man going a long, high way,Came, at the evening cold and gray,To a chasm vast and wide and steep, With water rolling cold and deep.The old man crossed in the twilight dim,The sullen stream had no fears for him, But he turned, when safe on the other side,And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near, "You are wasting your strength with building here,Your journey will end with the ending day,You never again will pass this way,You've crossed the chasm deep and wide, Why build you this bridge at eventide?“

The builder lifted his old gray head,"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,"There followeth after me today,A youth whose feet must pass this way.The chasm that was as nought to me,To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be,He, too, must cross in twilight dim,Good friend, I am building this bridge for him."