Illustration By Dan Williams
The turning of the calendar to a new year always heralds renewed promise and new opportunities.
I’m delighted to share that In Trust enters 2022 with a renewed commitment to support your board, leadership, and school community. We seek to honor the work of individuals schools, share the good news of your mission fulfillment, and invite voices of leadership – both new and experienced – to contribute to our publications and programs.
We listened when you asked to hear from more perspectives and schools in the pages of In Trust. This issue includes the voices of leaders from more than 30 schools – and 95 board chairs.
What are board chairs sharing about board practices and the most important strategic issues for board discernment? Check out the Census (p. 11), which highlights the responses of board chairs to a recent survey. Most indicate that they seek ways to connect with other chairs and external resources to support their leadership roles. Throughout 2022, we will be launching new digital tools for board chair engagement to build a learning community and facilitate the sharing of best practices and experiences.
Beyond our award-winning magazine, we worked with over 100 schools in 2021 as leaders sought resources on issues ranging from board and presidential assessment to fundraising and partnerships, among others. We awarded 30 Resource Grants, along with additional grant funding for 10 boards to participate in training and development. These grant-funded initiatives created new learning space, fresh online resources, and exploratory stories in In Trust.
With our colleagues at ATS, we will launch our co-coordination of Lilly’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. We are excited to collaborate with ATS as we create rich learning spaces to support grantees while also identifying opportunities to support those who are not grant recipients.
What else is new in ’22? A new webinar series focused on sustainability, financial models, planning, and leadership development. An expanded $15,000 matching Resource Grants initiative. A podcast featuring leaders and consultants exploring critical board issues. And an enhanced website with even more accessible resources.
Our mission is simply to help you fulfill yours. Let us know how we can help you.
May God bless you and your school communities in this new year.