Tips for Designing a Successful Board Retreat

Effective board retreats have clear objectives, well-stated expectations, meeting agreements, an agenda sent to participants in advance, and a comfortable setting. Here are three more tips to ensure your next board retreat will be inspiring, meaningful, and actionable: 

1. Nurture connection: Use your board retreat as an opportunity for your board and staff to talk and get to know each other. Especially after 2+ years of a pandemic, we’ve all had less time together. Create as many opportunities as possible to break into pairs or small groups, design interactive exercises, and incorporate some social time. If the meeting is in-person, host a meal to share together. 

2. Engage in strategy: Retreats allow for longer discussions than typical board meetings, so take advantage of that and dig into a substantial strategic issue, opportunity, or challenge. Educate yourselves about the landscape, trends, and opportunities facing the organization. Invite outside experts or direct service staff to make a presentation, or get an in-depth update from your CEO. Use the time to explore how you are advancing equity and living your values. 

3. Make a commitment: The impact of your retreat can last long after it’s over. Determine what commitments the board is going to make collectively and as individuals, and capture a list of actions for follow up. This can be a detailed annual board goals worksheet that each board member fills out, or as simple as taking the time to identify one thing each board member commits to doing in the year ahead to support the organization in relation to the retreat’s discussions and the organization’s needs. Pair up board members as accountability partners or establish another system for accountability, and check back later in the year during board meetings about the commitments made.