Trafalgar boosts engagement with holistic
approach to technology

Located in Montreal, Quebec, Trafalgar School for Girls was the first English
language all-girls school in Canada and the first feeder school for McGill
University. Established to prepare women for higher education, and now
operating for 135 years, Trafalgar prepares young women for university and
beyond through quality education and foundational experiences.

Trafalgar’s administrative team identified the need to audit their systems to
reduce time-consuming tasks and processes for the staff in 2018. Through
this examination, they found that each department was using different
software system, for a total of six unique systems, causing data silos across
the institution. Knowing how much time could be saved with an integrated
technology solution, Trafalgar contacted Blackbaud as a trusted name in the
sector to streamline their systems and processes.

With Blackbaud’s strong support for smaller institutions, the school
could embrace a connected set of solutions while staying within budget.
Trafalgar even had the flexibility to hire a dedicated staff member to focus
on implementation, learn the software, and train the entire staff with the
support of a dedicated Blackbaud representative. By converting from
multiple technology platforms to one with Blackbaud’s Total School Solution,
Trafalgar has reduced data entry by four to six times, with staff saving
an estimated 350 work hours a year overall when factoring in the added
benefits of automation and seamless workflows.

A Better Way to Communicate

Since embracing the total Blackbaud suite of school solutions, Trafalgar has
seen a marked increase in engagement with 100% of Trafalgar parents using
their unique profiles to access important information in one convenient place.
The school utilizes their dedicated database coordinator to ensure all new
families are set up and educated in how to make the most of the system to
ensure their engaged from enrollment onwards. “Parents love that they can
access all of the relevant info in a single place,” said Trafalgar Director of
Finance and Operations Alicia Black. Because it’s so easy for parents to learn
and use Blackbaud technology to interact with the school, it’s “the only way
we communicate with families,” Black said.

Blackbaud’s Total School Solution has aided daily communication with parents
and students, from class information to assignments, attendance and more.
With push-page insights, administrative staff can validate the efficacy of
communications through newsletter and email engagement metrics.
Teachers value that they can see that students are checking, and often
double-checking, their assignments and important bulletins.

Integrated Solutions for Billing and Enrollment

Trafalgar also introduced efficiencies with the adoption of Blackbaud Billing
Management, which provides flexible options for families for tuition payments
and is integrated with Blackbaud Enrollment Management System as well as
core student information and billing for extracurriculars. The shift created
“a better workflow than we could have hoped for,” Black said.

“Internally we have noticed significant time saved by not having to re-enter
student and parent information into our billing system and having enrollment
deposits and the payments plan automatically generated on a student’s
profile once the contract is complete,” she said. “Being able to process charges
to an entire sports team without having to select the specific students or create the group ourselves is also a timesaver.”

Supporting Fundraising for a Big Move

With the help of Blackbaud solutions such as Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT for
fundraising and relationship management, Trafalgar is preparing to relocate for
the first time in their history as part of their innovative Be Moved campaign.
Born of a close partnership with McGill University, the campaign’s goal is to
build a bridge between research and learning by constructing one of Canada’s
most advanced independent schools in the heart of downtown Montreal on the
McGill campus.

The move allows Trafalgar to strengthen their long-standing relationship with
the university while preserving the history and traditions that Trafalgar is known
for. Their vision for this new learning complex sees respect for the past met with contemporary design and leading-edge function to create novel educational approaches and unparalleled opportunities for future-ready students.

With a deep-rooted culture and a relentless commitment to growth and
innovation, Trafalgar School for Girls utilizes Blackbaud solutions to help balance their longstanding historical roots with their innovative goals for the future.