HCN Membership Landscape
For our February webinar, Tatyana Sanikovich (HCN Board member) presented statistics related to our network and our current membership outreach work, which included breakout groups to meet other members, while sharing feedback and inputs as we build this network together.
2022 Annual Gathering Feedback
This webinar is an overview about planning for our upcoming gathering at Kripalu in May. Ellen Rose of Kripalu presented with Ling Lo, HCN board member, and HCN Members participated in offering feedback.
ALTG – Saratoga Springs
Jason Courtis shares the history of Saratoga Springs and their implementation of the ALTG Initiative.
ALTG – Kashi
Swami Dhumavati and Swami Durgadas of Kashi shared their experience implementing the ALTG initiative and Jenyng, Board president of HCN, shared the ALTG origin story.
ALTG – Infinity Foundation
Nancy Marder of the Infinity Foundation shares her story how the ALTG initiative was implemented in her community.
ALTG Preview & Canopy work
This webinar, hosted by Board members, Jenyng Wu, Peter Moore, and Werner Brandt, provided a preview of our Act Local Think Global initiative as well as a conversation about possible canopy work.
The New Direction
This webinar presented by our Board president, Jenyng, is an attempt to create some transparency to the process that led to The New Direction as well as sharing the New Direction itself.
Accessibility & Equity in Virtual Spaces
Join for a tutorial and discussion of how we can increase accessibility in virtual spaces. We will consider people across levels of connectivity, comfort with technology, as well as people belonging to marginalized communities, including racialized folks, LGBTQ+, neuro-atypical, and people with disabilities. This session will focus on virtual programming, and will also include takeaways for in-person programming and facilitation.
Online Retreats and Collaborative Prosperity
Specialising in online courses and virtual Retreats, the Gene Keys creative team have developed a highly successful model of interactive, online engagement with a truly global reach. The team has further increased this through collaboration with like-minded organisations and networks through affiliate programs. Gain insights into how to grow a supportive online community to further deepen the spiritual journey.
Community Call 9 June 2021
HCN members share updates on their center preparing to re-open and welcome guests, as we slowly emerge from the pandemic. We explored what would feel most supportive over the coming months in future webinars. Partnerships and programming around trauma and grief emerged as key themes. Overall the value of connecting with each as peers was expressed and an ongoing exploration into online learning and hybrid offerings.
Why Money Matters
“We must step up what we teach, share and learn in dealing with money.” Explore why this matters, and how we can evolve our own view of money and functional success. There is a dynamic tension between “money” as it relates to spiritual, emotional and psychological dimensions of human experience. Too often it is the silent secret driving much of our lives and needs to be embraced personally, organisationally and within our programming.
A Covid Fundraising Case Study: The Findhorn Foundation
During the first year of the pandemic, the Findhorn Foundation’s broad donor base grew nearly 400%, with funders increasing total donations by nearly 1,100%. Other centers may have increased donations by more or less. At the same time, nearly all centers are making up for large reductions in other revenues, so there is far more work to do. Explore key fundraising takeaways to be helpful for your fundraising program in 2021.
The Emerging Ecosystem for Innovation and Impact
Join fellow members from three networks–Retreat Center Collaboration, the Holistic Centers Network, and Advaya–in an introductory webinar designed to help us understand each other’s communities and collaborative efforts. Explore an inter-generational approach and non-center based transformational initiatives.
Common Foundations of Impact Measurement
Learn how to use some simple tools from the Demonstrating Value workbooks to cover the essential practices for effective impact measurement. Start an Information Map of goals, indicators, and data sources as a first step to a comprehensive evaluation plan.
Inner Leadership and our Consciousness of Money
Being a good leader is about deep inner work; looking at our strengths and areas of development and filling in the gaps. We need to expand our range so that we can continually meet the different people in our organisations in their phases of development. Karen describes turning inward to explore our relationship with reciprocity, generosity, collaboration, flexibility and resilience.
Exploring the Different Dimensions of Re-Opening
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 programs varies vastly. This webinar helps navigate the many considerations involved for both participants and staff. Explore the practical to the emotional, from people care, facility care, even pet care, with Saralyn Kerrigan, Executive Director, Guest House Retreat Center.
