Carol Weisman

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Board & Staff Retreats for Nonprofits and Associations

Retreats that Make a Difference
Marvin Manes, Arthur S. Long and Carol at Katz Seniors Campus All Board Meeting

The goals of retreats vary dramatically. Sometimes a group needs a quick check-up, sometimes a complete overhaul.

What Can You Accomplish from a Board Retreat?

  1. Examine the mission statement
  2. Team building
  3. An introduction to fund raising or advance fundraising training
  4. Establish roles and responsibilities of board members
  5. Creating a vision and direction for the organization
  6. Change the fund raising culture of the board
  7. Analyze, recruit and orient new board members
  8. Solidify and improve board-staff relations
  9. Develop a fund-raising plan with specific board and staff responsibilities

Carol Offers Three Options for Board Retreats

Option 1 One-Day Retreat

  • Board and staff will be interviewed in depth to determine strengths and challenges and aid in setting the agenda.
  • Carol will guide the the staff and board leadership to set goals for the day.
  • Carol will review all written material available about the organization including your 990, by-laws and promotional materials such as an annual report.

Typical goals for one-day retreats include: creating a vision, establishing roles and responsibilities, team building, and examining the mission statement.

Option 2

  • All of above plus:

  • Carol will review all written material available about the organization including 990, by-laws and P.R. materials such as annual report. 
  • Two face-to-face interactive seminars with board members and Carol at 3 and 6 months after the retrea.
  • Monthly conference calls with leadership and Carol to keep process moving and monitor progress.
  • Common goals for 6 months include: the above plus more specific training and implementing a fund-raising plan and board recruiting.

Option 3

  • Carol will do all of the preparation and facilitation of the initial retreat as described in Option 1, PLUS:

  • A face-to-face interactive seminar with the board and Carol 6 months after the first retreat.
  • Monthly conference calls with leadership and Carol to keep process moving and monitor progress.
  • Unlimited phone access to Carol for board and staff. All calls returned within 24 hours. (If Carol is working out of the country in a remote area, arrangements can be made through Skype)
  • Review of marketing materials including fund-raising letters.
  • A copy of either Transforming Ordinary People into Fundraising Superheroes  for every board member and executive team for up to 30 people ($750 value).
  • Typical goals for 12 months of work include: changing the fundraising culture of the board, developing an individual fundraising plan for each board member, recruiting and orienting a significant portion of the board.

The questions you'll want to ask are:

  • How much better do we want to be?
  • How much time and effort are our board and staff willing to put into making changes?
  • How will our ability to perform our mission be affected if we don't closely examine the way we are doing business?

 

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