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Board Retreat Hacks

Here are some things to keep in mind when planning your board retreat.

There are typically three kinds of retreats:

  • Current status and annual planning retreat
  • The “Big Problem” retreat
  • Long-range strategic planning retreat (growth, replication, expansion)

You can use the retreat as a kick-off, or to launch a new “something”, or it could be a culminating event. Usually, the end of summer or early fall is the best time for a retreat after substantive work for the previous year is complete.

  • It doesn’t have to be an expensive or elaborate affair
  • Team-building and great food are a great addition
  • 4-5 hours max is enough to ensure focus and productivity
  • Plan agenda with specific time estimates, and stay on schedule

Why have a retreat?

It gives the board time to reflect and take stock of their own performance, frame out broad objectives for the upcoming year, and recalibrate if needed.

This could also be a good time for orientation for new trustees, and a refresher for returning board members, on school mission, charter promises, and governance overview.

Who should attend?

All board members, the CEO, senior staff, and new board members

We don’t recommend all staff attend, as you want to stay focused on bigger strategic discussions.

Open meeting law:  check to see if your retreat needs to comply – if anyone from the public attends, please ask them to make their comments, if any and ask them to leave, as it is a special time for the Board.

What should we do in advance?

Pre-work depends on the focus of the training:

  • Take the BoardOnTrack Board Assessment
  • provide a short reading with a thoughtful questionnaire
  • A simple survey could be given out before the retreat with questions such as:
    1. What are the greatest strengths of our school?
    2. What are the greatest strengths of our board?
    3. What are the top 3 things the board did this year that added value to the organization?
    4. What are the top 3 things the board should do to add value next year?
    5. If we are “wildly successful” what does the organization look like in 5 years?

Appoint one person to collect the responses (not the CEO). You can use the Survey Tool in BoardOnTrack or a similar tool, collate responses, and share them with the board in advance of the retreat. Have results ready and distributed before the retreat, as well as available that day.

How do we facilitate the retreat?

Start with a simple team-building exercise, “getting to know you” for new trustees

  1. Dream big and celebrate success

     CEO leads the way with a short presentation:

  • Allow the CEO to share his or her thoughts on where the organization is now, where it needs to be in a year, and what would “wildly successful” look like in 3-5 years?
  • Use this as a time for brainstorming, thinking outside of the box, dreaming big!
  • Capture ideas and wishes on large charts, white board or have someone scribe on computer.
  1. Reflect back

     Board Chair or other – leads discussion of survey/questionnaire results

  • Where is there consensus?
  • Where is there a divergence of opinion among board members?
  • Where are the board and CEO in sync or have different views?
  1. Look forward

     Frame out next year’s objectives

  • Have board members group into committees as a follow-up to the CEO’s presentation, or mix it up and have random grouping
  • Groups discuss the brainstormed ideas, rate the top three or four
  • Frame their recommendations as draft broad objectives to share with the whole group
  • Whole group shares, capture list
  • Prioritize - each person gets 3 or 4 votes (can use stickers, play money, something fun)

At the end of this activity you will have the framework for building your Objectives and Key Results for next year!

  1. Reminder of the mission
  • Close with something school-mission-based
  • Give the board a taste of some school-wide, culture-building activities (garden, arts, music, STEM)

5. BOT resources you may want to use, depending on the focus:

  • Key organizational decisions chart
  • State of the school report
  • Individual trustee performance expectations
  • Cut to the chase parliamentary procedure

***Don’t forget to evaluate the retreat with a quick +, -, Δ

***Track Annual Retreat planning in the Documents section of your BOT account 

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