philanthroBE retreats are for women who are interested in rediscovering what matters to them in order to create a better world. By exploring what fulfills and motivates us, we align our philanthropy with our actions and become intentional about what and how we give. These weekends provide the space, time and structure to create a vision for the future. Take time out for yourself, and make an impact in your community.
There are currently no retreats planned for 2019. If you are interested and would like information regarding future events, please send an email to Kristen at kcbedford@gmail.com.
A weekend for philanthropic women to explore what it means to have enough, in order to give more.
Join other compassionate women for a weekend away that will change your life. We start by asking, what matters to you? It’s probably a lifelong pursuit, to discover this thing that matters to you. And certainly what matters changes as we transition through life. But at our core, each of us holds an answer to that question. Sometimes the voice is soft; hopefully it is also persistent. How do we dig deeper into our stories of what matters in order to make every simple gesture act in support of that? How do we breathe more passion for life into what we’re doing?
This retreat is for women who need a weekend to recharge and recalibrate; women who are looking to tap into their creativity in order to create a better world. We will explore what fulfills and motivates us in order to align our actions with how we are currently living. We will discuss what it means to live a good life, how we know when we have enough, and the various ways we can share our abundance with others. The weekend is structured to allow for peer-to-peer learning, while providing you with the resources that will enable you to become a more intentional and joyful giver, the tools to create a personal philanthropic mission, and the motivation and actionable steps needed to create change in your community. With the acknowledgement that the first step to taking care of others is taking care of yourself, this weekend supports women who want to be lifelong philanthropists.
A note on the word philanthropist:
Wealth alone does not determine your ability to be a philanthropist. The dictionary definition is, ‘a person who seeks to promote the welfare of others’. The root of philanthropy is simply ‘to love people’. My hope is that people begin to embrace the word philanthropist to describe themselves and to classify the work that they’re doing in their families and communities as philanthropy. You are a philanthropist. My passion is to encourage you to make that philanthropy informed, intentional and joyful.
What past participants have said about the philanthroBE retreats:
“Generally, I thought of money as something I needed more of, or something I couldn’t afford to give away. But my time and energy are a much more valuable commodity. Once I started thinking of money as just one of many tools I could utilize to achieve my goals (rather than see it as the goal,) it freed up my mind to discover what my goal really was. Things really start to fall into place when you stop asking ‘What can I get?’ and start asking ‘What can I give?'” S.D.
“This weekend truly changed the way I think about my life and goals. I feel like I was able to step away from the craziness of everyday and take time to focus and see the big picture. The activities and discussions led me to answer important questions and helped me set a reasonable giving plan.” A.H.
“The grounds of the Whidbey Institute were a perfect setting for this retreat! What a beautiful place to reflect.” M.D.
Here’s what you will leave with after the philanthroBE weekend :
• A new understanding of philanthropy and your important role as a philanthropist – we will discuss the shift away from funding charity toward funding change, creating a philanthropy that transforms systems and directly addresses the root causes of social and environmental issues. We will explore our individual roles as feminist philanthropists in our communities.
• An exploration of privilege and how this impacts your generosity – we will uncover ways to bring solidarity, reciprocity and agency to our giving in order to create change in the world, and ourselves.
• An intentional philanthropic mission – we will discover what makes giving a joyful experience for you and translate that into a strategic and meaningful plan for the following year. This plan will represent a fleshed out portfolio of giving, acknowledging the full spectrum of your human capital.
• The tools and resources to bring your philanthropic plan into practice – when you leave from this weekend you will have a clear, prioritized plan of where your time and money will go and will have gained the motivation to act on your deepest desires for the planet.
• Clarity about the connection between having enough and giving more – we will explore what fulfills and motivates us in order to align our actions with how we are currently spending our time and money.
• A cadre of inspiring women that will reinforce your desire and action – passionate, visionary women need the space, time and structure to create change in themselves, their families and their communities. This weekend will open you to new ways of giving back, starting with yourself.
Retreat participants in front of the labyrinth, Whidbey Institute
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