Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend Standards
What is the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend?
Nor Cal is the group of 8 Northern California communities under one “umbrella” non-profit 501(c)(3) California corporation called Retrouvaille of Nor Cal. The Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend has five primary goals:
1. Christian Focus - As with our Retrouvaille weekends, people of all faith traditions and those with no faith beliefs are welcome and encouraged to attend. However, the focus of the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend is based on Christianity. All activities should be based on or be compatible with our Christian faith. Christian presenters are preferred. It is OK to include non-Christian subjects and/or presenters, but please ensure that the parallels with Christianity are explained or are obvious. Using presenters who are part of the Retrouvaille ministry as much as possible ensures workshops are appropriately focused.
Mass is required, either on Sunday or a Saturday Vigil Mass. If your community priest is not available, many Nor Cal communities may have a priest who can attend the weekend. You also have the option of inviting a priest from the International Presenters list to come. If you need more information, please contact the Nor Cal President Couple. You want to start securing a priest a year in advance, as their calendars fill up quickly. If you cannot bring a priest to the weekend, you need to schedule time for the attendees to go to Mass. If possible, please offer an optional Mass on Saturday morning. Prayer at the beginning and/or conclusion of workshops, the beginning and end of each day, and before meals is strongly encouraged.
2. Annual Board Meeting - The Board Meeting after the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend satisfies the legal requirement for our 501 (c)(3) nonprofit California corporation to meet once a year. If not, we could lose our nonprofit status. This Board Meeting is our first priority.
The Nor Cal President Couple will determine the agenda and amount of time required for the meeting. They may offer guidance on where best to fit the meeting into the schedule. Typically, the meeting will go 2-4 hours. There are 8 communities in Nor Cal. All Coordinators need to attend or send representatives to this Board Meeting. However, it is recommended the current Community Coordinators do their best to attend. This ensures new insights and ideas will consistently be provided for growth within Nor Cal. Everyone else on the Enrichment Weekend is invited to attend as observers only, although input from such attendees is encouraged and welcomed. Also, something optional needs to be offered for those couples that are not planning to observe the meeting. This can be a time for interaction and sharing of ideas among the attendees. It can be a valuable time to learn what other communities are doing. Examples: workshops for Information & Registration, Finance, Weekend Arrangements, Post Coordinators, CORE, Coordinators teams, etc.
3. Community Growth and Enrichment – Workshops that encourage growth and enrichment in our individual Retrouvaille Communities should be an integral part of this annual event. Please include workshops that are based on or compatible with the teachings of the Retrouvaille weekend or post sessions. Presentations or activities that mirror Love is a Decision, Dialogue, Marriage is a Sacrament, and the idea that it takes Good Friday to reach Easter Sunday, etc., are just a few Retrouvaille teachings. If you decide to use outside teachings that are compatible with Retrouvaille concepts, values, and tools, please ensure that the parallels between the two are explained or are obvious.
Outside presenters are optional and welcomed. Please be sure that outside presenters are sufficiently familiar with our concepts, values, and tools.
4. Couple Growth and Enrichment – What is enrichment? By definition, it is making something more meaningful, substantial, or rewarding. Enrichment enhances and/or improves something. Workshops that encourage growth and enrichment in marriages should be another integral part of this annual event. Please include workshops that are based on or compatible with the teachings of the Retrouvaille weekend or post sessions. As in #3 above, if outside teachings that are compatible with Christian and Retrouvaille concepts, values, and tools are presented, please ensure that the parallels between the two are explained or are obvious.
It is important to include time for dialogue daily. If this puts too much strain on the schedule, you may hand out dialogue questions for the attendees to use during their down time.
5. Fun - We have fun during the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend. Although fun is not our primary focus, the best Nor Cal Enrichment Weekends have included activities designed to encourage laughter and bonding of all in attendance. Be Creative!
NOTE: Our Nor Cal communities are blessed with many treasures, knowledge, experience, and talented couples. Recruiting from within the Nor Cal communities will help to keep costs down.
Who is invited to the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend?The hosting community will need to ensure that emails are sent to all Nor Cal Community Coordinators, the International Board, and Retrouvaille Forums. The International Board usually will send 1 or 2 couples to join us. The International Board should be kept informed of things like the agenda so that they know when they will be on stage and can adjust flight times accordingly.
Nor Cal Communities are required to send at least 3 couples to the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend. Depending on the number of attendees the communities may be charged extra if they do not meet the 3-couples minimum requirement.