HCN Grant Program to Jump Start Building Local Community
The webinar covers all the details of the initiative from application review, process and timeline. Applications are aimed to help centers ‘jump start’ building community with their local organizations serving the vulnerable and marginalized. What can one do with this grant funding? Be imaginative, be generative, be brave.
Co-creating a Care First World
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. Together, we can activate collaboration in a heart intelligent manner to build a Care First World.
Pricing Analysis of Holistic Programs
Join Stephanie, Mel, Camille and Jacy from the Esalen Institute in California for their insightful presentation – exploring pricing and how to determine the cost per occupied room (COPR), allocate costs and adjust your center’s business model for greater revenue.
The IONS Discovery Lab: Research on Transformation
Dr Helané Wahbeh, Director of Research, Institute of Noetic Sciences, explores the science of interconnectedness. Learn about the IONS Discovery Lab, a synergistic handshake between science and direct experience. IONS Discovery Lab (IDL) aims to provide a service for workshop leaders to evaluate their offerings providing them with evidence-based results.
Embodying Spiritual Activism in Polarised Times
How as centers do we help bring the change we want to see in society? In Swami’s words, “Kashi Atlanta began with a clear intention to be a diverse center, rather than predominantly white, and train black yogi’s. This involved deep work to create a safe space. For the last decade 50% of people in deeper programming have been black and we experience a wide level of diversity in classes.”
Leadership in times of Crisis
Penelope Naldrett, Development Director at Hollyhock, shares about the vision and goals behind the storytelling project of this 21 min video. As Program Director Ling Lo explains, “It was really Pen’s heartfelt belief in what this leadership video could be and represent of our values that made it come to life!” Here’s the link to view the video part way through the webinar https://vimeo.com/459187560/ce8f276f17
Origins, Essence and Evolution – The Findhorn Foundation as a Case Study
This session emerged from the 2020 Virtual Gathering, in response to these threads; “The role of our centers hasn’t changed. HOW we fulfil our missions is in question” – Terry Gilbey, CEO, Esalen, “We must look back at our origins as we look towards the future” – Barbara Vacarr, CEO Kripalu and “Focus on the essential” – Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, Author and Spiritual Teacher.
Board Development and Growth during a Crisis
Using the experience of the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath as a jumping off point, Karen McAllister and Brett Cobb discuss vital lessons learned about Boards from the perspectives of senior staff, consultants and board members to emerge from the global pandemic in the strongest possible position today.
Essentialism and Radical Transformation
Rick “Rudra Giri” Wright is known as an organizational and executive transformationalist. He currently works as COO of Sacred Kashi in Florida. Spanning three decades he has been working across the globe transforming organizations and the people who run them. He is dedicated to social change through business, sustainability, sufficiency, social equality and spiritual development.
Membership and Subscription Models
Carol Donahoe, Program Director & Lauryn Franzoni, Membership Director of Omega share their experience, along with Robert Mulhall, VP of Programming & Business Strategy, Kripalu, and Daniel Huyer, Reservations Manager, Sam Eberle, Web Master and Rukmini Ando, Program Director from Yogaville.
Online Programming: Innovation and Collaboration
With Ling Lo, Program Director of Hollyhock and Erika Santoro, Director of Luminary Programming, Kripalu. What strengths, resources and capacity do we each have, that could help amplify the shared vision of our centers? In the ‘border-less’ world of virtual, what collaborations could we imagine to scale our impact?
The Value of Culture Work with Dr. Barbara Vaccar
Barbara describes the culture work she designed, the most pressing issues and how she addressed them. Understand why culture is more important than strategy and hear tangible recommendations to help organizational leaders in centers (a) to uproot entrenched culture and (b) to help create a new culture.
Mental Health in Leadership
Hear personal stories from leaders in centers around the world, exploring the theme of wellbeing with a particular focus on mental health. Many of us have experienced burnout, either in our own lives, or with someone close to us in community. What have we learnt along the way and what are some of the tools and techniques that support us?
