The annual retreat benefitted as a strategic think tank and team-building exercise as it was the largest block of focused time our Jacksonville board shared. It provided us an opportunity to educate and orient ourselves to the responsibilities of participating on the board and to the organization's goals — from a national and local level. The retreat was structured around these opportunities and helped set the tone for a successful year of programming and events.

Developing a framework for each retreat would put the team in a position to succeed. This exercise was a great way to analyze how and where the board could deliver on projects and grow their design-thinking skill sets.

Rose, bud, thorn set up our member value proposition, where the plate exercise was a personal reflection of where our time goes every day and if there’s a way to squeeze in time to give back to the community. Incorporating these small activities would break the monotony of a typical workshop. The individual contributions inspired new ideas, which would lead to high performance during the workshop, and as a plus – helped with public speaking talking to other people. The effectiveness of the team’s achievements is evident in the membership numbers 2018 - 2020, showing a steady number.

One of the exercises I was particularly excited to observe was our creative matrix activity to establish our 2020 vision. Based on a community input survey we distributed to our local chapter, this structure would benefit the board in understanding our users’ needs and delivering outcomes. In the 30-minute block alone, 65 ideas were generated on exploring possibilities and driving results.

With each annual retreat, board members leave with a tangible goal for the chapter and often a shared goal to foster a culture of collaboration on the board. As contributors to the greater good, past and present board members feel empowered to make the decisions needed to see local initiatives and programming come to fruition.