What is your Budget? The budget for the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend is determined each year at the Annual Board Meeting. Please contact the Nor Cal Board Finance Couple for this information. As of this date, October 15, 2022, a total presenters & supplies budget of $2500 has been established. This $2500 is to cover expenses incurred by the hosting community, including speaker’s fees, travel and expenses, room & board, and/or any materials needed. This $2,500 is to be shared by all eight communities ($312.50 to each community) and not divided/absorbed or passed on to the attendees. Anything over $2500 will be absorbed by the hosting community alone. Payments made to speakers who are not part of a non-profit corporation must be under $600 or Nor Cal is required to submit a form 1099 to the IRS.
When we have an Enrichment Weekend with less than 24 paying couples, Nor Cal Finance will increase the number of attendees for the less-than-3-couple communities to achieve the necessary 24 couples to spread the costs fairly to all communities. Communities with zero attendance will have their number increased to 1. If that doesn’t get the total to 24 couples, communities with 1 will be increased to 2. If that still doesn’t get the total to 24 couples, communities with 2 will probably be increased to 2.25 or whatever decimal can be applied to reach the total costs as closely as possible. Nor Cal Finance will never transfer funds that exceed the total Enrichment Weekend costs.
How do you Publicize?An enticing and thorough invitation should be created and emailed specifically to all the Nor Cal Community Coordinators. A “SAVE THE DATE” notice should go out 6 to 7 months prior to the Enrichment Weekend. A reminder should be sent 4 months prior with registration starting no later than 3 months prior. Details of how to register, the fee, location, what to bring, and the cancellation deadline should be included. No need to recreate the wheel; feel free to borrow from past events. A sample registration form can be found at the end of these Standards.
How is Registration handled?The hosting community is responsible for handling all registrations using website registrations as the preferred means (if available). Email registrations can also be used – avoid Adobe Acrobat “pdf” documents because you want to be able to copy and paste, which many cannot do from pdf documents. Please Note: not everyone has Microsoft Word, so putting the invitation and registration form in the body of an email facilitates easy responses from attendees as soon as they hit “reply” or “reply all”.
You must provide the Nor Cal Finance Couple accurate attendance information several times prior to the Enrichment Weekend and a final roster immediately after the weekend. Payment for attendees from the Nor Cal communities is done by transfers initiated by the Nor Cal Finance Couple. Each community is responsible for collecting the fees from their attending couples. Nor Cal does not accept payments directly from Nor Cal attendees. Payment for attendees from non-Nor Cal communities should be sent to the Nor Cal Finance Couple two weeks prior to the Enrichment Weekend.
Who Communicates with the Retreat Center/Venue?The hosting Nor Cal community is responsible for communicating with the Retreat Center/Venue prior to, during, and after the weekend if needed. It is the hosting community’s responsibility to obtain from the Retreat Center/Venue the final date a couple can cancel their registration so there is no charge for the couple’s room & meals. In the Enrichment Weekend invitation, it is recommended the cancellation deadline be set at least 2 days prior to the actual cancellation date the Retreat Center/Venue requires. At least 2 reminders of the cancellation date should be sent out to the Community Coordinators and to the registered couples, so they are aware that Retrouvaille of Nor Cal has to pay for their room & board if they cancel after the deadline.
What Logistics are important?The hosting community is responsible for all of the logistics for the Enrichment Weekend. This includes but is not limited to:
rental fees of equipment.
What are some Customary Items?
Do you plan a Fund Raiser?A Silent Auction or White Elephant Auction is an exciting fund-raising activity. If you decide to have a White Elephant Auction, it is important to have an auctioneering team that will make it fun and entertaining. These are merely suggestions for raising funds. Communities are encouraged to come up with new ideas as well.
Funds raised are donated to a deserving cause determined by the hosting community. With the continuing rise in costs of Retreat Centers/Venues, the hosting community may also choose to donate the proceeds from this event towards the Retreat Center/Venue’s final bill.
A donation towards the Retreat Center/Venue’s final bill will reduce the cost per couple for each of the 8 communities.
Remember, the Retreat Center/Venue has already made sure what is charged for the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend is enough to cover their costs.
The Nor Cal board thanks you for your willingness to host this year's Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend. Please remember, You are Not Alone. We encourage you to make use of one extremely valuable resource: the couples within your own community. Involving the couples within your community in the planning and logistics of the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend can bring great growth and fellowship. In addition, the Nor Cal board and communities who have hosted the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend in the past are also available for questions and suggestions.
