Chad Christoff is a Managing Director in Stifel’s Independent School Finance practice. Mr. Christoff specializes in financial advisory services for independent school borrowers across the country as well as private colleges and universities. He has spent 15 years working with educational institutions to prepare for, evaluate, and execute tax-exempt debt financings. These financings include both bank-based and public market structures, fixed and variable rate debt, and the use of interest rate swaps and other derivatives. Mr. Christoff has served as the primary point of contact, provided analytical support, and managed transactions for a wide variety of recent independent school borrowers, ranging from “AAA” rated institutions such as Phillips Academy (MA) to young institutions considering their first-even debt issuance. Mr. Christoff has presented at several industry seminars and conferences. He also serves as an ad-hoc member of the Finance Committee for Watershed School (Boulder, CO). Mr. Christoff holds a B.A. in Economics from Grinnell College and is a native of Donahue, Iowa.
Understand the independent school business model, learn to be a good steward of your school's financial resources and work more collaboratively around financial issues.
Learn to engage with employees in an empathetic manner while still clearly conveying important information and safeguarding your school from liability.
Calculate your school's Composite Financial Index (CFI) score — a tool trusted in higher education for decades — and learn how you can use the score and its 4 underlying ratios to think strategically about your school's financial strengths and weaknesses.
Learn the fundamentals of nonprofit accounting and reporting by exploring governance structures, internal control strategies, financial statements and compliance essentials.
Learn about best practices related to payroll including employee classification and overtime pay, deductions and taxability and the complexity of calculating a faculty member’s final paycheck when they leave mid-year.
This course will equip school leaders to identify, document and strategically manage the risks facing independent schools. It covers the principles of enterprise risk management (ERM) and provides tools and resources to institute an ERM program.
Learn best practices related to gift reporting, compliance and donor stewardship, as well as how to develop a successful and strategic partnership between the financial and development functions at your school.
Learn tactical best practices related to the financial aid process to enhance the strategic partnership between the business and admissions offices and ensure long-term success.
This webinar will equip attendees with practical strategies to navigate disputes with clarity and confidence, and offers actionable insights on handling complaints and resolving conflict in ways that foster collaboration and strengthen relationships.
Explore financial sustainability for independent schools by analyzing college closures. Learn strategies to navigate risks and build resilience based on what may be gleaned from higher ed’s warning signs.
The financial reality of a school can deeply inform its mission. Discover how a small school's inherent need for innovation sparks powerful, scalable solutions for schools of all sizes to be nimble when resources are limited.
Learn how The Governor’s Academy aligned educational priorities with campus development in a new campus planning process that engaged the school community. The resulting plan now guides the adaptive reuse of facilities and enhanced academic programs.
82% of K-12 schools have experienced a cyber incident. This webinar equips business and technology leaders with practical tactics for cyber threat detection, response, and prevention, safeguarding their schools' financial and reputational integrity.
The upgraded LRFM helps you model tuition, staffing, and revenue over 10 years. Build confidence in your school’s financial decisions—before they’re made.
