Nonprofit Board and Staff Retreat Agenda Sample (Stop Having Poor Retreats!)

If you’re like so many nonprofit professionals, you may believe that a nonprofit board and staff retreat agenda is simply a longer version of your regular board meetings. If that’s the case, let me be blunt…

Your retreat will be a waste of time.

That’s right. You don’t want to waste your board members’ time by planning an extend version of your normal board meeting.

What to CUT from your Board and Staff Retreat Agenda

Let’s start with what you should NOT have in your nonprofit board and staff retreat agenda (sample agenda further down in this post).

Your board and staff retreat agenda should not contain anything (or almost anything) from your regular board meeting agenda.

• No voting on meeting minutes
• No fundraising reports
• Certainly no financial reports

In other words, no “business as usual” allowed at your board retreat.

That’s because your board and staff retreat serves a completely different function than your normal board meetings.

The key is to make your retreat (and your board meetings) interesting and worthwhile for your board members. If you are asking them to sit and listen to reports, you’re wasting their time.

Nonprofit Board and Staff Retreat Agenda Items

A board retreat serves three primary functions, and you’ll want your agenda to reflect all three.

1. Team building

If you want your board members enthusiastic and engaged throughout the year, they need to function as a team.

Over the years that I’ve been conducting board and staff retreats, I’ve had dozens of nonprofit board and staff members tell me that their board members know one another. However, when I probe a little, it turns out that there are some board members who are clearly “outside” the group.

Although you shouldn’t use the words “ice breakers” on your agenda (lots of people cringe when they see those words), you will want to do ice breaker type activities without calling them such. Simply include “Welcome and Introductions” on your agenda, and slip your ice breakers into that section of the day.

Not sure what to do for your ice breakers? Simply Google “ice breakers” and you get hundreds of examples. Take two and make them your own.

One of my favorites is something I call Board Member Bingo. It’s so much more than an ordinary ice breaker, and it works great to get people talking.

Begin your time together by getting everyone up and moving around the room. Get the blood flowing and people interacting with someone they don’t normally interact with.

2. Planning

Another key component of a board and staff retreat is an opportunity to plan for the future. Use retreat time to start or update a strategic plan. It’s the perfect time to have meaningful discussions about the future and the vision of your organization.

This planning time should involve brainstorming, discussion, and even interactive activities. If appropriate, break into smaller groups so everyone gets a plenty of talking time. Then, reconvene as a larger group to debrief and compare notes.

This designated time for planning is different from anything you likely do at your normal board meetings, which are generally spent on governance and operations — not on planning for the future.

3. Fundraising and Revenue Generation

It still surprises me when I hear of organizations holding board retreats without any fundraising training or discussion around revenue generation. Now, I realize that this critical topic gets skipped because board members don’t want to deal with it, and/or staff don’t know how to talk about it. But that’s no excuse!

The best plans in the world can’t be executed without proper funding. So skipping the topic of fundraising and revenue generation is a huge mistake.

What’s more, a board retreat is the perfect place to introduce the concept of fundraising and how board and staff members can get engaged. The best exercises help board members understand their role in fundraising and that they can do it successfully.

You can also have a discussion and brainstorming session around alternative methods of revenue generation such as “fee for service” and other profitable endeavors, which are often great sources of nonprofit revenue.

Nonprofit Board and Staff Retreat Agenda Sample

Now that you know what should be included in your nonprofit retreat, let’s look at a sample agenda.

That’s it!

Seems simple enough, right?

Note that I didn’t list breaks (although I always provide them) or any other details. That’s because if the board is having an amazing conversation, I don’t want to stop in the middle simply because the agenda has a break scheduled. As a facilitator, it’s important to have the flexibility of extending or shortening the session based on the vibe in the room.

If specific break times are listed, people will be watching their watches and smartphones instead of engaging in the discussion.

That being said, never go for more than roughly 90 minutes without providing a break.

A Final Word About Board and Staff Retreats

Whenever possible, hold your retreat in a new location — someplace other than where you hold normal board meetings. It should have a different look and feel, even if it’s only a board member’s conference room.

In addition, make sure you always provide plenty of food and drinks. Keep people satiated and comfortable.

Finally, whenever possible, use an outside facilitator so board and staff members alike can participate in the conversation. Not only that, a professional facilitator brings years of experience in leading interactive and engaging retreats. If you do your homework and hire the right person, you will not be disappointed.