** SAMPLE Registration Form ** Please make changes as necessary.
NOR CAL ENRICHMENT WEEKEND - REGISTRATION FORM
Fill in the name and address of Retreat Center/Venue and weekend start end ending dates
Please complete and return as soon as you can by email or by mail.
□ Attending entire weekend OR □ Only for the following meals
Friday: □ Dinner
Saturday: □ Breakfast □ Lunch □ Dinner
Sunday: □ Breakfast □Lunch
Husband
Wife
Husband's First Name
Wife's First Name
Husband's Nickname or Preferred Name
Wife's Nickname or Preferred Name
Husband's Last Name
Wife's Last Name
Husband's Email Address
Wife's Email Address
Husband's Address
Wife's Address
Husband's City
Wife's City
Husband's State
Wife's State/Province
Husband's Zip / Postal Code
Wife's Zip / Postal Code
Husband's Home / Landline Phone
Wife's Home / Landline Phone
Husband's Cell / Mobile Phone
Wife's Cell / Mobile Phone
WILL ARRIVE IN TIME FOR 6:30 PM DINNER ON FRIDAY? □ Yes or □ No
OUR RETROUVAILLE COMMUNITY IS: _______________________ (Bakersfield, Modesto, San Jose or ???)
FOR ST CLARE'S, PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN TOWELS AND BATH SOAP
Return completed form to:
Enrichment Weekend Registration Couple: NAMES
EMAIL ADDRESS FOR REGISTRATION COUPLE
MAILING ADDRESS FOR REGISTRATION COUPLE
PHONE NUMBERS FOR REGISTRATION COUPLE
What is the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend?
Nor Cal is the group of 8 Northern California communities under one “umbrella” non-profit 501(c)(3) California corporation called Retrouvaille of Nor Cal. The Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend has five primary goals:
- A Christian focus
- Annual Board Meeting
- Community Growth & Enrichment
- Couple Growth & Enrichment
- Fun
1. Christian Focus - As with our Retrouvaille weekends, people of all faith traditions and those with no faith beliefs are welcome and encouraged to attend. However, the focus of the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend is based on Christianity. All activities should be based on or be compatible with our Christian faith. Christian presenters are preferred. It is OK to include non-Christian subjects and/or presenters, but please ensure that the parallels with Christianity are explained or are obvious. Using presenters who are part of the Retrouvaille ministry as much as possible ensures workshops are appropriately focused.
Mass is required, either on Sunday or a Saturday Vigil Mass. If your community priest is not available, many Nor Cal communities may have a priest who can attend the weekend. You also have the option of inviting a priest from the International Presenters list to come. If you need more information, please contact the Nor Cal President Couple. You want to start securing a priest a year in advance, as their calendars fill up quickly. If you cannot bring a priest to the weekend, you need to schedule time for the attendees to go to Mass. If possible, please offer an optional Mass on Saturday morning. Prayer at the beginning and/or conclusion of workshops, the beginning and end of each day, and before meals is strongly encouraged.
2. Annual Board Meeting - The Board Meeting after the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend satisfies the legal requirement for our 501 (c)(3) nonprofit California corporation to meet once a year. If not, we could lose our nonprofit status. This Board Meeting is our first priority.
The Nor Cal President Couple will determine the agenda and amount of time required for the meeting. They may offer guidance on where best to fit the meeting into the schedule. Typically, the meeting will go 2-4 hours. There are 8 communities in Nor Cal. All Coordinators need to attend or send representatives to this Board Meeting. However, it is recommended the current Community Coordinators do their best to attend. This ensures new insights and ideas will consistently be provided for growth within Nor Cal. Everyone else on the Enrichment Weekend is invited to attend as observers only, although input from such attendees is encouraged and welcomed. Also, something optional needs to be offered for those couples that are not planning to observe the meeting. This can be a time for interaction and sharing of ideas among the attendees. It can be a valuable time to learn what other communities are doing. Examples: workshops for Information & Registration, Finance, Weekend Arrangements, Post Coordinators, CORE, Coordinators teams, etc.
3. Community Growth and Enrichment – Workshops that encourage growth and enrichment in our individual Retrouvaille Communities should be an integral part of this annual event. Please include workshops that are based on or compatible with the teachings of the Retrouvaille weekend or post sessions. Presentations or activities that mirror Love is a Decision, Dialogue, Marriage is a Sacrament, and the idea that it takes Good Friday to reach Easter Sunday, etc., are just a few Retrouvaille teachings. If you decide to use outside teachings that are compatible with Retrouvaille concepts, values, and tools, please ensure that the parallels between the two are explained or are obvious.
