A number of years ago I was at a Fundraising Conference and a Catholic priest was talking about fundraising at the Catholic School where he was Headmaster. He indicated that the school did not have the best of profiles in the local area and so did something that was a little bit out of left field. It was a private school and part of the uniform was a Boater Hat which the students were not keen on, but he insisted that when they acknowledged people they knew in the street that they would 'doff' their hot as a sign of respect. It was quite humorous to here him describe a whole group of students crossing the School Crossing and doffing their hats to the drivers who had been held up for this group of Boater Hat clad students.
Not only did the people of the local area change their perception of the school but the attitude that it generated positively affected all the other aspects of the school including the fundraising.
Its not rocket science but simple things can really make a real difference.
