Nonprofit Retreats at Omega began in 2005.* The goal is to support peer organizations actively working toward needed changes in the world and strengthen networks of change leaders connected to Omega and each other.
For more than a dozen years, organizations—large and small—have brought their teams of staff, board members, volunteers and constituents to Omega to recharge and reflect, strategize and plan, network and collaborate, so they can return to their efforts rejuvenated, with greater connection and increased clarity.
When multiple nonprofits are on campus at the same time, Omega provides opportunities to gather with and learn from other participating organizations. Each invited organization creates its own self-led working retreat, using the facilities and accessing the amenities of Omega’s campus.
Nonprofits have used the opportunity to cultivate relationships, discuss challenges, re-engage with shared purpose, generate ideas, develop plans, foster leadership, heal organizational rifts, deepen commitment, and enjoy some much-needed peace and relaxation. Working and resting together, participants return to their daily efforts replenished and invigorated.
*From 2005-2016, the program was named Omega Service Week.
Who Participates?
Invited organizations work at different scales across the spectrum of social, economic, and environmental issues in the Mid-Hudson Valley region, across the country, and around the globe. Since 2005, Nonprofit Retreats at Omega has providing working retreat grants to more than 350 organizations and over 5,000 dedicated participants who work to create a more compassionate and sustainable world and, in aggregate, touch more than a million people.
What Are the Different Summits?
When multiple nonprofits are on campus at the same time, Nonprofit Retreats at Omega offers two different types of summits. Summits include opportunities for participants to come together in a supportive environment, connect with and learn from each other, leading at times to ongoing mutual support and collaboration.
- Strengthening Communities Summits bring together organizations that enhance community life and focus on a range of social, economic, and environmental issues. The majority of participating organizations are based in the Mid-Hudson Valley, enhancing opportunities to continue developing relationships or partnerships.
- The Women Serving Women Summit provides support to nonprofit organizations working to positively impact the lives of women. Presented by the Omega Women’s Leadership Center (OWLC), this Summit serves to support organizations whose work is re-engineering our communities, societies, and world—for the sake of everybody.
Learn more about the impact of Nonprofit Retreats on participating organizations.