Field Scenario

At the end of a school year, you’re preparing for renewal conversations with your partner schools and realize you haven’t proactively checked in with two of your directors since the initial signup season, months earlier.

What You Actually Do

You reach out to those directors now, genuinely asking how the program has served their students this year and what could be better, rather than only initiating contact when it’s time to formally discuss renewal — treating this as real relationship maintenance, not just a pre-renewal formality.

Why This Matters

A director who only hears from you at renewal time, with no check-in throughout the year, reasonably experiences the relationship as transactional rather than a genuine partnership — and that impression affects how enthusiastically they recommend you to families.

What a Strong Response Includes

• Recognizing a gap in ongoing communication and addressing it proactively.
• Asking genuine, open questions rather than only discussing renewal terms.
• Treating the relationship as an ongoing partnership, not a once-a-year transaction.