“Everyone needs to feel that he or she makes a difference to the organization. It is what gives meaning to their involvement.” – Heidi Richards

Retreats are great opportunities to review and assess current programs, align volunteers and move forward in the organization. They are one of the best ways to plan for the future of the organization, create greater buy-in of programs as well as create a stronger team. Retreats can give a powerful boost to the spirit and effectiveness of any group.

Well-designed and delivered retreats can lead to better understanding, clearer alignment and much stronger motivation for all stakeholders. A good retreat does not have to cost a fortune to host or attend.

Places that offer peaceful surroundings can create harmony and encourage quiet reflection. Why not hold your retreat during the off-season in your community? Hotels, resorts, bed-and-breakfasts and the like can be much less expensive during that time. A stakeholder’s home might be a viable alternative, if it is conducive to fulfilling the agenda. A casual atmosphere can help create the quiet reflection participants need to share ideas, develop plans and be “honest” in the process.

Organizing a retreat is a big responsibility. Use these ideas to make your event a well-planned and memorable success.

1. Set the tone with an inspiring theme. Telegraph the tone and purpose of your event with a theme that helps establish what you wish the outcome of the event to be. The purpose of a theme is to create excitement and anticipation. Here are examples of themes I have had the opportunity to co-create. “Lighting the Way Through Leadership:, “Meet, Mingle and Mastermind” , Leadership is…Growing other People”, “Play Hard, Think BIG”, Weekend Among the Stars”, to name a few.

2. Select your site with care. The best way to reduce distractions and promote a “big picture” perspective is to host your retreat away from the day-to-day surroundings of the organization. Make sure that the location helps to promote the “theme” for the retreat. An ocean-view location might not be the best place if your theme is “Getting Down to Business.”

3. Create interest to get the most participation. Use memos, bulletin boards, posters and internal meetings to arouse peoples’ curiosity. You could distribute a list of objectives and issues for the retreat, or even conduct a survey prior to the meeting, announcing actual results during the program. The survey is a wonderful tool to gather information from stakeholders, especially those who might not be able to attend. It will assist you in finding out what their issues are within the organization. This will also help plan the agenda.

4. Involve others in the planning process. Put together a planning team for the planning retreat. They can also be a part of the actual process during the retreat. I’m not sure who said it, but “many hands make work light.” This is also a great way to develop future leaders for the organization. By breaking down the tasks, you can concentrate on what outcomes you would like to see achieved.

5. Design the sequence of events with great care. Timing really is everything. And the key to the success of your retreat is planning the activities to get the most out of and give the most to the participants. Do you want a high-intensity working event, a laid back more relaxing atmosphere or somewhere in between? If you combine work with play, carefully consider, which should go first. Consider including some fun activities in the planning process, with the major recreation as a bonding in between the process and a celebration at the end.

6. Send out a pre-retreat agenda. Let stakeholders know what your vision and objectives are for the retreat. This will give them the opportunity to fully prepare for the event. It could also get their creative juices flowing.

7. Balance Energy, Enterprise and Entertainment. Stimulate interest and get involvement by using a full range of activities. Planning can be challenging and fun. Engage both sides of the brain, mental and physical stimulation to get the best results. Sitting in a room talking for 7 to 8 hours (or even 2 or more) without some form of physical activity can actually hinder the creative process.

8. Allow enough time to process, discuss and apply. Allow enough time between each activity for discussion, learning and application back to the organization. It’s better to have a full day with two activities and enough time for discussion, than a day “packed” with three or four exercises and little time for reflection.

9. Focus on new actions with “More”, “Less”, “Start” and “Stop.”

To help in the planning process, during the program, have participants develop clear answers to the following questions:

“What do you want to do more of?”
“What do you want to do less of?”
“What do you want to start doing?”
“What do you want to stop doing?”

10. At the end of the process, you can ask participants to make another list of personal commitments using the following outline:

“I am committed to do more ______________________
“I am committed to do less _______________________
“I am committed to start doing ____________________
“I am committed to stop doing _______________________

11. If you’re the one “in charge,” don’t dominate discussions. If you do, not only will it inhibit open dialog, it will keep important issues from being fully addressed. Participants may go home with a feeling that they just wasted their time.

12. Lead participants to find areas of agreement. Finding issues people can agree on increases the chances they will also solve their own areas of disagreement.

13. Use an outside facilitator. Someone not intimately involved in the day-to-day of the organization, might actually help participants discover issues they did not know were issues. An experienced facilitator can also serve as an impartial party to keep the group on track, make sure all voices are heard and everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the process.