Leading at the Edge: Embracing Disruption
Crisis has been defined as a “turning point in a dis-ease, where everything hangs in the balance.” It is a moment when the state of being must undergo change. How as leaders of holistic/spiritual centers do we meet this moment creatively? How do we actualize the opportunity that always exists within challenge. With Dr. Barbara Vaccar, CEO of Kripalu.
Network of Support: Community Call
It was nourishing to reconnect as folk shared how we’re doing, explored what’s happening within our centers, and harvested ideas of most interest for future calls. The focus of the conversation: How can we best support each other? What is most needed? reaped some valuable nuggets for ongoing groups and webinars.
Programming: What does it mean now?
Join the program directors from Esalen, Hollyhock, Kripalu and Omega for an interactive conversation about how living through this pandemic has affected our centers, our thinking, and the possibility of re-imagining what programming could look like going forward. Faculty Rev. angel Kyodo Williams and Charles Eisenstein join the conversation.
Insights from Hosting a Virtual Gathering
Explore the key phases from planning to delivery; decision making, programming, marketing and hosting. Learn about the virtual platform we used and the software integration. Discover tips, challenges and insights, and engage in Q&A.
Community Call 22 Apr 2020
What are the fearless steps we can take in creating the future? The world is offering an incredible opportunity to embrace Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. JEDI is embedded in who we are and there’s a meeting place between spiritual and social activism.
Community Call 15 April 2020
Join us as we explore different scenarios around re-opening, “creating the new” and envisioning the future. It’s also an opportunity to connect and support each other through practical requests and by deep listening to one another. Please note the recording commences partially into the call.
Community Call 8 Apr 2020
Following on from our calls in recent weeks, with a focus on online programming and fundraising, this is more of a space to connect. Sharing how you are personally, how your center is responding and exploring what support could be most helpful right now.
Online Programming and Go Virtual Guide
Explore the Go Virtual guide created in partnership with OmPlanet and The Four Cups, followed by Q&A. Then hear from centers who have experience in the online space; what’s working for you, what advice would you share, what results have you experienced?
Fundraising Response during Covid-19
Explore how we can stay centered during crisis periods, including focusing on what our Center does best; historical fundraising patterns during periods considered good, bad, or uncertain; creating specific calls to action and your wish list to support your Center’s fundraising program at this time.
Online Programming and OmPlanet
HCN is in partnership with OmPlanet and their strategic partners at The Four Cups, offering news ways for each center to amplify your transformational offerings. Together we’ll explore how to deliver the incredible programming you offer, both in strategy and application, to build resilience through combining resources.
Community Call 18 March 2020
Coming together to connect, honouring the sense of grief and loss that may be present in this surreal and yet very real situation that is impacting people everywhere, and the centers we hold dear. Moving into support and possible solutions to the challenges we face, holding the balance of being and doing moment to moment.
The Art of Group Work
After 30 years of experience doing group work Adam Wolpert shares his thoughts on the fundamental elements of the practice of facilitation. These include self study and self understanding, the study of groups and group structure and dynamics, the role of mystery, creativity and emergence, core values that enable collaboration and holding enough perspective to be mindful of context when choosing an intervention.
The Art of Inner Leadership
Holistic Centers are incredible training grounds for the inner skills of leadership. Explore the core purpose, principles and practices that the Findhorn Foundation and Community was founded on in 1962 and that remain at the heart of community life today.
Conscious Community – Conscious Business
Clear Sky Meditation Center share their 20 years+ experience of creating conscious community from a strong spiritual lineage. Weaving money and spirituality for the benefit of all, they offer a holistic approach that creates a thriving culture of wellbeing.
End of Year Reflections and Planning for 2020 Gathering
Join Christine from HCN and Joel from Hollyhock as they explore elements of the Social Venture Institute that help make gatherings most impactful. Hear reflections from participants in the webinars this year and what’s been most valuable.
Navigating Change with Courage and Care
Explore a supportive framework to help direct change and evolve systems, practices and procedures. Break through the bindings of that ‘stuck place’ that centers can experience as we strive to evolve through effective leadership and communication flow.
The Art of Compassionate Fundraising
In general, why do so many nonprofit leaders and boards, and even fundraising professionals, resist even a little asking for generous philanthropic support, even when we know the organization does such good work?
