What Moves Families to Enroll: The Power of Applied Empathy in School Choice

Visit the episode page for full details: https://www.moonshotos.com/what-moves-independent-school-families-to-enroll

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by Blackbaud.

Blackbaud helps independent schools unify admissions, advancement, academics, and finance so leaders spend less time chasing data and more time leading. Visit https://blackbaud.com to learn more.

What if your school could attract families not by being everything to everyone, but by understanding what truly moves them to enroll?

In this conversation with Adam Olenn, CEO of Rustle & Spark and former Director of Communications at Moses Brown School, we explore "The Emotion Switch," examining how applied empathy, smart brand positioning, and authentic storytelling drive enrollment in independent schools.

Adam shares actionable insights on how emotion plays a central role in family decision-making, how to uncover what your school is genuinely great at, and why a mosaic of personal stories can shape a powerful, unified brand identity.

This episode is essential for school leaders rethinking how they communicate their value to the families they aim to serve.

What You'll Learn from Adam Olenn:

Emotions Drive Enrollment Decisions: Families often decide based on how a school makes them feel, not just what it offers. Emotion, not logic, is the final switch in decision-making.

Brand is What You're Known For: Your brand lives in the shorthand others use to describe you. The clearer and more differentiated this identity is, the more powerful your marketing becomes.

Different Beats Better: Instead of trying to be better than other schools, aim to be different. Positioning your school around a unique strength (e.g., entrepreneurship, community, diversity) creates a new category where you can be #1.

Empathy is a Strategic Tool: Applied empathy means deeply understanding what your audience feels and needs. Ask "why" multiple times to uncover the real motivations behind prospective families' questions.

Stories Convey Strategy: Real, personal stories bring your school's brand to life. A mosaic of authentic stories told through a common theme (like Beethoven's Fifth) helps families extract and extrapolate your school’s core values.

Recommended Next Steps

Map Your Brand Position: Identify what your school is truly known for in your local market. Compare with peers to find your unique place.

Gather Mosaic Stories: Ask faculty, students, parents, and alumni to share a specific time they experienced the school’s core value in action.

Interview Like a 4-Year-Old: Train your admissions and advancement team to ask "why" until they reach emotional bedrock. Use those insights to inform messaging.

Align Investments with Brand Strength: Use your brand identity to guide where to invest, choose the best language lab over the sixth-best STEM lab if it extends your school’s story.

Flip Faculty Storytelling: Ask teachers to "rat out" their colleagues doing great work. It opens up rich storytelling opportunities without self-promotion pressure.