Staff Retreat or Culture Transformation?

Truth be told – a staff retreat alone won’t do much.

Nonprofit staff retreats are effective when they are a component of an overall structure for deepening, changing, or strengthening your current nonprofit organizational culture. The retreat can launch, reinforce, or be a culmination of efforts, but on its own, it won’t result in lasting change.

So how do you keep the momentum going? When planning a staff retreat for your nonprofit team:

·         Plan your retreat with an intention to use it as a time to develop norms or tools that you can bring back into the workplace (seek staff input not only on preferred creature comforts but also on what should be addressed at the retreat)

·         Memorialize the decision and discussion points that emerge during the retreat

·         Debrief with the team afterwards  – along with input on what worked & didn’t, review what you decided and what the next steps will be. Include timelines.

·         Reinforce any new norms and/or remind staff of any new tools regularly (staff meetings, one-on-ones, etc.)

·         Report back at promised intervals on how implementation is going

Well-planned retreats can be great tools for helping staff feel valued and unified if you look beyond just creating a great day-of event and instead also consider how you will bring the goodwill of the retreat back into the workplace on Monday.