interview/thank you

XXXX

701 E Apache Blvd.

Tempe, AZ 85281

[email protected]

Date: September 17, 2018

Subject: Interview with Executive Director of AZTO

To: Professor Bonfiglio

On September 17th, I interviewed Lara Reule, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Arizona Tuition Organization. AZTO provides scholarships to students who attend private, Christian schools in Arizona. Lara was inspired to start this non-profit organization in 2004 when she witnessed cash flow issues in the tax credit program at Northwest Christian School. Parents were having financial difficulties paying the tuition for their children to attend private, Christian schools. Lara herself experienced this issue with her three children. Recognizing a problem and an opportunity, Lara did months of research on Arizona’s tax-credit regulations and other states’ successful student tuition organizations. She presented a proposal to Northwest Christian School, and the school accepted the program.

Now, AZTO is partnered with eight schools in Arizona. Last year, they processed 2.7 million dollars’ worth of scholarships. I chose Lara because of her entrepreneurial experience and her marketing skills. I admire her non-profit organization which promotes school choice and affordability.

As Executive Director, Lara’s responsibilities include processing donations, giving donors state tax-credit, managing internal operations, and marketing the organization. She says she spends about two hours of her normal work day answering and sending emails which is her primary mode of communication.

The following is who she communicates with through email:

· Donors and families

· AZTO Executive Board

· Co-workers

· Department of Revenue

· Partner Schools

Lara uses MailChimp, an email marketing service, to send general announcements or remind her families about deadlines. MailChimp is effective for contacting 4000 to 5000 donors at once at a minimal cost. Lara utilizes this tool to efficiently market and promote her organization.

One of the questions that I asked Lara was if she felt that she could improve in her business writing skills. She responded with yes. As the Executive Director of AZTO, Lara runs most of the organization and has limited time due to having many tasks. She would like to spend more of her time marketing to potential donors and school partners. Lara wants to eventually hire a Communications Director that would focus on marketing and the development of their social media presence. AZTO currently relies on word-of-mouth and the schools promoting their program. Lara’s business writing and the general writing of AZTO would improve with employees being able to put more time into those tasks.

When communicating with potential and current donors, she has to explain technical tax code and state regulation in the simplest, layman’s terms. She responds to dozens of emails a week, answering questions and detailing the requirements to families. She writes the copy for her brochures, FAQ sheets, and the website. With the tax code and IRS statues changing every month or so, Lara frequently reads and translates the laws to families. Before sending her writing out to the public, her co-workers proof read her work. AZTO also has a brand book that helps with using the right terminology. Because AZTO centers around tax laws and statutes, a large portion of Lara’s writings center around explaining to donors these complexities.

Another medium that Lara utilizes when writing is letters. She sends printed letters when mailing physical checks, brochures, or reports to schools. Large mailings to around 3000 families happen about twice a year. This is her most formal means of communication, and it makes the most impact on personally reaching out to families. Communicating with existing donors and schools is absolutely essential for growing the organization. At AZTO, a nonprofit that relies on donor and school relationships, professional, business writing is ingrained into every task.

If you have further questions about my interview with Lara Reule, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

XXXXX

XXX

701 E Apache Blvd.

Tempe, AZ 85281

[email protected]

September 17th, 2018

Dear Lara,

Thank you for speaking with me about your writing experience as the Executive Director of Arizona Tuition Organization. As someone who aspires to work in a non-profit organization, I appreciated your insight. I found interesting your comments about the difficulties of explaining complicated tax law to your donors and families. I hope that in my career I will be able to succinctly and professionally communicate with everyone around me.

I will keep your experience in mind while deciding my future career. I also respect how you founded this organization and have used marketing and research to convince schools, donors, and families to partner with you. I would like to stay in contact with you for my further questions. Can I come to you for advice in the future? Your experience as an entrepreneur of a successful non-profit is invaluable. Also, if any internship opportunities come about at AZTO, please keep me in mind; I am very interested. Please contact me anytime.

Again, thank you for your time and helpful advice. Speaking to you was an edifying experience for me.

Sincerely,

XXXX