Board Retreats – What They Are and Why You Need Them
Use the word “retreat” and it conjures up pictures of going away to a cabin in the woods, trust falls, and team building activities. For most PTA volunteers, you feel like who has time for that and is it really in the budget?
However, a PTA board retreat does not need to be cumbersome or time consuming. It is a mechanism to get an incoming board together to build teamwork skills and create future goals. It can be a two-hour event all the way up to an all day event.
The event should be structured to allow time for getting to know one another. This can happen through ice-breakers or playing team games or other socializing activities. This is a proactive way to bond the group and can lead to building your board norms or code of conduct for how you will work together throughout the year.
In addition, this is a great time to brainstorm, think of new ideas, refresh your activities, analyze member surveys and so much more. Developing your goals and action plans for the year to come helps everyone see the big picture, sets expectations, and helps the board work together for a successful PTA year.