Helping Independent Schools Grow and Thrive with
Strategic Marketing and Communications 



When you think about your school, its mission and future, where do you focus your time and resources? Your faculty? Absolutely. A strong academic program? Of course. Athletics? Most likely. Marketing and communications? Much less so. 

AKF Consulting helps forward-thinking schools add marketing and communications to the list of strategic levers used to achieve school goals. 

The Path to Becoming a Strategic Marketing and Communications School

  • Schools are made up of people. And effective communications are the backbone of healthy relationships. Investing in purposeful and audience-centric analysis and planning results in not only greater trust and loyalty in school communities, but also greater success in growing enrollment, attracting and retaining top talent and ultimately securing a school’s future for years to come.

  • Many schools focus on “functional” communications such as delivering information via email updates, social media posts and annual publications. “Strategic” communication schools, however, focus on reinforcing a school’s value proposition, brand and shared values because they know this is what will distinguish their school and make deep, long-lasting emotional connections.

  • AKF Consulting will help your school establish, elevate and/or professionalize its marketing and communication capabilities. With thoughtful and aligned communication plans, processes, frameworks and mindsets, ambitious institutional goals can be achieved. 

What Are Our Clients Saying?

  • "Ayesha not only has a vast knowledge of marketing and messaging best practices, but also takes the time needed to understand the essence and "soul" of each school to position it in the market effectively.

    She listens carefully to a broad range of constituents, and magically distills a myriad of perspectives into a compelling, unified whole. Whether it is strategic messaging or assessing the Marketing/Communications function at your school, Ayesha is high touch, strategic, and a fantastic partner for Heads of School."

    Head of School, Arts Day and Boarding High School, MA

  • "AKF marries independent school experience with a strategic communications approach, bringing incredible value to its education clients.

    Our communications audit sparked fantastic dialogue and reflection within our team and school’s leadership as well as actionable items to focus our resources and continuously improve. Ayesha also represented our team with professionalism and warmth in all of her engagements with families and faculty.

    I would recommend AKF to any school in a heartbeat."

    Director of Marketing Communications & Admission, IB K-12 School, Vancouver

  • "Ayesha's deep expertise in marketing, communications, and independent school strategy is superb. My partnership with AKF Consulting has been invaluable to me as a school leader.

    She has elevated the strategic priorities of my school and helped to support new members of my leadership team as they have onboarded and learned new roles in communications, marketing and enrollment.

    She is one of the best in the field. "

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    Head of School, All-Girls School, DC

  • "Ayesha was professional and friendly in every interview with our stakeholder audiences, everyone enjoyed conversations with her.

    Ayesha’s findings and recommendations provide a solid foundation for building a communications strategy that will serve us and our audiences over the next five to ten years.

    I recommend working with this experienced professional to help bring your communications program from functional to strategic in a way that is in-line with industry standards and best practices."

    Director, Marketing and Communications, Day and Boarding School, Victoria

  • “It's not every day that you find a strategic partner like Ayesha Flaherty. With her deep understanding of the school market, we have set specific, measurable enrollment goals and are already seeing progress.  

    Ayesha brings experience from both the school and corporate worlds. Through interviews, visits, and careful listening, she gave our key messaging the market relevance it needs. Moreover, she crafted key messaging that all our constituents -- admin, faculty, parents, students -- are excited to adopt and spread.  

    The partnership has been transformative.  

    Director of Enrollment Management and Strategic Communications, K-8 School, DC

  • “AKF Consulting was a key educational partner during a leadership transition in our Communications Office. Her expertise not only gave us a real-time understanding of where we were, but also allowed the incoming Director of Strategic Communications to hit the ground running.

    She provided new hire coaching, and we would not be as far along without AKF Consulting. The school year began with a clear roadmap for our communications strategy, areas of growth, and priorities.  

    We are better positioned because of our work with AKF Consulting.”

    Head of School, All-Girls Boarding School, CT

  • "Ayesha brought a wealth of knowledge and marketing expertise to our school and leadership team. 

    She conducted excellent market research to understand our unique needs and target audience, crafting a tailored plan that has already elevated our brand visibility and engagement across various channels of promotions and outreach." 

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    Head of School and Center, Grade 1-12 School for Students Who Learn Differently, MI

What is the Secret to Our Services?

AKF offers a tailored and attentive experience, along with a model for marketing and communications that helps schools connect their strategy, brand, team and execution.