The Fortify Foundation Podcast

If someone were to ask you, what is the framework by which your school operates? What would you say? God has given Christian educators an absolutely incredible mission, but a lot of times the day to day challenges keep us from more fully accomplishing it. How can we change that? In this episode, Todd Clingman shares his framework through the 5 P's and how keeping them in the right order can transform schools into thriving, Christ-centered communities. Regardless of your role, this conversation offers some incredible insights and a renewed call to ensure you are accomplishing your mission in impacting students for eternity.  

In this episode, we discuss the key elements to an effective fundraising strategy. Sometimes it can be the simple things that often get overlooked. What is the reason for fundraising and what kind of impact is it really having? Are we effectively utilizing our team and keeping cohesion so we don’t miss out on donor connections? What does our communication plan look like? Do we even have one? We provide a few key nuggets to help you and your team make the most of the opportunities God has given you. This conversation continues the momentum from Ruston Pierce’s recent Fortify Insights article on creating an effective fundraising plan.🗞️ Read the article: https://www.fortifyfoundation.com/2026/02/12/7-steps-to-creating-an-effective-fundraising-plan/

What type of events has your school been running and are you being as effective as you can be with them? We explore several  opportunities that your school could be implementing and evaluating to maximize impact. Often, we do great at the planning pre-event and execute well at the event. What does the post-product look like? Publish the numbers and move on to the next? You might be missing some great opportunities to expand your mission through what you already have on the calendar! Subscribe to our Digital Magazine below!https://mailchi.mp/fortifyfoundation/fortify-email

We all know the importance tuition has on our overall budgets. But when is the last time you truly evaluated your school's tuition rates? Was the conversation geared towards increasing tuition or was there ever a consideration of decreasing the rates? The only way we could ever consider a decrease is if our overall budget is more than satisfied, right? Randy Sadler and Bob Arritt of Padeia Academy share some incredible and transparent insights of their personal discoveries when they stepped back and assessed some of their financial metrics in tuition setting. This is a great conversation to help all schools take a more detailed look at their current rates and the impact it might be having on their bottom line. 

IRA's, RMD's, & QCD's! What do these acronyms mean and how can they provide a kingdom opportunity for both your donors and your school? Brad Blackburn, the founder of Dyadic Financial Management, joins us in this episode and shares some great insights that every school should consider to provide benefits back to their donors. Understanding a little about RMD's & QCD's can provide some great opportunities to further your mission and be a hero to your constituents! 

If a person had said to your school board, "We are going to spend a year in our homes and all of your students are going to do virtual school", your board would have probably considered having that person committed. However, we all did it, and no one saw it coming. Very few had a strategy to deal with it, and the role of the board in strategy became very visible and needed. School boards play a crucial role in the strategic operations of Christian education, However, the next 5 years are expected to bring a new set of challenges as educational landscapes continue to evolve. From adapting to career needs to managing political pressure, to adapting to possible changes in school choice, school boards will need to navigate complex issues to ensure students receive the best education possible! This episode shares some great food for thought on current & upcoming issues that every school needs to prepare for. 

In this episode, we have a conversation with philanthropist Wade McGuinn of McGuinn Homes. When learning about fundraising / development, we often focus on methods from within fundraising groups. But how often do we cross over the table and listen for the sake of learning from the givers themselves? Wade McGuinn provides some incredible insights of things we should consider when sharing our mission and building fellow missional champions. 

Fortify Foundation exists to financially sustain Christian schools. Often, Christian schools struggle to find the right path in marketing who they are and what they are seeking to accomplish which leads to missed opportunities in growing their philanthropic efforts and building their much needed endowment fund. In this podcast, we invite guest Andy Lynch, founder and CEO of Tassel, to join us to share an in-depth perspective of what it means to create healthy enrollment and how this ultimately impacts the financial growth and overall sustainability of your school.Links & Resources Fortify Insights Article: Assessing the Impact of Enrollment Health on Organizational Life   Tassel Website: https://www.tasselmarketing.com/contact/ Fortify Foundation: www.fortifyfoundation.com 

Yes, you read that title right! A truly effective board should be contributing to the fundraising efforts of your organization! If it's not happening, why not? Could this possibly be an area for growth? What would that effectively look like for your school and how can we create a change in the culture if it hasn't been happening? This podcast lays the foundation for all these questions and more! 

As we continue our series on effective boards / board governance, Fortify Foundation invites Jeff Pickren of Covenant Christian Academy to share some wonderful insights on some of the past challenges they've faced along with current changes to avoid making some of those same past mistakes. Are your bylaws / policies including what they should be? 

Sean Corcoran is a 19 year veteran as a school head. He provides some incredible insights on what it's like to shift the model in board governance. Suggesting, implementing, and adapting to change isn't always easy but sometimes it's necessary for the betterment of an organization. Learn from an insider as to what it's like to go through change and come out on the other side. (Additionally, gain a tangent of incredible information as to what your development team could be.)

