Schola University Mastermind Group

Ralph is eighteen-year veteran of implementing marketing and development growth strategies for Christian Schools and businesses. He is President of Schola, an inbound marketing agency committed to helping Christian schools grow enrollment.  Due to his vast experience, Ralph has a reputation of correctly assessing a client’s situation and bringing an effective solution to the table. His fresh and practical ideas have increased enrollment and retention while growing revenue and fundraising at Christian Schools.Whether it is a retention strategy, enrollment marketing plan, or refining admission systems and processes, Ralph has tried and used the most effective strategies to obtain results.  He is passionate about helping schools overcome the “gap” in their budget through strategically growing enrollment in order that a school can become financially sustainable.After graduating from Grove City College in 1995, Ralph started his business career selling networking equipment and internet data services in the New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia region with AT&T and Lucent Technologies during the internet boom of the mid and late 1990’s. Although he enjoyed selling high-tech products and working in the business world, his heart was in helping young people to see the world through a Christian worldview and better make an impact for Christ in our culture.This passion led him to co-found and grow a Christian school in New Jersey which he voluntarily served as board president for thirteen years. In addition to establishing and helping Christian schools, Ralph has started a commercial real estate investment company, served as advancement director at a Christian School, and has run several other businesses over the years.Ralph has firsthand experience with traditional “outbound” marketing methods that schools have used to market themselves. Through being in the marketing trenches while finding what works and what does not, he has a unique perspective on the best ways to invest a marketing dollar for measurable results.He understands the value of grass roots Word-of-Mouth Marketing in the growth of schools and how it can be amplified through the use of the social media, referral websites, and by combining it with an inbound marketing strategy.Due to his business development background, Ralph knows how to use the power of the internet to broaden a school’s sales funnel and leverage limited funds for maximum impact. He has embraced the rise of digital marketing and has created a system to guide private schools to implement an inbound marketing strategy through the use of current website design, social media, paid search, and online content creation. He helps schools use the internet to leverage the unique way they serve parents and families in their communities.Ralph understands that marketing is not about creating attractive brochures, clever sounding radio ads, or expensive billboards. When properly implemented, a sound marketing strategy for schools is about attracting the right families to a school by positioning the school’s brand as a trusted thought leader in the community.  Ultimately, attracting the right students will fulfill the school’s mission and provide children with an excellent Christian education in order to build a legacy of Christian leaders to influence our families, churches, and country.Advancing toward this goal begins with expanding the awareness of private schools and communicating their unique appeal to mission appropriate parents and students.