When you’re planning a retreat, it’s safe to say that much of the organization, planning, and execution will rely on the strengths of your volunteers who share their time to bring your special event to fruition. With that in mind, it’s absolutely critical that you have the right volunteers by your side to ensure that you can bring your unique vision to life. You see, it’s not just about ensuring that your retreat unfolds as envisioned, but it’s also important to make sure that your participants are able to make the most out of their experience. There are a number of factors that you should consider when bringing on volunteers to join your retreat team, and in this post, we’ll take a look at 3 key questions.

Have you ever been an event planner?

Remember, planning a retreat is essentially the same thing as planning an event. While you might not necessarily be planning a large corporate event at a conference center, there’s a likelihood that many of the same factors will come into play. For instance, facilitating the event is a key concern — from there, feeding your guests, keeping them engaged and active, ensuring a safe and friendly environment, etc. An event planner will know exactly how to accomplish all of the above, and then some.

It would be highly beneficial to have at least one volunteer on your team with event planning experience. This will help to ensure that you have someone who knows what to expect the day of your event. Hopefully, they’ll be able to foresee certain situations that may arise, and have the ability to think quickly on their feet to ensure that your event goes as smooth as possible.

Have you ever planned a group getaway?

Retreats are essentially large group getaways — while there’s a mission involved, much of the logistical planning will be the same. You’ll need to account for transportation costs to get you and your guests to wherever you’re going. You’ll need to account for food, room and board, and other accommodations like excursions, activities, and more. Having someone on your retreat planning team will help to make this process simple and seamless.

Do you believe in our mission?

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll want to ensure that every member on your retreat planning team sees your mission, understands it, and believes in it. Not only will this help to ensure that your retreat maintains its integrity, but it’ll allow you to plan a more cohesive event that actually aligns to what your participants are planning to get out of this experience — and that’s exactly what this is all about.

Looking for a place to host your next retreat? Consider Sandy Cove.