Outside presenters are optional and welcomed. Please be sure that outside presenters are sufficiently familiar with our concepts, values, and tools.
4. Couple Growth and Enrichment – What is enrichment? By definition, it is making something more meaningful, substantial, or rewarding. Enrichment enhances and/or improves something. Workshops that encourage growth and enrichment in marriages should be another integral part of this annual event. Please include workshops that are based on or compatible with the teachings of the Retrouvaille weekend or post sessions. As in #3 above, if outside teachings that are compatible with Christian and Retrouvaille concepts, values, and tools are presented, please ensure that the parallels between the two are explained or are obvious.
It is important to include time for dialogue daily. If this puts too much strain on the schedule, you may hand out dialogue questions for the attendees to use during their down time.
5. Fun - We have fun during the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend. Although fun is not our primary focus, the best Nor Cal Enrichment Weekends have included activities designed to encourage laughter and bonding of all in attendance. Be Creative!
NOTE: Our Nor Cal communities are blessed with many treasures, knowledge, experience, and talented couples. Recruiting from within the Nor Cal communities will help to keep costs down.
Who is invited to the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend?The hosting community will need to ensure that emails are sent to all Nor Cal Community Coordinators, the International Board, and Retrouvaille Forums. The International Board usually will send 1 or 2 couples to join us. The International Board should be kept informed of things like the agenda so that they know when they will be on stage and can adjust flight times accordingly.
Nor Cal Communities are required to send at least 3 couples to the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend. Depending on the number of attendees the communities may be charged extra if they do not meet the 3-couples minimum requirement.
What is your Budget? The budget for the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend is determined each year at the Annual Board Meeting. Please contact the Nor Cal Board Finance Couple for this information. As of this date, October 15, 2022, a total presenters & supplies budget of $2500 has been established. This $2500 is to cover expenses incurred by the hosting community, including speaker’s fees, travel and expenses, room & board, and/or any materials needed. This $2,500 is to be shared by all eight communities ($312.50 to each community) and not divided/absorbed or passed on to the attendees. Anything over $2500 will be absorbed by the hosting community alone. Payments made to speakers who are not part of a non-profit corporation must be under $600 or Nor Cal is required to submit a form 1099 to the IRS.
When we have an Enrichment Weekend with less than 24 paying couples, Nor Cal Finance will increase the number of attendees for the less-than-3-couple communities to achieve the necessary 24 couples to spread the costs fairly to all communities. Communities with zero attendance will have their number increased to 1. If that doesn’t get the total to 24 couples, communities with 1 will be increased to 2. If that still doesn’t get the total to 24 couples, communities with 2 will probably be increased to 2.25 or whatever decimal can be applied to reach the total costs as closely as possible. Nor Cal Finance will never transfer funds that exceed the total Enrichment Weekend costs.
How do you Publicize?An enticing and thorough invitation should be created and emailed specifically to all the Nor Cal Community Coordinators. A “SAVE THE DATE” notice should go out 6 to 7 months prior to the Enrichment Weekend. A reminder should be sent 4 months prior with registration starting no later than 3 months prior. Details of how to register, the fee, location, what to bring, and the cancellation deadline should be included. No need to recreate the wheel; feel free to borrow from past events. A sample registration form can be found at the end of these Standards.
How is Registration handled?The hosting community is responsible for handling all registrations using website registrations as the preferred means (if available). Email registrations can also be used – avoid Adobe Acrobat “pdf” documents because you want to be able to copy and paste, which many cannot do from pdf documents. Please Note: not everyone has Microsoft Word, so putting the invitation and registration form in the body of an email facilitates easy responses from attendees as soon as they hit “reply” or “reply all”.
You must provide the Nor Cal Finance Couple accurate attendance information several times prior to the Enrichment Weekend and a final roster immediately after the weekend. Payment for attendees from the Nor Cal communities is done by transfers initiated by the Nor Cal Finance Couple. Each community is responsible for collecting the fees from their attending couples. Nor Cal does not accept payments directly from Nor Cal attendees. Payment for attendees from non-Nor Cal communities should be sent to the Nor Cal Finance Couple two weeks prior to the Enrichment Weekend.