Hollyhock’s history of inspiring, catalyzing, and training changemakers
Hollyhock has its roots in the intersection between Greenpeace and environmental protection and the Human Potential movement. From initially presenting holistic programs it moved into social change and leadership work.
Building a Leadership Culture
Guided by Patrick Lencioni’s seminal 5 Dysfunctions of Team, Peter Wrinch, CEO of Hollyhock, is working to distribute leadership across Hollyhock by digging into trust and conflict as foundational blocks of accountability and success.
Planning for Succession: Implementing a five year transitional phase
Joel Solomon served as Chair of the Hollyhock Board for a quarter century and Dana Bass Solomon served as CEO for 18 years. Learn how they transitioned Hollyhock from this long term leadership and the insights gained along the way.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Retreat Center leader Joël B. Tan talks with Yasodhara Ashram’s Swami Lalitananda and karma yogi Danni Lynch about an incident involving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as it relates to cultural appropriation and racial, economic and generational differences.
Insights from 25 years as Board Chair
The governance aspect and the pragmatic world have to be paid attention to and done well and having a well managed board, that is working on the right principles, is focused on the right topics and understands it’s role is vital.
Cultivating an effective Chair-CEO relationship
For 25 years Joel Solomon served as Chair of the Hollyhock Board, weaving stewardship and profound responsibility with inspiration and realism. Dana Bass Solomon served 18 years as CEO and was instrumental in guiding Hollyhock to charitable status.
Maximising Mailchimp in your Marketing
Loretta Laurin joined the Hollyhock team in 2016 and has a diverse background in social entrepreneurship. Loretta is committed to providing marketing support to the exceptional Hollyhock presenters and growing Hollyhock’s unique brand and impact.
How values inform our decisions and actions
For the past 20+ years, Jeffrey Williams, Founder of Vitalist Institute, has immersed himself in learning about the capabilities of the human body through rigorous study and application of traditional and modern wellness systems from all over the world.
Increasing Sustainability by Recognising our Value
Saralyn Kerrigan, Executive Director of Guest House Retreat Center has a passion for leadership training, cultural change and sustainability. She enjoys ensuring that teams fulfill the organizations mission and provide the best possible experience for guests.
The Benefits of Money Coaching for Non Profits
Karen McAllister, Chair of Clear Sky Center and Mindful Money Coach, joined Board Members of HCN to share about our experience of group money coaching; how it’s helping to create a strong foundation for our network and support each center to thrive.
Holistic Centers and Conscious Business
Joanne Station, Events Manager of Saratoga Springs, is dedicated to an integrated vision of holistic center work with a focus on the conventional business world. She has extensive experience in business and is now certified as a Conscious Business Change Agent.
Transformation in Technology: An Esalen Case Study
In approximately 120 days Esalen replaced its entire IT stack of software to enable business process changes. Terence Gilbey, CEO and General Manager, guided us through how the challenge was approached and what lessons were learned along the way.
2018 Webinar Reflections and Preparing for 2019
Christine Lines, Executive Director of HCN, hosted the call to reflect on the range of webinars offered in 2018, ranging from diversity and inclusion, marketing, programming, data & analytics, inner economics, decision making, HR and a holistic way of being.
Diving Deeper into Analytics and Trends
Cameron Wenaus, from Retreat Guru and Nate Hughes, from Menla, both self confessed data geeks, applied data science to help us understand trends in cancellations. This can then help inform effective policy and communications for retreat centers.
Staffing and Student Programs: An Esalen Case Study
Tatyana Sanikovich, Director of Human Resources at the Esalen Institute, offers an overview of the new staffing model introduced after the six month closure due to the landslide in 2017. During this time the institute lost $4.8M. In the words of General Manager and CEO, Terence Gilbey, “We took the hit as a gift!”
An Integral Understanding of a Holistic Way of Being
An expert in the integral philosophy of Ken Wilber and a strong voice on postmodernism, Doshin Roshi is the founder of Integral Zen. Explore the old ethic of perfection (and the pressure of living up to this expectation causing aspects of our personality to split off into shadows), and the new ethic of wholeness.
