Call begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Please contact RCC Admin Assistant Erin to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitator: Midwest Region Volunteers

Topic: Creating and Cross-Promoting Together

The Midwest Region Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat centers located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Call begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Please contact RCC Admin Assistant Erin to get more information and attend this conversation.

Moderators: Jamie Deering, Leslie Wright

Topic: Discovering the Assets Among Us

On this call, we will be collaboratively exploring the assets in our group. Your assets might include:

• Skills you have (e.g., graphic design)

• Knowledge you want to share (e.g., how to develop a contract)

• Networks you participate in (e.g., other groups that may benefit from connection with the RCC Midwest Region, and vice versa)

• Other strengths you bring to the table (e.g., enthusiasm!)

Come to this collaborative time prepared to share your input as we explore these focal questions together:

• What assets do you have that you or your team would enjoy sharing with others? (What would you like to do more of?)

• What are three unmet expertise needs of your retreat center?

We believe our sustainable future is our network with each other. Let's discover how we can help each other flourish.

The Midwest Region Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat centers located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Call begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Please register here to attend this conversation.

Facilitator: Ben Scott-Brandt + TBD

Topic: Initial Conversation

The purpose of this affinity group is to spark curiosity and connection between leaders at senior, well-established centers and those who are imagining or just launching brand-new retreat centers. Possible outcomes of this initial conversation might include regular quarterly meetings for this group, 1:1 mentorship relationships, or a Google Group thread where participants can continue to connect asynchronously. At this meeting, we'll play a couple icebreaker games to get to know each other, and invite Q+A to learn more about what's alive across this old/new polarity within the RCC community.

Call begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitator: Leslie Wright

Topic: Choosing Collaborations That Work

Nonprofits talk about collaboration with great frequency. Funders often ask for it. And collaboration may become necessary for many of us to sustain our operations and impact. Most of us can tell at least one experience with a “collaboration” that was disappointing or even damaging. Collaboration can lead to transformative results but it will take work and good ones almost always involve some risk to participants. So how do you decide if you and your organization will take the plunge? Join us to explore some of the indicators of a worthy collaboration. We will also share some tools to help guide your decision-making.

The Midwest Region Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat centers located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Call begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (EST)

Please register to participate.

Facilitator: Rev. Lorren Z. Buck

The BIPoC People in Retreat Spaces Affinity Group is part of the RCC’s commitment to disrupt systems of oppression and catalyze our collective healing and liberation. This four-part series is for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color working in retreat spaces, and is facilitated by Rev. Lorren Buck of the Racial Healing Initiative team.

Call begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitator: Leslie Wright

Topic: Maintaining Operations During Extreme Weather

Retreat Centers face multiple challenges during extreme weather. How do we care for staff, guests, and program participants and how do we insure the continuity of operations for our facilities? There are three critical steps: assessing the risks, identifying the most critical activities, and creating a plan—before it happens. Join us as we begin the conversation that will help us all be more resilient in the face of increasing numbers of extreme weather events.

The Midwest Centers Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat centers located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Call begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (EST)

Please register to participate.

Facilitator: Rev. Lorren Z. Buck

The BIPoC People in Retreat Spaces Affinity Group is part of the RCC’s commitment to disrupt systems of oppression and catalyze our collective healing and liberation. This four-part series is for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color working in retreat spaces, and is facilitated by Rev. Lorren Buck of the Racial Healing Initiative team.

Call begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitator: Paul Mach

Topic: Prayer Experiences at Your Center

Paul Mach sends this invitation to the Catholic cohort:

Let’s talk prayer.

What kinds of prayer experiences does your center offer to people?

Do you have any special retreats around a certain type of prayer experience?

What questions do you have about prayer experiences?

Come join us to explore this theme in a collaborative space.

The Catholic Centers Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat center identifying as Catholic.

Call begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (EST)

Please register to participate.

Facilitator: Rev. Lorren Z. Buck

The BIPoC People in Retreat Spaces Affinity Group is part of the RCC’s commitment to disrupt systems of oppression and catalyze our collective healing and liberation. This four-part series is for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color working in retreat spaces, and is facilitated by Rev. Lorren Buck of the Racial Healing Initiative team.

Call begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (EST)

Please register to participate.

