In the early hours of Monday 12 April, residents in the Findhorn Foundation and Community in Scotland woke to the news of fire. Thankfully nobody was hurt and the natural environment is largely intact. The fire brigade was called and arrived on the scene at around 2am. About a dozen Foundation co-workers and community residents in the houses in the vicinity of the fires were safely evacuated and rehoused as the firemen tackled the blaze. Fire wardens assisted the brigade during the early hours of the morning to keep people safe and to communicate with residents. The community responded with care and support throughout the day and is in transition once more. From preparing to finally welcome back guests, they now face the loss of two significant buildings. Please send your love and prayers as they navigate from crisis to opportunity.

As we are starting out on the second year in a world impacted by covid restrictions, our friends and partners the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) are passionate to showcase the powerful work of ecovillages around the planet who have been pioneering a large variety of regenerative ways of living together and with nature.

Because the work all of us do is best done together, and because so many people are aching for better ways of living we invite you to join the upcoming GEN Ecovillage Summit – Living Solutions for a Regenerative World. Join 35 ecovillages and speakers for seven days of connection and hope.

Members of the network have expressed interest in social impact strategies, evaluation, and reporting and this is an area HCN is passionate about. This weeks webinar flows into two sessions offered during the annual Virtual Gathering of Holistic Centers. Each session has been designed to provide an accessible introduction as well as sharing leading practices in impact measurement and performance monitoring for social purpose organizations. 

Adapted from an original blog by Ben Scott-Brandt and Justine Johnson, Retreat Center Collaboration

Our friends at the Retreat Center Collaboration (RCC) hosted a recent community call with our friends at Retreat Guru that will inform our HCN Virtual Gathering in May. We invite you to contemplate the question posed to the retreat centers present; “If you were given a magic wand what would you wish for personally, for your center, and for the world at large?” It was an engaging way to harvest the needs and challenges in conversation, rather than via a survey, and we welcome your input too as we strengthen our collective work.

We’ve been exploring the resilience of centers in different ways over recent webinars; from pricing analysis of programming, to co-creating a care first world, and keeping an eye on the horizon and the bottom line in preparing to re-open.

There’s growing interest in financial literacy and the link with leadership and we’re delighted to welcome back Karen McAllister. Karen holds the unique position of being a founding member of Clear Sky Retreat Center, responsible for fund development, a Mindful Money coach and spiritual teacher. 

Mentored by Lynne Twist, global activist, fundraiser extraordinaire and author of the Soul of Money, and Deborah Price, founder of the Money Coaching Institute, Karen brings a lived experience of how this work can transform the culture of a holistic center. She offers money coaching internationally and will share real life examples of different behaviours that show up around leadership and money. 

With the rollout of vaccinations taking place around the world and people in different stages of lockdown, the opportunities for centers to re-open for in person guest programs varies vastly. This week’s webinar helps navigate the many considerations involved for both participants and staff. Come together as we explore the practical to the emotional. From being mostly at home it can be disorientating for staff to go back to work or for participants to attend a gathering again. We all need to feel safe and prepare ourselves for the long haul.

The dates are now set for our annual gathering and once again we’ll be meeting in the Virtual Space. Save the dates 3 – 6 May and know that heartfelt connection, soulful nourishment and thought provoking inspiration will fill the space. We look forward to meeting in person when that’s possible once more and right now embrace the opportunity for your entire staff and support community to participate in live sessions.

Building on the success of our first Virtual Gathering in May 2020, and weaving in feedback from the network, we’re excited to share the unfolding schedule with you over the coming weeks. Throughout the event sessions are designed for powerful interaction and intimate engagement in groups large and small, meeting and learning from peers in other centers, celebrating the spirit of collaboration and mutual support.

Following on from our recent webinar focused on Pricing Analysis of Holistic Programs, we deepen into the importance of meaning and money, mission and margin, vital for our centers to thrive in their role and relevance in the world.

Join us as we explore the shift from a Money First to a Care First attitude and its application across sectors to co-create positive change in the world. In Care First, money serves the well-being of people and the planet and is a unifying force.