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Advancing Forward Through Retreats

The board of a nonprofit has the ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the organization. When you

consider the complexity of some nonprofits, the responsibility could be overwhelming. How many timeshas your board simply run out of time at a meeting and been unable to complete the agenda? What is thefollow up when this happens? Are major initiatives frequently tabled until a later date and then thediscussion is hurried and incomplete? Board members are human and have responsibilities outside of thenonprofit that can cause them to be distracted and interrupt their focus at a board or committee meeting.The concept of a board retreat is geared toward solving some of that problem. If properly structured, aboard retreat can be of particular benefit to the organization and result in a more cohesive and productivegoverning group. What are some things you should take into consideration if your organization isconsidering a board retreat?

What is a board retreat?A board retreat is a structured, productive method for board members to

address issues facing the nonprofit, away from the distractions and pressures of daily life.

Why should your nonprofit have a board retreat?There are many reasons to have a board retreat.Frequent themes are:

Major issues that require more time than is available at a regularly scheduled meeting. Board development. Strategic planning. Self-assessment of the board as a whole and of individual board members. Training and orientation of board members on areas such as board roles and legal

responsibilities.

Planning and team building. Review of governance structure, from by-laws to committee structure. Strengthening a dysfunctional board.

What would you like to accomplish at the retreat?In general, there is no voting at a retreat. Thepurpose is to evaluate and explore the agenda topics and come to consensus on how to proceed.Generally, at the end of the retreat, you will have accumulated action points for follow-up.

Who would be involved in the planning? The planning function for a retreat may be the mostimportant aspect of the retreat. After getting the buy-in of the whole board, a planning committee isusually formed. The board chair appoints the retreat planning committee and he/she, in addition to theCEO, should also be involved in the planning process. It is important for the board members to see topmanagement actively involved in the retreat. You need their attendance for a productive meeting. Inaddition, you might want to have a facilitator involved in the planning process.

How does a facilitator fit into the retreat? Every retreat needs a facilitator, whether its the board chair,someone else on the board or an independent facilitator. We recommend using an outside facilitator. Anoutside facilitator will bring an objective and experienced viewpoint to the process. Consultants tononprofits observe and resolve similar problems in many organizations. The facilitator frequently assistswith the planning and agenda. A pre-meeting questionnaire and pre-meeting interviews with boardmembers will eliminate bias if an outside person is reviewing the completed questionnaire and performing

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the interviews. If an outside consultant is conducting the meeting, it will allow all board members to fullyparticipate without having the responsibility for chairing the meeting. An outsider will be able to keep themeeting focused on the critical issues and on schedule and prevent any one person from dominating. Itwill also allow for a discussion of uncomfortable issues. This focus can be difficult for an insider to

maintain. Its natural to want to maintain harmonious working relationships.

If you decide to use a facilitator, ask for recommendations from other nonprofits. Be sure that youinterview two or three candidates. Check their references. You should obtain a signed letter of agreementeven if the facilitator is doing the work pro-bono. It is important that your expectations are clear.

How should the agenda be structured? Set realistic and meaningful objectives when setting the agenda.Tailor the agenda to the specific needs of your organization. The results of any pre-meeting questionnaireor interviews should be taken into consideration when designing the agenda. You will have a moreproductive retreat if the agenda focuses on a few meaningful issues rather than a long list of items. Providefor the participation of all board members whether with individual presentations, inclusion in discussion

groups or bringing non-participating members into a discussion with directed questions. There shouldalso be flexibility so the group can address issues that arise during the meeting.

What timing and location considerations should you look at? Scheduling the time for the retreatshould take into consideration the schedules of all involved. Generally, working about 4-6 months out,will allow for good attendance although some organizations start planning as early as a year before theretreat. You need about 80% attendance for an effective meeting. The location should be off site wheremembers wont be tempted to leave for business reasons. Some retreats begin on Friday evening andinvolve an overnight stay. Other retreats have been one long day. You have to do what works for yourboard, but dont forget to plan some fun/social bonding activities. You should also set some ground rulesregarding leaving the sessions to make or receive telephone calls.

Who should be invited to the retreat?The decision on who to invite will depend on the agenda andretreat goals. It is common to invite other organization constituents for a specific topic or presentation.Those whose input is essential to the discussion topics should be included, whether for a short time or theentire meeting.

What should be provided to the attendees prior to the retreat? You should provide enoughinformation so they can intelligently participate, but dont provide so much reading material that they areoverwhelmed and are losing interest before they get to the retreat.

Wrap-up.A facilitator will help the group summarize action points and develop the action plan that stateswhat will be done, by whom and when results are expected. The facilitator can also assist in the

implementation of the action plan.

This article touches briefly on many aspects of a board retreat. For an in-depth discussion and access tovarious planning tools, we recommend a Board Source article entitled To Go Forward, Retreat! bySandra R. Hughes. (www.boardsource.org.)

Wed be interested in learning about your experiences with board retreats. If you have questions orsuggestions, please contact our nonprofit team.