From strengthening relationships to aligning on our strategic goals, a Board retreat empowers an informed, engaged, and inspired team. It was a privilege to facilitate a retreat last week with the outstanding Board and senior leadership team from Pillar. Pillar’s mission is to provide supports to people with disabilities by promoting opportunity, choice, and connection to the community.
HOLA — an Evansville, Indiana nonprofit — was created to enhance appreciation of cultural diversity and promote the successful inclusion of Latinos in the community. The organization has evolved over its 20 years to reflect the needs of the growing Latino community. and currently focuses on promoting the success of the Latino community in the areas of education, careers, businesses, and financial literacy. I had such a wonderful time facilitating a Board retreat with the incredible leaders of HOLA focused on engaging and equipping Board and staff members for success in fundraising.
Healthy Boards make time to lift their gaze to identify and discuss long-term opportunities and challenges, so they are best positioned to thrive into the future. It was a pleasure to facilitate a Board retreat with the talented leaders of Walden School. Walden is a K-12 independent school community where all students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Their students benefit from personalized learning, hands-on experiences, and connections to nature in an environment that celebrates individuality.
Access to public transportation and mobility options strengthen individuals’ independence and is a backbone for community growth and development. It was an honor to facilitate a Board retreat this week with the team from IndyGo Foundation. The mission of the IndyGo Foundation is to help the community thrive by connecting people through accessible, equitable, and inclusive mobility solutions.
It is magical when talented, passionate, and engaged leaders who are committed to the mission gather to plan for the future. Had a wonderful time facilitating a strategic planning retreat with the team from CASA of the Ohio Valley. These amazing leaders and volunteers advocate for abused, neglected, or dependent children within the Family Court systems of Daviess, McLean, Hancock, and Ohio Counties.
CASA of the Bluegrass recruits and trains Court-Appointed Special Advocates so every child who has experienced abuse, neglect, or dependency can be safe, have a permanent home, and the opportunity to thrive. I had a great time this past Saturday facilitating a Board retreat with the leaders of this amazing organization!
Last week I thoroughly enjoyed facilitating a multi-day Board retreat in Estes Park, Colorado with the talented team from National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA). After facilitating their strategic plan back in February, it was inspiring to see how much this team has already accomplished. NDPA elevates awareness to educate, advocate, innovate, and equip to prevent drownings.
Thank you to the Board and leadership team of Great Kids for inviting me to facilitate last week’s 2-day Board retreat in Philadelphia. Great Kids is an international leader in early childhood development. Great Kids creates early childhood education curricula and training for home visiting programs who support families.
Partnering with purpose driven organizations to inform, engage, and inspire their Board members energizes me every single day. I was honored to facilitate a Board retreat with the team from CIT International recently and equally honored to receive this heartwarming testimonial. I encourage everyone to learn more about their inspiring work to improve community responses to mental health crises by visiting their web site: CIT International
Responding to those in crisis requires a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and substance use professionals, individuals, and families. Last week I had the privilege of facilitating a multi-day Board retreat with the team from CIT International. CIT International aspires to be a leader in promoting safe and humane responses to those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Leading in the present means understanding the ever evolving ecosystem around your organization. It was my pleasure to facilitate a long-range planning session with the Board of Walden School. Walden School provides an educational environment - both academic and social - that fosters a lifelong enthusiasm for learning and challenges individual students to reach their full potential so they may flourish in a diverse and changing world.
A thoughtful Board retreat informs, engages, and inspires Board members. This week, I enjoyed facilitating a retreat with the Board of the Council for a Livable World (CLW). CLW is a nonpartisan nonprofit promoting policies to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons, and to minimize the risk of war through lobbying and by helping elect and support Members of Congress who share these goals.
Healthy teams are characterized by shared expectations, mutual support, and a culture of accountability. Board and staff teams both greatly benefit from opportunities to step back from regular business to allow time and space for reflection, evaluation, and critical discussions. When planned thoughtfully and executed well, a retreat can be a vital tool that builds trust and strengthens relationships among team members, while helping to ensure that the team is positioned to govern or lead effectively. A retreat may also allow a divided team to address conflict or pull together to address a critical issue. As you consider your next Board or staff retreat, here are a few thoughts to consider:
Clearly define the purpose of the retreat
Perhaps your organization is launching a new program. Maybe your Board or staff team are working through a particularly challenging or stressful period. Possibly your team would benefit from time spent clarifying roles and expectations and building relationships. Whatever the purpose of your retreat, it is important to “keep the main thing the main thing.” Avoid trying to cram too many goals into one retreat and instead focus on the quality of the experience rather than the quantity of objectives. Most effective retreats have no more than 1-2 key goals.
