"It's How Much? You've Got to be Kidding!"
If you've been Christmas shopping, no doubt you've found some bargains this year. But retailers are masters of marketing - placing items that would make great stocking stuffers right next to the checkout lines. And, since you're waiting there, you're looking at something, and get the idea, "Oh! This would be great for Uncle Harry!" - especially if you've never bought a gift for Uncle Harry. Multiply this by the many stores (or Web sites) you'll visit this year, and you've spend more than you've planned. "Oh well, it's Christmas after all," right?
Then the bills come.
When those bills hit your parents' mailboxes or inboxes, two things happen: 1) You may not get your January tuition payment - and you'll probably have some that can't pay your second semester tuition payment; and 2) Parents start thinking about whether they'll be able to afford your school next year.
Since this is still Advent, the season of preparation, start thinking about preparing for Catholic Schools Week which will be here before you know it. But think a little differently this year. Catholic Schools Week is NOT the time to plan on bringing more students into your schools - your enrollment efforts should have started back in September. This is the time when your current parents' decisions are reinforced - are their children going to be enrolled in your school next year? The people in the school are the ones who "Celebrate Catholic Schools!" Parents that don't have their children enrolled need to be convinced before they can celebrate. More about that next month.
This month, we need to talk about how much it costs. Here are a couple of things to think about:
1) How much do you pay your sitter? If you don't have little ones, ask someone who does, especially this time of year, when plans are being made...maybe for New Year's Eve?
And when they come to your house, do they bring educational activities to expand your children's mental agility...or are they more prone to watch a movie, eat pizza (that you have to provide) and talk on their cell phone?
If it's more than $4.15 an hour, that would translate to a yearly tuition of $4,482. 180 days per year at 6 hours per day!
Now, take your per student tuition, divide it by 180, then divide the result by 6. Scary.
There's a YMCA Daycare in Oneonta, NY that is licensed and staffed by trained professionals. Members pay $25 per day; non-members pay $45 per day. Let's do some quick math...that translates to either $4500 or $8100 respectively for 180 days of service.
And your school's tuition is...what?
But this is statistical - and statistics don't sell. Why? Because it's logical. Logic doesn't sell...but an emotional connection does.
Here's a 3-point Likert scale relating to affordability that some people might agree with:
- Free
- Inexpensive
- Expensive
Given these choices, most people would go with #1 - however, as we've painfully seen in today's economy, there's always a price to pay somewhere. Yes, your Catholic school can be free! What would it take? If you have 2,000 families in your parish, $500 per family would give you $1,000,000 to run your school. Can't be done? Yes it can. Then, another $500 per family could go to support all the other activities of the parish. You know what - let's make it $1,200 per family - which is $100 per month. Something tells me most families spend that on their cable and cellphone bill (and probably more).
Don't have 2,000 families in your parish? You need to evangelize! It's just like marketing your school. But let's say you don't have a finance council ready to take that leap of faith. There needs to be another step added to the Likert scale:
- Free
- Inexpensive
- Affordable
- Expensive
See how 3 leads to 4? And now, most schools would agree that tuition has to be affordable, since:
- If it's free, there's a catch
- If it's inexpensive, it's defective (or it's a commodity)
- If it's affordable, then maybe we can do it
- If it's expensive, it's out of my price range
But if you've been following this site, you'll know that 3 leads to 4, and 4 leads to 5. All these options deal with a logical thought process. But there is another choice, creating a 5 point scale. After seeing it, I'll bet you'll know what you have to strive for:
- Free
- Inexpensive
- Affordable
- Desirable
- Expensive
Adding an emotional component to it changes the thought process completely:
- Free - not desirable
- Inexpensive - not desirable, but the price is right
- Affordable - right in the middle between logic and emotion
- Desirable - but might not be affordable
- Expensive - definitely not affordable
In this analysis, we've been stuck at #2 for most of our thinking, playing "the price is right" with our families. We have to move to #4. "Yes, we have a high tuition, but we have financial aid if you are in need. But before you make up your mind, come visit our school, and experience it for yourself." If they have a good experience, and become emotionally attached, the relationship will grow...and so will your enrollment.
Now you must create the experience!
