Lobster or Lettuce: Challenges of a Nonprofit Board Retreat

While it’s exciting to get all of your volunteer leaders in the same room for an extended period of time, the nonprofit board retreat can create some challenges for otherwise well run organizations. These retreats can affect the way your organization is perceived and supported.

A nonprofit relies on board members to provide big picture direction. While they may be committed to the cause, it may be difficult to get everyone together at your regular meetings. A retreat offers the opportunity for focused discussions, free from everyday interruptions.

Sometimes these meeting create problems you may not have considered. Before you schedule your next retreat, consider these issues:

How Much Will It Cost?

Does your retreat require everyone to meet offsite? While you don’t want people sitting on folding chairs in a garage, how lavish are the accommodations? Will the meeting be held out of the area, requiring an overnight stay?

Some of your board members may not think twice before suggesting a conference area they would use for a business meeting of their own. The room is large, the food is catered, and the view is inspiring. Perhaps a facilitator is paid to maximize group participation.

The challenge is that you may not have their expense budget. Make sure costs are defined early in the game. Surprise or unexpected charges can create embarrassing moments for all.

Also, some board members may make venue suggestions without knowing how much things cost. They may simple know the location as a “great place.”

Should the Nonprofit Pay for the Retreat?

Some nonprofits feel it’s best to pay for the retreat as an organizational expense. After all, board members donate their time.

If the total is a large number, is there any concern about public perception of the event? The price of a private retreat may become public knowledge.

Would you be comfortable having the total printed on the front page of your local newspaper or shared through social media? Could it have a chilling effect on donors, some of whom may be upset to learn their gifts are not going directly to your cause?

How would staff feel about the cost? While some will attend the retreat, many of your lower paid employees will not. If at best, they receive an annual 3% pay increase, will they feel the funds spent on the retreat should have gone to them? Will they think the total could have been better used to fund something related to the mission.

While there’s nothing wrong with the nonprofit paying for the meeting, have some talking points ready to respond to these potential criticisms should a curious reporter or donor reach out to you.

Should the Board Pay for the Retreat?

Some boards prefer to pick up the expenses associated with the retreat, dividing the cost among all members. They may feel they perform best in a special setting that is free of things, like the inexpensive coffee and old chairs, that are a part of your regular meetings.

In this case, make sure all board members are on board with this policy. It should not be a surprise to anyone and must be communicated during new member orientations.

There also needs to be an understanding that the cost of the retreat does not take the place of an annual gift.

Finally, by estimating the costs, you should require your board members to pay ahead of time. Otherwise, your staff will likely find themselves in the uncomfortable role of bill collector. You also open the door to your nonprofit floating or being stuck with some of the expenses.

Consider the Visuals

Think twice before taking any pictures of the retreat and sharing them through social media or newsletters. Your board may have worked 12 hours straight on important policies but one picture of a group at a bar, enjoying a beach, or cracking open a lobster tail may change public perception of the event. Without context, the image may become a symbol of nonprofit gluttony.

If your staff is handling event publicity, make sure they provide background about the importance of the event. If the board is picking up the cost of the retreat, mention it, as the gesture shows commitment to the organization.

The board should also have some guidance about sharing the retreat through their personal social media channels. Again, make sure whatever they share with the world could be featured in a newspaper, without anyone blushing.  

Any Conflict of Interest?

A board member may allow the retreat to happen at a location where he or she has a professional relationship. If some sort of payment is involved, is this kind of transaction a conflict of interest?

Compare the opportunity to the marketplace. Is there a significant savings or is the cost about the same as you’d pay elsewhere?

Does your nonprofit have a donor relationship with a venue that might be offended at not being selected?

Communicate Results

Be prepared to let people know why this retreat was important. How will the discussions and decisions shape the organization? This can add momentum to your mission and make outsiders want to join the cause.

From staff to board members, a retreat represents a significant investment of time and money. Go into the event with a defined goal. If no one feels like anything happened, then the retreat was likely poorly organized.

Ken Okel speaks to smart leaders and associations who want to unleash employee productivity, performance, and profitability. He introduces them to lessons learned from his time in TV News, Disaster Relief, and running a Professional Ballet Company.

He is the author of the book, Stuck on Yellow: Stop Stalling, Get Serious, and Unleash Your Productivity and the host of the 2 Minute Takeaway Podcast. Ken’s weekly productivity tips can be found at KenOkel.com.