On the weekend of September 21, 2013 CalSAC staff and Chapter leadership gathered for their Annual Chapter Leadership Retreat. The two day event, hosted on the beautiful Monte Toyon Campground in Aptos, California, provided the perfect scenery for Chapter leadership and CalSAC staff to collaborate and flesh out strategic planning to move forward into the next year. The retreat also served the purpose of fostering community and continuity amongst Chapters, capacity building of leaders within the Chapter and provided best practices, resources and structure for all CalSAC Chapters.

This was done with an intensive schedule that included topics such as strategic planning, chapter management, fund development, event planning, member recruitment, communications, and marketing. Chapters leaders and staff were able to get through all of this and more, and still had time for a cozy fireside social, early morning hikes, energetic zumba sessions and a rousing game of “fishbowl”. To put it in the words of some attendees:

“I really liked networking with other Chapters. It was like a mini think tank! I loved it.”

“I feel more confident that I can succeed in my capacity as a [Chapter leader].”

“Connecting with other Chapters was invaluable.”

“Thanks for making the retreat a reality. It has been an important system of support and connection for Chapters in past years and continues to prove the same [with this retreat].”

CalSAC would like to thank all attendees and staff for their energy and time and congratulate everyone on another successful retreat!

Check out more photos from the retreat on our Facebook page, and get connected with a Chapter in your community today!