'Meet Me at El Ducko's. . .'

By Constance M. Clark, Vice President
Great Lakes Region

The first call came December 21. I didn't recognize the name of the caller, but she seemed to know who I was. The conversation started with, "Connie, my sister said I needed to call you. She said you and your firm could help me save our school."

Whew. No pressure.

Not knowing who the sister was, why the school was in danger, or how our firm was to solve their problem made me a bit uneasy. However, as our introductory conversation progressed, I found that I had known her sister for years through our mutual involvement in the Arts Council in Carroll County.

The school, a private Catholic school in Stark County, Ohio, was in danger of being closed due to loss, or lack, of adequate financial and scholarship support. This was impacting many of their large, lower-income families, causing them to be forced to leave, which in turn further aggravated the situation. The Diocese was questioning whether it could sustain this small town, rural school for grades 1-8 after this school year.

Once the problem was established, I began to ask questions about the history of the school and Diocese, and with what in particular she wanted my immediate help. She was aware, through her sister, that in November I had facilitated a long-range planning session with a focus on financial development for the Arts Council. She believed something similar, combined with an annual campaign for scholarship and operating support, was needed to address her school's situation.

She said, "I have absolutely no idea what to say or do to get people to listen to me so we have a chance to develop and present a financial plan to fix our problem in the short and long term. I don't have any idea how to write a case statement, tell people what we need, or convince our leadership to wait before closing the school. All I want them to do is to hold off a decision until we can talk to you and get some help developing a plan. Can you please help me?"

I asked her when the decisive meeting was being held. She responded, "January third or fourth." Hearing that, I realized the only way I would be able to help her with the immediate crisis was to meet right after Christmas to learn more about the school's situation and needs. I would then see if I could help her prepare to lead a discussion of viable options, other than to close, the school at the critical meeting-looming in the very near future.

Since it was during the holidays and the school was closed, I suggested we meet in Strasburg, which is almost exactly halfway between her town and my home. I told her I would meet her at El Ducko's on December 27th.

"Where?" she laughed.

I said, "Strasburg doesn't have a Starbucks or a bagel deli but, it does have El Ducko's. El Ducko's is a friendly little family run restaurant and dairy on the north side of Wooster Avenue, as you travel through Strasburg. I'll meet you there."

In planning our first person-to-person meeting, I realized I would need to help her prepare to "make her case" at the pivotal meeting in early January. At this point in time, she was not a client, just a new friend who wanted to hold off a decision to close her community's school long enough to develop a plan for financial stability, so the school would not have to close.

When I met her, her passion was palpable.  I knew then, that all I had to do immediately was to help her have the confidence to verbalize her case, and give credence to her presentation.  I would supply her with basic information about annual campaigns, financial audits, our firms’ track record, my bio, a timeline, and other documents to help her with her presentation.  But, I knew that in addition to the data, she would need to add a brief case statement to these professional documents, which she said did not exist. 

I began by asking her questions and encouraging her to tell me about her school:  When was it started? Why was it started? Who went there originally? Who goes there now? Who are some of the graduates? Is the school important to the town? What has the school meant to you personally? How do families feel about the school? What would happen to the town and community if it closes? etc. etc.

I got her comfortable talking and started writing down her quotes, “There is no other school in our town.  Kids in the public schools ride the bus at least 40 minutes one way. The businesses in town and the people in town consider us as ‘their school.’ We were started 175 years ago to give everyone an opportunity for a quality education—both Catholic and non-Catholic.  It didn’t and still doesn’t matter what your faith is, you just have to want your kids to have a great school in a caring atmosphere. 

We have had politicians, governors, football stars, lots of teachers, great parents, all kinds of wonderful people who have made a difference in their communities who graduated from here.  We draw kids from four counties and over nine small towns within 30 miles of here.  We are the only school this far south of the bigger cities.  Our families help each other get through all kinds of crises.  We support the community and they support us. We have alumni coming to visit who now have grandchildren going to their same, small school. 

We take care of each other.  It is really one big family that extends back multiple generations and is forever entwined in this community.  If the school closed, none of us, the families or the town, would ever be quite the same.” 

She finished by saying she desperately needed my help because she just did not know what to say or how to say it at the meeting coming up.  She just wanted the decision makers to hold off long enough to give the parents, teachers, and parish leadership a chance to develop a plan.  She said she had no idea how to convince them or where to begin.

I smiled and said, “You will be fine.  You have already developed a brief case statement.” 

She looked back at me puzzled, “What?”

I said, “Want to know where to start?” 

She said, “Yes.” 

I put down my pen, moved my cup of tea and slid the sheet of paper, on which I had written down her quotes, across the table.  I turned it 180 degrees and said, while pointing to her quotes, “I would start with, ‘There is no other school in our town,’ then go on.”

She called me at 7:30 p.m. on January 4. “Connie, they said they want to meet with you.  They have lots of ideas about an annual campaign and endowment and everything in between.  Can you believe it?  They listened to me.  We have to present a written plan to the Diocese by March 15.  We now have a chance.” 

Right after I scheduled a meeting and hung up the phone, I got another call.  “Connie, I am calling for EAA Chapter 1077.  We are a new 501(c)(3) and we have not been able to get a grant or funding for a hangar we want to build at the New Philly Airport for educational programs.  I think we are doing something wrong but don’t know enough about it to know what we are doing wrong, or right.

I agreed to come and asked him where and when the meeting would be held.  He said at the hangar of a club member’s, which was located at the Beach City Airport.  I suggested we meet before the meeting so I could gather more information to help prepare.

He then said, “I don’t think we are explaining what we are doing correctly.  Can you help us know what to say?  I don’t think we are telling our story right and I don’t know where to start”. 

I said, “The best way to Beach City from New Philly is to go through Strasburg, isn’t it?” 

He said, “Yes, just go through and take 21 North to 212.” 

I said, “There is a little home-run restaurant and dairy on the north side of the road as you go through Strasburg.  It is called El Ducko’s. I’ll meet you there…”