Facilitation matters
Whether you are working with an external facilitator or facilitating the retreat yourself, remember that ultimately, the wisdom lies with the members of the team who are in the room. A retreat is not an opportunity for one leader to dominate the agenda and present to an audience. Rather, a thoughtful retreat is one in which every member of the team feels seen, heard, and valued. An effective facilitator promotes respectful discussion and debate throughout the day while ensuring that the objectives of the retreat are met.
Document key discussion points and commitments to action
A retreat is an opportunity to embrace change, to build consensus around new activities or behaviors, and to set meaningful priorities. Board and staff teams pay attention not only to what happens at the retreat, but more importantly, what happens after the retreat. Positive energy from a great retreat experience can quickly evaporate if team members perceive “nothing happened” after the retreat. Throughout your Board or staff retreat, ensure that key discussion points are captured, and where commitments have been made, be sure they are recorded and followed up on.
Have you had a particularly moving or impactful experience at a Board retreat? We'd love to hear about it. If you would like to create an engaging and inspiring retreat for your Board team, let's talk!
A Board retreat can be a vital tool that builds trust and strengthens relationships among Board members, while helping to ensure that the Board team is positioned to govern effectively. It was my pleasure to facilitate a Board retreat this week with the talented and committed Board of Southwest Community Ministries (SWCM). SWCM unites area churches, schools, businesses, and individuals to minister to the needs of neighbors who find themselves in poverty and/or crisis.
Developing thoughtful, actionable strategy first requires alignment around the vision, mission, and values of the organization. It was my pleasure to facilitate a Board retreat this weekend with the tremendous leaders of Visitation Hospital Foundation. Visitation Hospital Foundation was founded in 1999 with the mission to provide competent and compassionate healthcare to the people of southwest Haiti and to empower them with resources to pursue their basic right to health and health education.
I have had the privilege of working with many Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) programs across the country. This weekend, I had the honor of facilitating a Board retreat with the amazing team of CASA of Lincoln Trail. CASA supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children so that they can thrive in safe, permanent homes. If you want to make a difference in the life of a child, consider volunteering for your local CASA program!
Through my partnership with Leadership Strategies, I was honored to spend the day facilitating a discussion of the Habits and Practices of Healthy Boards with the leaders of the Eddy County Fair in New Mexico. The Eddy County Fair brings tremendous economic value and provides valuable lifelong lessons of leadership for the children and families of the community.
Enjoyed a wonderful day on Friday facilitating a retreat with the talented and committed Board of Pillar. Pillar’s mission is to provide supports to people with disabilities by promoting opportunity, choice, and connection to the community.
Honored to spend time last week facilitating a retreat for the talented and committed Board members of CASA of Lexington. Their vision is a community where every child lives and thrives in a safe, caring and permanent home. They are getting there one child at a time!
A highly effective nonprofit Board grows together as a team when they unite behind a mission and a bold, audacious vision. An integral part of that growth is the opportunity to step back from the regular business of Board meetings to allow for reflection, evaluation, and critical discussions. When planned thoughtfully and executed well, a Board retreat can be a vital tool that builds trust and strengthens relationships among Board members, while helping to ensure that the Board team is positioned to govern effectively. A retreat may also allow a divided Board to address conflict or pull together to address a critical issue. Here are a few brief tips to make your next Board retreat a success:
Clearly articulate and build consensus among Board leaders as to the "why" of the retreat.
Focus on 1 or 2 objectives; avoid trying to tackle everything in one retreat.
Work with an external facilitator you trust to craft an agenda that addresses the objectives while still allowing time for Board members to socialize and build relationships.
Document key points of discussion and commitments for follow-up
Consciously seek opportunities to inspire the Board team and reconnect to the mission
Have you had a particularly moving or impactful experience at a Board retreat? We'd love to hear about it. If you would like to discuss creating a creating an engaging and inspiring retreat for your Board team, let's talk!