About the Author: Heidi Richards – is a professional speaker, Entrepreneur and the author of “The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business,” “From Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur”and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of The WECAI Network™ www.WECAI.org – an Internet network of organizations that “Helps Women Do Business on and off the WEB.” Basic Listing is FREE.

Copyright Heidi Richards – reprinted with permission

“Imagine that you’ve awakened after being asleep for ten years, what would you want your organization to look like?”

Planning is essential (critical) to the success of any endeavor, whether it be a for-profit or a not-for-profit organization. That’s why so many organizations participate in planning retreats.

For retreats to be successful there are key factors that must be included in the process. The following overview can be a guide in getting the most out of the time you spend in the design of your retreat.

1. Include key stakeholders. Representatives from all aspects of the organization should be included in the process, from staff to board to volunteers.

In order to create a team atmosphere and buy-in, key people need to be involved. Those people that will help implement the plans once set, as well as those who would influence buy-in from other stakeholders in the organization.

2. On the first day, participants should reconnect with the “mission” and vision of the organization. Discussions could include who the organization serves, what the organization does well, what could be improved upon, what are the hopes for the future.

3. On the second day – phase two – participants break into small groups and recognize the organization’s potential for positive influence and impact. Day two is a dream and deliver day. What will the organization look like in ten years? What will the world look like? What is the best we can hope for? How will we make the best happen? After the small groups dream, they will deliver their findings to the entire group.

4. After the dream and deliver phase, participants will focus on creating the “plan” to incorporate the dreams into a strategy, process and system to realize those outcomes established by the participants. The Result: action-oriented statements about how the organization will perform.

5. Stakeholders claim responsibility for each area of the plan. When stakeholders take ownership, things happen. Once this phase is complete, R & R is in order – reward and recognition. Thanking stakeholders in advance can help to cement their commitment to the tasks at hand.

About the Author: Heidi Richards – is a professional speaker, Entrepreneur and the author of “The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business,” “From Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur”and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of The WECAI Network™ www.WECAI.org – an Internet network of organizations that “Helps Women Do Business on and off the WEB.” Basic Listing is FREE.

Copyright Heidi Richards – reprinted with permission

Want your next fundraiser to run more smoothly? Here are ten tips to help you create a successful marketing plan.

1. Put your project plan in writing – Run your fundraiser like a business. A written project plan that spells out all roles and responsibilities is your blueprint for success.

2. Create a timeline – Make sure that your start date and end date are both firm. Make sure your project does not conflict with other major events where your constituency is likely to participate.

3. Recruit, recruit, recruit (volunteers that is) – Let the community you serve know that you need more caring individuals to help with your goals. People who volunteer do so because they are asked. So ask! Use your newsletter, website and word of mouth to help in your recruitment efforts.

4. Incorporate your website – Don’t have one? There is no better time than the present to create one. Your website should be used to communicate goals, thank your sponsors, recognize successes, honor individual contributors, tell about upcoming events, etc. Be sure you promote your web site on all your marketing materials.

5. Look at the past to plan the future – See what’s been successful before. Review your records. Find areas that need improvement. What did you do best? Do it again! Is there something you have always done that is on the decline. Examine the reasons for the decline. Perhaps it is time to change course or find a new event. If your stakeholders are bored with a project, chances are, so is the audience you serve.

6. Define Roles – Match the needs of your organization with the volunteer’s skills and availability by including it in those written volunteer position’s description.

7. Move people around – Unless you have a good reason not to switch roles, put new people (with a good track record) in those organizational roles that will move your fundraiser forward. Do this ahead of time. Provide proper training.

8. The early bird gets the “volunteer” – Let the community know early and often about what volunteers you need. Recruit more volunteers than you think you will need. This way, no one feels overworked. And of course, those volunteers will be able to pick up the slack in the event others don’t follow through as expected. Have volunteer sign-up forms at every event and meeting your organization hosts.

9. Recruit a volunteer to be the volunteer coordinator – A strong communicator that will help assign and place volunteers would be the best choice. Some people are a natural for this key role.

10. Set realistic goals – Break those goals down into what’s needed from each sub-group. Tell them the consequences of their participation as well as what could happen if they don’t follow through. Let the volunteers know the importance of their roles and what’s in it for them. Reward volunteers based upon their individual and group success.

About the Author: Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of the Women’s ECommerce Association, International www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kī) an Internet organization that “Helps Women Do Business on and off the WEB.” Basic Membership is FREE.
Article Reprinted with Permission