How To Create An Award-Winning Enrollment Package: Mission Minded for Chatham Hall

Chosen because Mission Minded won Gold in the Printed Fundraising Appeal category for their client, Chatham Hall, in the 2021 Brilliance Awards Enrollment/Admissions Package category. Mission Minded told InspirED about their win.

“Clever presentation. The student spotlights really illustrate the student’s experiences and adventures in learning.”

— Brilliance Awards Judge's Comment

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Set Goals. Set Strategy.

Chatham Hall’s goal was to develop an admissions campaign that communicated elements of its brand strategy: courage, inclusiveness, and dynamism.

The school was more under the radar than it should have been, overshadowed by schools with a more established sense of gravitas and brand equity.

“Chatham Hall has a century-long legacy of incredible graduates but was facing a challenge: how to differentiate their school from other mid-Atlantic boarding schools.”

— Romayne Levee, Mission Minded Partner & Director of Education Strategy

Begin with Brand

“Your admissions campaign strategy, tactics, and materials should always convey your brand,” says Romayne Levee, Mission Minded Partner & Director of Education Strategy. “If you miss your admission goals, by a little or a lot, the first place you should look for an opportunity is your brand strategy.”

Mission Minded suggests asking yourself two questions:

1. Is our brand strong enough to support our recruitment and retention efforts?

2. If our brand is strong enough, is our admissions program intentionally aligned with it?

If the answer to these questions is no, your school will benefit from a strategic and disciplined effort to strengthen your brand that will attract mission-fit families.

“In collaboration with Chatham Hall, Mission Minded developed a brand strategy to unearth and elevate Chatham Hall from being an undiscovered gem to being the top girls’ education in the Southeast, inspiring families to choose them.”

— Romayne Levee, Mission Minded Partner & Director of Education Strategy

Interior spreads from the Chatham Hall viewbook

The admissions viewbook and the entire campaign communicated to prospective students that they are unstoppable at Chatham. No matter what journey they are on, Chatham Hall will work alongside students to activate their inner superpower that will illuminate their path for the future.

Romayne says, “This brand strategy lent the way for an exciting admissions campaign that included a lively and playful admissions package in which prospective students can see themselves at Chatham Hall.”

Determine Timeline and Budget

Chatham Hall’s brand strategy took a year to develop. It informed the brochure’s content, design, and experience that took an additional 3 months to create. 

Mission Minded says that this kind of work generally ranges from $40-60k and includes the development of an admissions communications strategy.

Congratulations, Mission Minded and Chatham Hall. You are brilliant!

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TEAM
Carrie Tilmann, Mission Minded, Manager of Education Creative
Romayne Levee, Mission Minded, Director of Education Strategy
Elana Stern, Mission Minded, Senior Strategist
Sarah Hubbard, Mission Minded, Strategist
Rod Lemaire, Mission Minded, Partner and Creative Director
Todd Schulte, Mission Minded, Art Director

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