In this unusual fiscal year rife with challenges from the COVID–19 pandemic, social injustice and related movements, and widespread political unrest, NBOA, like our member schools, pivoted and adapted but did not waver from our strategic vision:
- Strengthen NBOA's community: Foster an engaged, informed and diverse membership.
- Advance the core: Continue to innovate benefits, products and services that support NBOA’s mission and strategic priorities.
- Maximize impact: Amplify NBOA’s position as the industry thought leader to expand value within and across independent schools.
This year has shown us the power of member connections, ranging from NBOA’s first all-virtual Annual Meeting to constituent Zoom chats to participation in research and surveys. Through close collaboration and using thoughtfully developed resources, our schools found creative solutions and elevated their offerings in times of crises. Below are some highlights of what we achieved as an association this year.
July 2020
- The NBOA Board of Directors DEI Working Group gives recommendations to full Board and transfers oversight of DEI work to Governance and Executive committees.
August
- “Operating Guidance for Independent School Pandemic Management: COVID–19 Field Guide” released
- 1,200 engagements as of October 2021
- Top-attended webinar “COVID-19: PPP Loan Forgiveness and Accounting Questions Answered”
- 604 attendees
September
- “Effective Financial Governance for Independent Schools” released
- 1,022 copies sold as of October 2021
- New online course “Engaging in Difficult Conversations with Employees” launches
- Net Assets Reader Survey closes
- 247 participants
- 99% of participants strongly agree/agree that Net Assets articles provide information that helps members do their job better.
- 89% of participants describe Net Assets as a “must read.”
October
- New Business Officers Council launches
- “Demographics of the Independent School Business Office: Key Research Findings 2020” released
- 862 downloads as of October 2021
November
- BIIS data collection closes for the 2019–2020 school year
- 309 schools participated
- Commonfund Benchmark Study of Independent School Endowments closes for the 2019–2020 school year
- 200 schools participated
- Inaugural Recipients of the NBOA Professional Achievement Award announced
December
January 2021
February
- 2021 NBOA Annual Meeting: An All-Virtual Experience launches
- 548 schools participated
- 2,690 individuals participated
- 104 virtual exhibitors participated
- 12,000+ views of live sessions
- NAIS–NBOA Data Collection Collaboration announced
- Inaugural Recipients of the Jeffrey Shields Award for Innovation Excellence in School Business Operations announced
- “Financial State of the Industry: BIIS Financial and Operational Indicators: 2019–2020” published.
- 493 downloads as of October 2021
March
- Inaugural 2020–21 NBOA Leadership Academy program concludes
April
- NBOA Member Needs Assessment Survey
- 1,201 NBOA members participated
- 82% of members agree or strongly agree that NBOA helps to advance the strategic role of the business officer.
- 77% of members agree or strongly agree that NBOA benefits and services increase the operational efficiency of their schools.
- NBOA releases two new courses: Wage and Hour Boot Camp and Leave Law Boot Camp
May
- NBOA Business Office Structure Survey closes
- 144 participants
- 93% of the schools surveyed outsource at least one school operation.
- <10% of schools surveyed are a business office of 1 FTE
- “Tuition Discounting Report for PK–12 Independent Schools” published
- 958 downloads as of October 2021
June
- Business Officer Institute held virtually for the first time
- 45 participants & 4 faculty members
- 45 participants & 4 faculty members
