World Cafe: Connective Conversations on the Menu
On this world-cafe-style Community Call, retreat center leaders were invited to bring a topic to discuss, or select from a “menu” of discussion topics including: equity and access; software and equipment; and outreach and communication with younger audiences. Participants chose their own adventure, attending multiple breakout sessions for smaller conversations on the topics that mattered to them.
View the full meeting video by clicking the image above.
Or scroll down for takeaways from the conversation.
Equity and Access
Retreat centers are looking to improve how they invite marginalized groups into their spaces and programming. They want to do better, but often aren’t sure where to start.
One center made a concerted effort to look at who they were serving and set a goal to offer an experience for inner city children. They partnered with local community organizations who could give them insight and help them build relationships and awareness.
To create appropriate programming for marginalized communities, there is a need to understand the culture. Rather than trying to create programs for people whose needs you don’t know, bring people in to tell you what they want/need and give them decision-making power.
Don’t leave it for these communities to find you. Go out to look for the people/organizations you want to partner with and make meaningful connections.
Your center’s schedule may already be booked with your usual programming. Breaking the mold may mean intentionally setting aside time on your center’s calendar to devote to programming that centers JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion).
Technology Solutions
Retreat centers are using booking and registration platforms like Retreat Guru, Retreat Manager, and Salesforce, with varying levels of satisfaction. Some centers have in-house IT and some don’t. Centers agree that it would be helpful to have a checklist of functionality for different platforms—a way to compare and contrast features to determine which platforms are the best fit for each individual center.
There may be some interest in a future conversation dedicated to comparing booking and registration platform services. Perhaps we could invite reps from some of these platforms to spotlight their products’ special features.
Younger Audiences
What is a “younger audience”? For some centers, that means people under 40, for others, it’s people under 55! And younger generations need different kinds of regular engagement. Lifestyles have changed dramatically, and it takes more than a single event promotion to gain an audience.
Generations below Gen X have fewer resources—including time, money, and attention.
The size of generations has changed.
Younger generations have very little experience in a denominational environment.
Younger generations are moving from religious to SBNR (“spiritual but not religious”); but ritual and belonging remain core human elements of wellbeing.
The marketing for younger generations needs to be more like storytelling. Show them, don’t tell them. Shape your story ahead of time. Word of mouth is powerful.
Explore new avenues of engagement:
Conduct market research, develop a value proposition.
Conduct stakeholder surveys to track age demographics and identify if there’s a shift over time.
Host a focus group of 10-20 people under the age of 40 to help test ideas.
Use video, Google platforms, and strengthen online reviews.
Ask retreatants to like and subscribe—share your story directly to them virtually.
ChatGPT may have a role to play in crafting language for social media.
Search for mechanisms and learning from outside the sector.
Cancellation Policies
Registrants who cancel their stay at a retreat center often want a full refund, but there’s a need to communicate the work centers are doing just to hold the space. Late cancellations can mean centers don’t have the opportunity to fill the vacancy. It’s about mutual respect.
If your registration contract outlines guidelines for refunds, ask registrants to hold to the contract they signed when they registered.
Try saying, “We want to serve your needs and we have needs too.”
Notes and Audio
Click on the button below to access PDFs, audio, and additional meeting notes.
Join the Discussion
Do you work at a retreat center? Would you like to connect with the RCC community for more insights and support? Find out about our upcoming events:
Join us on the next Community Call by subscribing to the mailing list. You’ll receive a reminder email with the Zoom link the day before each Community Call:
RCC has also launched a private Facebook group for retreat center professionals to connect as peers, learn, share, collaborate, and socialize together. This space is for you and it’s open now!
