“You are absolutely fabulous! Your wit and wisdom and focus on the task made our First Candle retreat a joy. I believe that we will move forward with a better"...more

"WHAT a great night for University City Children’s Center. The feedback from my board was outstanding. You did a great job of"...more

“I expect nothing less than standing room only during your session and you didn’t disappoint!”...more

“How does anyone find the words to say thanks for all that energy, fun and professionalism?”...more

What can you accomplish from a board retreat?

Teach your board member how to be actively, creatively and competently in the fundraising process

Examine the mission statement

Team building

Establish roles and responsibilities of board members

Creating a vision and direction for the organization

Change the fund raising culture of the board

Analyze, recruit and orient new board members

Solidify and improve board

staff relations

Develop a fund raising plan with specific board and staff responsibilities

Nonprofit Fundraising Tips & Strategies Training

Every retreat ends with a specific plan of action. This might include:

– The fundraising committee will work with a set of board members to make major donor calls

– Board members will make a specific number of stewardship calls a week

– A new fundraising partnership with another agency will be created

– A different mission or vision will be adopted and an ad hoc committee with a chair will take responsibility
including time line

– A recruiting plan will be formulated for the board based on the fundraising plan

– Your plan will be unique to your needs and your retreat goals.

Planning a retreat and need a good laugh....click here.

The questions your group needs 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?

– Can we bring in enough money to do everything we want to do without board training in fundraising?

The following are three options for board retreats:
• One-Day Retreat • Board and staff will be interviewed in depth to determine strengths and challenges and to aid in setting the agenda • Prior to the retreat, goal-setting will be done by staff and board leadership with Carol • Carol will review all written material available about your organization including your current fundraising or strategic plan if you have them, 990, by-laws and P.R. materials such as annual report. • Typical goals for one-day retreats include: have every member of the board assume specific area of responsibility for fundraising, creating a vision, establishing roles and responsibilities, team building, and examining the mission statement. • Investment: $1750/day, with a two-day minimum. This includes preparation time, interviews and a written report. The fee is dependent on the number of interviews and the length and depth of the report.	• One-Day Retreat • Prior to the retreat, goal-setting will be done by staff and board leadership with Carol • Carol will review all written material available about the organization including 990, by-laws and P.R. materials such as annual report. • Follow up at 3-6 months with face-to-face interactive seminar with board members and Carol • 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. • Investment: $7500	• Two One-Day Retreats a year apart • Prior to the retreat, goal-setting will be done by staff and board leadership with Carol • Carol will review all written material available about the organization including 990, by-laws and P.R. materials such as annual report. • Follow up at 6 months with face-to-face interactive seminar with board and Carol • Monthly conference calls with leadership and Carol to keep process moving and monitor progress. • Unlimited phone access for board and staff. All calls returned within 24 hours. • Review of marketing materials including fund-raising letters. • A copy of either Secrets of Successful Fundraising for every board member and executive team for up to 30 people ($750 value). • Common goals for 12 months of work include: changing the fund raising culture of the board, developing an individual fund raising plan for each board member, recruiting and orienting a significant portion of the board. • Investment: $18,000
Terms for board retreats: Travel and phone fees for conference calls are the responsibility of the client. This agreement can be canceled by either party with 24-hour notice. A 50% deposit is required to begin work. Space for year-long clients is limited to first come, first served. If space and time are available, a one-day retreat agreement can be renegotiated for additional time.

Fundraising SuperHeroes Home Book about fundraising Getting a high content

ARR Carol Weisman / Fundraising SuperHeroes 2010

What they are saying about me...

What can you accomplish from a board retreat?

Nonprofit Fundraising Tips & Strategies Training

Every retreat ends with a specific plan of action. This might include:

The questions your group needs to ask are:

The following are three options for board retreats:

Terms for board retreats: