Retreat Summary | Downloads | Special Thanks | Photos

Member Retreat 2008 Recap

Full Circle Fund's annual Member Retreat proved to be a fun, multi-day escape for members to take a step back from the day-to-day activities. With an exciting environment conducive for team building, ideas were exchanged, best practices developed and collective ownership sought for the success of our organization, Full Circle Fund.

Retreat Summary

Friday Evening

This year Full Circle Fund members gathered in Monterey for a weekend of serious fun on June 13, 14, and 15, 2008. The Board kicked off the retreat with the Annual Board Report presentation reporting on Full Circle Fund's incredible progress made throughout 2007 and priorities for 2008. Some of the highlights included the launch of the Environment Circle at the 2008 Forum and the focus on capacity building priorities as recognized by a recent grant by the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund

>Download the pdf of the Annual Board Report by clicking here.

Later on, the evening heated up as the group gathered for the infamous Jeopardy Challenge where Full Circle Fund knowledge was tested and eardrums damaged.

Saturday Morning

On Saturday, the programming began bright and early as individuals intimately shared why they were a part of Full Circle Fund and the retreat. Members identified reasons as diverse as philanthropic innovation, sense of community service since adolescence, and a passion for sharing best practices.

Listen to what members shared when asked "Why are you here?" by clicking here.

Afterwards leaders from each circle took the stage to report on the impact they have made in the past year and updated fellow members on current issues in their topic areas. The details of the new Global Economic Opportunity Group were also unveiled.

>Check out and download all of the circle's annual reports by clicking here.

Circle members then gathered into their respected circles to take a step back from the day-to-day and evaluate how they could make a greater impact in their work. Here are some highlights:

• The Education Circle formed several task forces to tackle big issues including retaining historical knowledge, best practices sharing, and developing a communication strategy that can be applied to circles beyond Education.
• The Environment/Energy Circle evaluated the progress of the Circle's first full grant cycle and laid the groundwork for a new initiative to be introduced in time for the Annual Forum encouraging all members to monitor and reduce their carbon footprint.
• The Technology Circle continued its conversation to expand their big picture mission from technology for the individual to technology for nonprofits.
• The Global Economic Opportunity Circle developed a strategy and timeline to successfully launch the circle and emphasizing the importance of getting the right people, organizations, and issue areas onboard.

Saturday Afternoon

After lunch, the group reconvened in the main room to hear from Peter Sims, the coauthor of the book True North: Discover your Authentic Leadership. He gave a moving speech and discussed the themes that developed while researching his book among truly great leaders.

Watch a video of Peter Sims speech on the members only website by clicking here.

Board Member Kirsten Green and Education Circle Member Paul Collins presented a piece on Full Circle Fund culture and values and facilitated a discussion to identify the core attributes of our organization's culture.

>Download a pdf of the presentation by clicking here.

To further expand on that topic, board member, Mike Anders, lead the group into the section titled "Collectively Owning Our Future: Ideas and Actions". The groups separated into 6 teams to discuss pressing issues affecting our organization including: circle efficiency and grant-making effectiveness; leadership development and succession planning; and creating and retaining a sense of Full Circle Fund community. This section proved to be thought-provoking and action oriented as many groups formed taskforces and next steps to realize change within our organization.

The day's programming concluded with a heart-felt thanks by Sister Petra Chavez, Founder and Director of Caminos Pathway Learning Center, a former grantee of Full Circle Fund.

Watch a video of Sister Petra Chavez's speech by clicking here

Saturday Evening

In the evening the group came together to celebrate their hard work at an outdoor luau overlooking the beautiful Monterey Bay. After dinner, members enjoyed s'mores, a sing-along, and each other's company by the campfire. DJ Darian Rodriguez Heyman finished up the night by supplying funky beats for the after party!

Downloads

Circle Annual Reports

• Education Circle Annual Report
• Environment/Energy Circle Annual Report
• Technology Circle Annual Report
• Global Economic Opportunity Presentation

Other Presentations

• Board Annual Report
• Full Circle Fund Culture and Values Presentation

Audio and Video

Recording of "Why Are You Here?" Discussion

Recording of "Evil Tangerine" written by Jeff Camp and preformed at the Member Retreat

Link to video of Peter Sims speech

Link to video of Sister Petra Chavez with a Grantee Perspective

Special Thanks

Thank you to our Big Kahunas donors who, through their generosity, made it possible for our entire member community to participate.

Thanks to our many volunteers throughout the weekend including: Miche Price as volunteer coordinator, Sudeep Rao on photos, Darian Rodriguez Heyman on music, and Trina Martynowicz, David Traub, and Josh Wilson on notes and registration.

Also thank you to Christopher Kilday for coming down to Monterey to entertain us with campfire favorites.

Thank you also to our registration sponsor, Eventbrite.

Photos

If you cannot see the photo slide show above, view the photo set on Flickr.