BUILDING UNITY THROUGH
RETREATS
Mari Ann Callais, Ph.D.
CAMPUSPEAK/CAPSTONE/DELTA DELTA DELTA
WHY RETREATS?
 Chapters, IFC/Panhellenic/Pan-Hellenic Councils, Greek
Community, etc. hold retreats for a variety of reasons but the
main reason usually is to strengthen the bond of
sisterhood/brotherhood. A retreat may have a specific purpose
such as a recruitment retreat to plan recruitment. Other types of
retreats include: member/new member retreats, initiation
retreats, officer retreats, or goal setting retreats.


The key to a successful retreat is establishing its desired goal and
directing energy to achieving that goal.
Themes – bringing everyone together on the same page


Brotherhood since 1852
Looking Forward to Another 150 Years
TYPES OF RETREATS




Officer Transition - outgoing/incoming officer report forms, goal-setting,
calendar planning, policy/procedure review, expectations of office, projects,
personality tests, motivation survey, evaluation of your organization, team
building activities, communication skills, case studies, etc.
Leadership - sessions on relevant topics, i.e. risk management, health issues
impacting your membership, officer training, university relations, diversity,
community relations, sisterhood/brotherhood building, All Greek Retreat,
relationships, values, ethics, creativity, crisis management, confrontation, etc.
Brotherhood/Sisterhood - team building, group activities & competitions,
song, alumnae/alumni speaker, history trivia, senior wills, member roles, ritual
review, re-dedication ceremony, regional officer report, chapter officer
expectations, standards, values & ethics, communication skills, etc.
New Member Orientation - mentor program, individual expectations,
chapter expectations, team building, and introduction to
Panhellenic/IFC/NPHC/Multicultural, national organization review, new
members ceremony, activity planning, speakers on relevant topic, succeeding
academically, social with other new members, getting involved, etc.
GROUP ACTIVITIES









Some resources to obtain new and fun activities for
your organization are:
Your National Organization websites and Facebook
pages
NIC Brotherhood Building Activities I & II
National Magazines
Greek Advisor files
Chapter Consultants
Encyclopedia of Ice Breakers and Team Building
Activities
Use your history and tradition
Have a guest speaker come in and do low impact
ropes course types of activities
RETREAT PLANNING

I.
Determine type of retreat by objectives to be
achieved



II.
Select format for retreat



A. Obtain input from chapter, other officers, advisers,
alumnae/alumni, etc.
B. Objectives should be in keeping with time and resources
available
A. On campus, one-day type retreat-useful for limited objective and
factual and factual information given.
B. Weekend, away from campus retreat-useful for dealing with
emotional issues, brotherhood/sisterhood development, philosophical
issues, and involved subject matter
III. Choose Facilities






A. Secluded or closed to others during retreat times
B. Affordable
C. Easily accessible
D. Conducive to objective of retreat
E. Comfortable
F. Suggestions: (campus facilities, church halls, state parks, resorts
off season).
RETREAT PLANNING CONT.
IV.Develop program

A. Survey potential participants, campus officials, faculty, chapter consultants, and other campuses
1) Retreat theme
2) Get ideas on topics of interest, needs of members, speaker resources
3) Decide on whether to have concurrent sessions (may depend on # of
participants)
4) Determine session topics and contact speakers and facilitators

B. Allot enough time to accomplish purpose of session
1) Allow sufficient break time
2) Vary activities to prevent boredom
3) Plan social time and activities if appropriate

C. Plan Meals - Remember to Feed Them! Bring Snacks!
1) Should be together
2) Enough food so participants will have energy
3) During breaks beverages should be provided
4) Should be relaxed and fun

D. Assignments
1) Assign partners and sections for meetings. Assign individual who don't
normally work together. Attempt to break up cliques and groupings.
2) Overnight retreats-assign rooms and roommates for Greek retreats, should
be different sororities and different fraternities respectfully.
DEVELOP GUIDELINES – TELL THEM THE
PURPOSE OF THE RETREAT





A. Establish time of arrival and departure
B. Establish consequences for not attending or rewards for
attending
C. Expectations regarding dress, behavior, etc.
D. Establish travel policy – Give Everyone A Map! Or at least
the address to GPS the location and a number to reach you
and other leaders!
E. Establish the rules before you get to the retreat!
 If there is to be no alcohol, tell them that in
writing. Give them a flyer with all of the information that
they need to make this event a success. Don’t assume they
know anything! Tell them what to bring – sleeping bags,
outdoor wear, flashlights, etc.
DEVELOP A BUDGET


A. Expenses
1) Speaker expenses-try to use local talent when possible
2) Meals
3) Accommodations (meeting and sleep rooms)
4) Travel expenses
B. Resources for revenue
1) Chapter budget (Anticipated and planned during
budget time)
2) Council budget
3) Individual assessments (not unreasonable to assume
that participants should help with the cost of meals and
supplies, but keep it to minimum to insure maximum
participation)
4) Fundraisers, or marketing in conjunction with retreat,
(i.e. t-shirts sponsored by company, sell ads in program,
etc.)
SUPPLIES AND EVALUATION
Supply List





iPods – Have everyone bring theirs
or make playlist that you can just
run! Also bring speakers to play
them on!
Sports Equipment – footballs,
basketballs, Frisbees, etc – outdoor
activities are always the best
especially on a beautiful day!
Supplies for activities
Snacks
Any handouts
Plan an Evaluation of the Experience



A. Develop an evaluation form to
be completed by each participant at
the end of the retreat. This form
should elicit information about
speakers, content, assessment of
objectives, plus suggestions for
future.
B. Develop techniques to measure
change in the organization after
time has passed. For example, if
one objective was to reduce chapter
accounts receivable, have the
treasurer make periodic reports.
C. Ask for evaluation from any
outside leaders who participated in
the retreat. This would include
adviser evaluations.
THANK YOU!
Mari Ann Callais, Ph.D.
www.marianncallais.com
mac@marianncallais.com
www.facebook.com/dr.marianncallais
www.CAMPUSPEAK.COM