Sooner or later, every non-profit, every government agency, every business- any organization of any size- will need to have a planning retreat. There are many variations:
- Board-Staff retreat, where the Executive Board and senior staff members spend a day or three together;
- Staff retreat, for those organizations that either do not have Executive Boards, or those where the Executive Board’s presence is not warranted;
- Executive Board retreat, where the volunteer members of an organization meet without staff to candidly discuss issues and challenges facing the organization;
- Any hybrid of the above, for example, an Executive Director-Executive Board retreat
Regardless of the persons involved, planning retreats are important, and in many situations, are vital to the health and well-being of a vibrant organization or governmental entity. The importance of “getting away” to a neutral site, without distractions, and focus on where you need to go should not be underestimated.
Many times, organizations feel they can save a few dollars by conducting and facilitating the retreat in-house, with current staff or directors. This is true, but is short-sighted. The following are just a few reasons why:The staff or board member conducting the meeting cannot be involved and may feel left out and at the very least, will not have ample opportunity to share and participate;
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- The facilitator may or may not have any experience in conducting a retreat, and as with any skill, experience and past success in facilitation and moderating of retreats is a strong indicator of how successful it will ultimately be;
- It is difficult if not impossible for a facilitator who is part of the organization to be neutral as discussions are taking place, and it is just as difficult for that person to step up and prevent a strong personality- such as the boss- from taking over a meeting. That’s much easier to do with an independent, impartial arbiter.
- The After Action Report is the most important outcome of any retreat, and The Kelly Group has decades of experience in strategic planning and recommending methods to help any organization realize their potential.
We are experienced
The Kelly Group has significant experience in planning and facilitating board and staff retreats. Brad Chambers has personally worked with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation during their staff planning retreat, hosted several town hall listening sessions for the State of Tennessee SCORP Plan, worked with Trenton, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas, and the parks and recreation staffs of Cookeville, TN and Columbus, GA. Other associates have worked with park districts and systems in Ohio, West Virginia, and Illinois.
