Board Retreat Template
Board Retreat Template
Design and lead your own retreat with some help from us with the NER Board Retreat Template (Google doc)!
This resource is designed to help you plan and facilitate your own board retreat, without having to design everything yourself. The template includes tips on planning and preparation, plus options for each of the following elements:
- Gathering
- Opening
- Getting to know the new board
- Tools for resilience in challenging times
- Covenant - either writing a new covenant or reflecting on an existing covenant
- Goal/Intention setting based on your mission
- Goal/Intention setting if your mission is unclear
- Wrap-up and closing
The template also includes two videos from NER staff that you can watch together during the retreat to introduce the tools for resilience and goal/intention setting.
Other Resources
Skill up new board members, or the whole team!
Designed and presented by your UUA Congregational Life Staff, the UU Board Foundations training covers:
- Spiritual Grounding for board members with a deep understanding of covenant, personal and group spiritual practice, and group discernment.
- Perceiving Meetings as Ministry, so that we balance the work to be done with the core values that we hold as a religious community
- Understanding Communication as Relationship, where our practices of interaction as leaders have a deep impact on the congregation as a whole.
- Leading Our Congregation as a System so that we can make our decisions out of a place of both self-awareness and an awareness of group dynamics.
- Practicing Governance as Stewardship with accountability to the mission and vision of the congregation through clear and thoughtful policies and procedures that guide decision-making.
And for Boards that want to go deeper, check out the Strategic UU Board training.
As always, if you have specific questions or need support please reach out to your NER Congreational Life staff primary contact.