Facilitator: Rev. Lorren Z. Buck

The BIPoC People in Retreat Spaces Affinity Group is part of the RCC’s commitment to disrupt systems of oppression and catalyze our collective healing and liberation. This four-part series is for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color working in retreat spaces, and is facilitated by Rev. Lorren Buck of the Racial Healing Initiative team.

Call begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitators: Paul Mach, Leslie Wright, Jean Sullivan

Topic: Telling Guests the Story of Our Value

The Midwest Centers Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat centers located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

We’ll be asking for your input about how you tell potential guests the story of your center's value. How do you communicate with the public about who you are, the services you offer, and why guests should choose your center for retreat? What language do you use—and is it effective? What makes Midwest destinations unique? Bring your marketing and program materials. Together we’ll identify ways to help Midwest centers stand out!

Call begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitators: Paul Mach, Leslie Wright, Jean Sullivan

Topic: Your Programming Mix

The Catholic Centers Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat center identifying as Catholic.

At this meeting we’ll be discussing how Catholic Centers define and differentiate between their program offerings.

• What kind of programs do you offer now?

• Where is your growing edge?

• Which categories of programming are most profitable to you?

• Who are your participants?

• What sort of balance do you hope to achieve?

Come join us to explore these questions in a collaborative space.

Call begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitators: Paul Mach, Leslie Wright, Jean Sullivan

Topics: Linking Our Work to Proven Benefits

The Midwest Centers Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat centers located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

At this meeting, we’ll be asking for your input about linking retreat center work to proven benefits. Have you found research related to the benefits of retreat? Bring the document(s) your center uses. Together we’ll identify key data points that centers across the region can use to communicate their value.

Call begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Facilitators: Alessandra Santos Pye

Topic:  BIPOC People in Retreat Spaces Affinity Group

This offering is for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color working in retreat spaces. Our goals are:

1. To cultivate a sense of solidarity amongst BIPOC members of this sector.

2. To affirm the unique lived experiences of all participants.

3. To empower individuals to show up authentically in their retreat communities and beyond.

4. To reinforce the notion that opportunities to rest and retreat must be available to ALL.

5. To invite the envisioning of retreat spaces created for and by BIPOC people and assess opportunities for action.

This group will be held virtually, over the course of 4 months, on the following dates:

Wednesday, December 14, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Wednesday, January 11, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Wednesday, February 8, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Wednesday, March 8, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Registration is now closed for this event. Add your name to the waitlist to be notified of future offerings.

Call begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitators: Paul Mach, Leslie Wright, Jean Sullivan

Topic: Assets and Barriers to Collaboration

In this conversation, we’ll be asking for you to share what you see as the assets and barriers to collaboration among this community of peers at Midwest Centers. Together we’ll identify what opportunities we see ahead of us: to experiment, cost share, share staff roles, and expand our outreach. Please bring your comments and ideas to this collaborative space.

The Midwest Centers Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat center located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Call begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Please contact Ben Scott-Brandt to get more information and attend this conversation.

Facilitators: Paul Mach, Leslie Wright, Jean Sullivan

Topic: Communicating Our Value Now

How can Catholic Centers better communicate their value to the communities around them, to new generations of retreat-goers, and to potential partners and funders? Come join us to explore ideas for a collective White Paper, collaborative research and development, and innovative marketing and outreach methods.

To prepare for the conversation, we encourage you to read the RCC’s Green Paper. Consider how this document may benefit Catholic Centers, or how this group might develop a similar document with more Catholic-specific content.

The Catholic Centers Affinity Group meets quarterly and is for any retreat center identifying as Catholic.

Call begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Facilitators: Alessandra Santos Pye

Topic:  BIPOC People in Retreat Spaces Affinity Group

This offering is for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color working in retreat spaces. Our goals are:

1. To cultivate a sense of solidarity amongst BIPOC members of this sector.

2. To affirm the unique lived experiences of all participants.

3. To empower individuals to show up authentically in their retreat communities and beyond.

4. To reinforce the notion that opportunities to rest and retreat must be available to ALL.

5. To invite the envisioning of retreat spaces created for and by BIPOC people and assess opportunities for action.

This group will be held virtually, over the course of 4 months, on the following dates:

Wednesday, December 14, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Wednesday, January 11, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Wednesday, February 8, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Wednesday, March 8, from 3-5PM ET (12-2PM PT)

Registration is now closed for this event. Add your name to the waitlist to be notified of future offerings.