Catalyst

Tailored to your institution’s needs and situation, this newly developed institutional readiness review provides customized recommendations that will accelerate your efforts to adapt and help you determine the best path to ongoing sustainability and how to thrive in the future.

Timing and Deliverables

• Comprehensive, integrated, objective review of four critical constituent-facing areas of your institution through a 16-week process:
  1. Enrollment Management – Our team will review your institution’s recruitment plan, vendors, and trajectory for enrollment, examining three years of enrollment data to analyze specific metrics across the student recruitment cycle and conducting up to 15 individual interviews. (You may select an optional study to optimize financial aid.)
  2. Marketing and Communications – With an organizational focus on structure, staffing, systems, and spending, the Catalyst review will take an integrated approach to marketing (including brand positioning and marketing strategy, execution, and optimization) and communications (including earned media efforts, internal communications, and executive communications).
  3. Student Life – Student culture is often overlooked as a key element of forward, external strategy, yet can help to create strategic opportunities. The Catalyst team will conduct an electronic survey of student attitudes and aspirations, examine internal data, and interview staff and student leaders.
  4. Advancement – The Catalyst review of your institution’s fundraising program will focus on principal gifts, major gifts and planned giving programs, annual giving, alumni engagement, donor relations/stewardship, and advancement services. (You may also select to include Acuity® analysis of your institution’s prospective major and planned gift donor base.)
• Regular updates and briefings to the President and two updates to senior leaders to keep them informed about ideas and opportunities emerging from the review.
• Presentation of the Catalyst report and detailed findings to the President and other senior leaders.
• Final report identifying key opportunities and actionable steps for organizational improvement and innovation, including increased collaboration, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Catalyst–Rapid Scan

The Rapid Scan version of Catalyst will provide high-level observations and actionable recommendations in a shorter timeframe and at a lower investment level. Rapid Scan will also identify other potential focus areas for the institution to consider via both additional future phases of Catalyst and its own self-guided efforts.

• Quick, high-level, integrated review of the four critical constituent-facing areas of your institution (Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications, Student Life, and Advancement)
• Research conducted by a team of experienced specialists (all who have served at the vice president level), leveraging the expertise of four firms
• Final report identifying key opportunities for organizational improvement and innovation, including increased collaboration, effectiveness, and efficiency
• Five weeks from first meeting to final report

Catalyst Team

JGA Team Members

Partners