The Fortify team continues the discussion of board effectiveness by evaluating several areas that often plague many boards. What kind of relationship should administrators have with their board members? Are there missed opportunities from having shallow relationships or is their wisdom in keeping a respectful distance? What are some good ways to evaluate our board? How can a board move from being comfortable, complacent, and reactive to productive, strategic, and proactive?  And finally, how long should a board meeting last? (just for fun!)

In this episode, Edward Earwood, Ruston Pierce, and Brandon Allen discuss some of the differences between an effective and ineffective board. They take the time to answer some of the lingering questions that often get missed. What is the role of the board? What's the process in selecting board members? Who should serve on the board? How many should be on the board? What is a good balance of power between the board and administrators? And ultimately, what constitutes a good board member. This podcast lays down an initial foundation to a series of podcasts focusing on School Boards. 

We've talked about whether or not a school is ready for a capital campaign and how to plan for that campaign. In part 3 of this series, we walk through the actual campaign process. What to expect, how to plan, understanding and overcoming many of the challenges during a campaign. This is where the rubber meets the road! 

Now that you know your school has the capacity for a capital campaign, what are some things you need to consider prior to launch? What is the biggest reason for either a campaign's success or failure? In this episode, we cover the 6 c's of crafting a successful capital campaign. This is part 2 of a 3 part series where we dive into the surveying, planning, and execution of a capital campaign. 

Our school is growing! That is great news! Is the next step really a capital campaign? Join us as we explore several considerations before a school should enter a capital campaign! This is part 1 of a 3 part series where we dive into the surveying, planning, and execution of a capital campaign. 

Today, we dive into 3 key areas that every school needs to think about when Attempting to Gain New Donors:1. What are thing you need to consider doing?2. What might be some things that you need to reconsider doing?3. Developing a Strategy that Works

Johnson University has an incredibly rich heritage. But that doesn't mean it hasn't been immune to economic challenges. In this episode, we dive deeper into some of the best practices for fundraising and understanding how endowment plays a crucial piece into further sustaining our organizations. 

Funding your mission starts with being willing to promote your mission.  In this episode we explore common fears that cause us to stall in our fundraising efforts.

How do you deal with the constant tyranny of the urgent that end of year events and summer planning brings?

Strategic Planning is important to the short and long term health of your organization.  Join us as we unpack the process, details for execution, and outcomes you can expect!

Strategic Planning is important to the short and long term health of your organization.  Join us as we unpack the process, details for execution, and outcomes you can expect!

In this episode, we dive into the various areas that we are looking to impact Christian education. We aren't the typical foundation that just holds funds and processes donations. We are an institution setup to work on behalf of all Christian educational organizations! Join us for a bird's eye view of our services and how we can help you develop a long-term more sustainable strategy! 

What is keeping you from starting an endowment?  It may seem overwhelming or you may just not understand the steps.  We are here to help!  Join us as we unpack creative ways your organization can get started on the path to sustainability.

Schools, churches, and nonprofits should all have an endowment.  Why do so many not?  In this episode we unpack the process to begin, how an endowment can help your organization, and obstacles that keep people from moving forward.

Does your school truly live out its' mission?  In this episode, our team unpacks what a school that is truly mission-driven looks like.  Your mission can be incorporated into every area of your school, even fundraising and sustainability.  Listen in to get practical ideas of how you can evaluate your school's ability to execute its' mission.  

Fortify Foundation exists to strengthen Christian schools.  In this episode, we unveil new value additions to our team who will be value adds to our schools in the areas of marketing and fundraising.  We are excited to enhance the already robust offerings Fortify provides for our schools with these additions!

Most of us have probably seen the 3 letters "ERC" advertised at some point over the last few years. But what is it? Who's it for? Is there any benefit to me or our school? On today's podcast, CPA Cheryl Wentz is joining us to answer those very questions. If your ministry has never considered or pursued the ERC, we'd encourage you listen to this podcast and gain a better understanding of how it might benefit you. If you'd like to reach out to Cheryl and setup a more in-depth personal meeting, you can reach her at [email protected]. 

In this episode, Brandon sits down with our founders, Dr. Dan Handford and Edward Earwood as they share their personal testimonies, how Fortify Foundation came to be, and so much more. This episode dives deep into the vision behind Fortify Foundation and how we serve our partners through marketing, accounting, and fundraising strategies. If you would like to learn more about how Fortify Foundation can serve your school, email [email protected] or call 803-615-3037. 

At Fortify Foundation, we are passionate about seeing Christian education sustained for generations to come. Join our Executive Director Brandon Allen as he sits down with our team members, board members, partners, and other experts in the world of investing as they discuss the benefits of an endowment for a Christian school, planned giving, fundraising, investments, and more. Follow Fortify Foundation on Facebook and on Instagram at @fortifyfoundation for encouragement, updates, information, and more.