Programming Mission vs Margin
Susie Arnett, the Director of Luminary Programming at Kripalu, explores the age old questions of what do people want, where to find the next generation of speakers, diversifying one’s offerings with speakers of color, do you program topics or presenters, trendsetting and curating v. filling the holes and mission v. margin in the vetting process.
Decision Making and Hierarchy of Needs in a Non Profit Center
Terence Gilbey, General Manager and CEO of the Esalen Institute, has a 25 year career as a leader for large for-profit and non-profit organizations. Using some basic decision making models and leveraging Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs understand how people can engage in an organization to create a more sustainable and effective environment.
Inner Economics: Cultivating an Empowered Relationship with Money
Karen McAllister, Board Chair of Clear Sky Center and Behavioural Money Coach, helps people and heart-centered organizations achieve their goals by releasing the suffering and tension around their relationship with money. With over ten years’ experience, Karen is intimately familiar with the struggles that people and organizations face.
Programming Q&A
Brinton Foy Reed, Director of Marketing, Events and Hospitality, at Breitenbush Hot Springs explores; How do you define a ‘successful’ workshop? What role do financial targets play in selection and evaluation of workshops? What metrics do you depend on most? What do you look for when booking presenters?
Shining the Light on Cultural Blindspots
Doshin Roshi, Integral Zen Master, shares deep insight from 50 years of meditation practice and profound understanding of Integral theory through the work of Ken Wilber. Explore the challenges of holistic centers; collaborative decision making, emphasis on feelings, lack of accountability, rejection of hierarchies and limited financial sustainability.
Storytelling
Ali Slous, Director of Storytelling, at Kalani Honua, and Charlene Lo, Director of Marketing, at Hollyhock explore the journey from marketing to storytelling to outcome-driven process within our holistic centers. What is the larger story we’re all telling? Why are these centers we represent important in the world today?
Programming
Carol Donahoe, Director of Rhinebeck Programs, Omega Institute, and Leslie Hoffman, Director of Programs & Marketing, New York Open Center Programming explore; What is your canvas? What is your organization’s mission? What are the topics/themes/programs your organization values and is interested in offering?
The Art of Self Care
Christine Lines, Executive Director, HCN, and Durga Das, CEO, Kashi Ashram explore; What do we mean by self care? What is your center’s cultural approach to self care and wellbeing? What are your personal challenges around this theme? What are your most supportive practices?
Sustainability
Adam Wolpert from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center explores; How do we engage sustainability in the running of a holistic center? Staff share about both the operations and program side including; waste and composting, energy, water use, the natural and build environment, food systems, finances, governance and relationships.
Website Conversions
Cameron Wenaus, co-founder of Retreat Guru, and Les Hodge from Mount Madonna use technology to help inspire more people to book online. How can you turn more of your website visitors into participants? How many visitors are leaving your site instead of registering for their next programme or retreat?
The Value of Diversity and Inclusion in our Holistic Centers
Carol Donahoe, Program Director of Omega, shares their learnings from nearly four years of diving into this theme. Although Omega don’t claim to be experts they offer practical tools that we can all learn from. Carol highlights how it’s vital to have everyone on board. “The leadership team must be in agreement that this topic is a priority.”
Developing Adwords – How can centers expand their reach?
Les Hodge shares his in depth expertise in this area. Learn how to develop a Google Adwords campaign using Mount Madonna as a case study . Discover ways to increase traffic to the program pages on your website. Increase the click through rate on adwords and conversion rates . Make your investment in adwords as cost effective as possible.
How Data and Analytics can support Decision Making, Culture and Direction
Jurgen Muthmann, Data Architect from the Findhorn Foundation, explores; Why the FF started this project and the learnings, challenges and possibilities. How can you collate and transform guest and programme data into digital monthly reports for review, that can inform decision making and develop a culture of shared financial responsibility?
Preparing for the Gathering at Omega in May
Carol Donahoe and Veronica Domingo, our hosts at Omega, and Christine Lines, Executive Director of HCN hosted an opportunity for participants to meet prior to the Gathering. Review the schedule planned for the five days. Prepare for our time together, explore shared hopes and intentions for the Gathering and build the anticipation.