The Paul & Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum engaged Benefactor Group to collaborate on designing and facilitating a planning process for its advisory board, Hilliard Society board, and staff leadership. A task force of representatives from each stakeholder group was formed to ensure the retreat met the unique needs of the museum while bringing together individuals with diverse roles within the organization.

Prior to the retreat, participants were assigned two articles to read and were provided with directions for a pre-retreat envisioned future exercise. This exercise allowed participants to articulate their individual aspirations for the museum in 2021, and common words and themes from these descriptions became the shared language for discussions during the retreat.

The Essential Capacities framework was employed as a facilitation tool, focusing discussions on four essential capacities: Leadership, Adaptive, Enabling, and Results. Participants engaged in small group discussions, using a “World Café” format to explore each capacity and develop priorities. In a large group setting, objectives for each essential capacity were agreed upon, and three to five specific action steps were identified for each objective.

The planning task force is now utilizing the results of the retreat to create a comprehensive plan that integrates multiple governing and advisory groups with museum leadership to achieve common goals. The retreat process has fostered synergy around a shared vision and priorities, bringing clarity to “what’s next” for the museum.