A Case For Retreats

Effective trusteeship is at the heart of success for independent schools and other not-for-profits. Trustees, as the name suggests, are responsible for holding an institution's mission and ethos in trust for future generations, while ensuring stability in the face of the dramatic societal changes that typify our world today. Integral to trusteeship are a love of the institution, a belief in its objectives, and a willingness to give both time and financial resources to support it. In addition, thorough knowledge of the institution is an essential prerequisite for setting policy. Time to reflect, plan, and examine the challenges ahead, both short term and long range, are essential for such thorough knowledge.

The notion of a retreat - a time away from normal routine business to examine all facets of an operation - is now commonly accepted in the corporate world. Few businesses skip this now-routine part of annual planning and assessment. The planning focus, rather than being purely inward, typically includes the company's external environments, providing a clear perception of the ever-changing markets in which it operates and of its constantly shifting position within those markets. If this kind of reflection and planning is the norm for other businesses, why not for independent schools?

Retreat topics:
There is no set menu of topics for a board retreat. Rather, the agenda must be developed around issues confronting a school that require sustained time for careful discussion, advance thought, and thorough preparation. Successful retreats have focused on:

• Assessment of trustee performance
• Elements of trusteeship; building a stronger board
• Strategic planning
• Financial assessment of future school needs
• Analysis of school restructuring, reconfiguration or merger
• Trustee commitment to development
• Building a case for capital fundraising
• Assessment of school identity and mission
• Goal-setting for a new leader
• Building an administrative management team
• Orientation of new trustees

Benefits:
Quite apart from actual decisions reached and strategies formulated, retreats often yield a clear board agenda for ensuing months. Committees often gain a clearer sense of their mandate, and measurable actions and goals can be set, evaluated, and reaffirmed. Less tangible (but arguably even more important) is the benefit of closer friendships among the trustees, and the greater sense of camaraderie and cooperation that comes only as a result of spending time together.