Who Communicates with the Retreat Center/Venue?The hosting Nor Cal community is responsible for communicating with the Retreat Center/Venue prior to, during, and after the weekend if needed. It is the hosting community’s responsibility to obtain from the Retreat Center/Venue the final date a couple can cancel their registration so there is no charge for the couple’s room & meals. In the Enrichment Weekend invitation, it is recommended the cancellation deadline be set at least 2 days prior to the actual cancellation date the Retreat Center/Venue requires. At least 2 reminders of the cancellation date should be sent out to the Community Coordinators and to the registered couples, so they are aware that Retrouvaille of Nor Cal has to pay for their room & board if they cancel after the deadline.
What Logistics are important?The hosting community is responsible for all of the logistics for the Enrichment Weekend. This includes but is not limited to:
- Greeters on-site Friday around 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm to welcome early attendees.
- Nametags with a large, easily readable font.
- Room assignments.
- Providing all materials needed, including extra notebooks, pens, tissue, etc.
- Arranging for sound system, large screen, whiteboard.
rental fees of equipment.
- Leaving the Retreat Center/Venue neat and orderly upon Sunday departure.
What are some Customary Items?
- Friday evening have each person introduce himself/herself, share what community they are from, their weekend date, and what their involvement is in Retrouvaille. This encourages fellowship and helps us to get to know each other.
- Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the representatives from the International Board to make a brief presentation to the assembly sometime during the Enrichment Weekend. Please include this on the weekend’s agenda/schedule and communicate it to the International Board representatives.
- Formal activities should conclude by 10:00 pm or earlier on Friday and Saturday evenings.
- A generous snack table is always a main attraction. The invitation should request attendees to bring non-refrigerated snacks to share.
- Impromptu Saturday night parties after the formal activities are common. Please be sure to respect those trying to sleep and that everyone is invited. The conference room/lounge area helps keep the noise away from the area of the guest rooms.
Do you plan a Fund Raiser?A Silent Auction or White Elephant Auction is an exciting fund-raising activity. If you decide to have a White Elephant Auction, it is important to have an auctioneering team that will make it fun and entertaining. These are merely suggestions for raising funds. Communities are encouraged to come up with new ideas as well.
Funds raised are donated to a deserving cause determined by the hosting community. With the continuing rise in costs of Retreat Centers/Venues, the hosting community may also choose to donate the proceeds from this event towards the Retreat Center/Venue’s final bill.
A donation towards the Retreat Center/Venue’s final bill will reduce the cost per couple for each of the 8 communities.
Remember, the Retreat Center/Venue has already made sure what is charged for the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend is enough to cover their costs.
The Nor Cal board thanks you for your willingness to host this year's Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend. Please remember, You are Not Alone. We encourage you to make use of one extremely valuable resource: the couples within your own community. Involving the couples within your community in the planning and logistics of the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend can bring great growth and fellowship. In addition, the Nor Cal board and communities who have hosted the Nor Cal Enrichment Weekend in the past are also available for questions and suggestions.
** SAMPLE Registration Form ** Please make changes as necessary.
NOR CAL ENRICHMENT WEEKEND - REGISTRATION FORM
Fill in the name and address of Retreat Center/Venue and weekend start end ending dates
Please complete and return as soon as you can by email or by mail.
□ Attending entire weekend OR □ Only for the following meals
Friday: □ Dinner
Saturday: □ Breakfast □ Lunch □ Dinner
Sunday: □ Breakfast □Lunch
Husband
Wife
Husband's First Name
Wife's First Name
Husband's Nickname or Preferred Name
Wife's Nickname or Preferred Name
Husband's Last Name
Wife's Last Name
Husband's Email Address
Wife's Email Address
Husband's Address
Wife's Address
Husband's City
Wife's City
Husband's State
Wife's State/Province
Husband's Zip / Postal Code
Wife's Zip / Postal Code
Husband's Home / Landline Phone
Wife's Home / Landline Phone
Husband's Cell / Mobile Phone
Wife's Cell / Mobile Phone
WILL ARRIVE IN TIME FOR 6:30 PM DINNER ON FRIDAY? □ Yes or □ No
OUR RETROUVAILLE COMMUNITY IS: _______________________ (Bakersfield, Modesto, San Jose or ???)
FOR ST CLARE'S, PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN TOWELS AND BATH SOAP
Return completed form to:
Enrichment Weekend Registration Couple: NAMES
EMAIL ADDRESS FOR REGISTRATION COUPLE
MAILING ADDRESS FOR REGISTRATION COUPLE
PHONE NUMBERS FOR REGISTRATION COUPLE