This article is adapted from a chapter in Women Reaching Women: Beginning and Building a Growing Women's Enrichment Ministry.
If you're planning a retreat for your ladies, use this abbreviated checklist and timeline to help you.
Two to Three Months Before the Conference or Retreat
- Send out registration brochures.
- Determine what committees are needed and begin working with them. Check out the Women Reaching Women resource for a full listing of some recommended committees and their roles.
- Contact speakers and seminar leaders and give them a deadline to have their outlines for the program booklet. Also give them encouragement and direction about the philosophy of the conference and what is expected of them.
- Make all motel and airline reservations for guest leaders.
- Work individually with each committee's chairwoman about her responsibilities. This will save time and facilitate decision-making.
- Finalize the schedule and confirm that all details are being handled.
One Month Before the Conference or Retreat
- Contact any musicians you are using. Give them a copy of the program and verify their responsibilities.
- Make plans for a pre-event reception/prayer time that includes all those involved in the planning and presentation of the retreat. This is a special time of dedication and prayer for the event.
- Send an invitation to all seminar leaders, keynote speakers, committee chairwomen, workers, and musicians, asking them to come to the reception.
- Make plans for a meal after the conference or retreat. The purpose of this meal is to feed out-of-town guests before they leave and to have something special for your workers before they clean up the facilities.
- Send a second mail out (optional) to advertise the conference or retreat and make an appeal to send in registration forms.
- If you don't have all the speaker's and leader's outlines, call and request them. The booklet needs to be printed and reproduced so they can be assembled at least two weeks before the conference or retreat. If you do your own printing, be sure to order plenty of supplies to complete the booklet, including paper, binders, and cover pages.
- Plan three or four workdays on the church calendar for your ladies during the last two weeks before the conference or retreat. Clear the dates with your booklet, packet, and decoration committees, because these are the ones who will need the most help. Publish a sign-up sheet for the workdays and circulate it around the church.
Two Weeks Before the Conference or Retreat
- Finalize details and remaining needs with your committee chairwomen.
- Confirm reservations for speakers and leaders.
- Contact women in your church to act as hostesses and to introduce the speakers.
- Complete the program booklet and assemble.
- Stuff the packets and store them until the event.
- Write guest speakers and leaders, telling them how many women are registered for the event and their individual seminars, and sending them a copy of the program booklet.
- Complete program plans.
- Consider not scheduling any extra women's programs the week prior to the event.
- Give the financial secretary or church treasurer an itemized list of honorariums, including speakers, singers, musicians, sound personnel, and conference secretary.
The Big Day
Relax and enjoy the day! It's in God's hands, and He gets all the glory!
After Your Event
Send thank-you notes to all who helped with the event, including door prize and gift bag donors and church staff (ministry assistant, maintenance, hostess, etc.).
Want more details and the full timeline for planning your women's retreat? Buy Women Reaching Women today!