UMRA held its biannual planning retreat on August 25, bringing together UMRA officers, board members, committee chairs, and interest group leaders for a half-day meeting via Zoom. There were 32 attendees. “Keeping and Growing a Vibrant Organization” was the theme. The creative agenda used a mixed format of talks, reports, and breakout sessions. 

It was clear from the outset that UMRA has an engaged and vibrant volunteer base. Preliminary plans were presented for forums and workshops, and because UMRA has no in-person luncheon meetings scheduled before January 2021, the agenda included a training session on the use of Zoom for meetings.

There were many recommendations for increasing the engagement of our members, particularly while we cannot meet in person. Suggestions included adapting our new member welcome reception and orientation to a virtual format, adding interest groups, encouraging “pop-up” sessions or short-term groups based on the interests of members who would like to lead and convene, and creating a Facebook group for UMRA members to communicate and share interests online. There were also ideas for continued collaboration between UMRA and the University Retirees Volunteer Center.

Raising awareness of UMRA 

Participants suggested additional ways to reach out to those approaching retirement, to recruit new members, and raise awareness of UMRA among the colleges and units of the University. It was recommended that we continue to explore collaboration with units where there is mutual interest, including the Alumni Association, the University of Minnesota Foundation, and the Office of Human Resources. It was strongly recommended that we sustain and grow UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees program.

Retreat participants endorsed the importance of our all-member forums and workshops and encouraged the continued development of our capacity to produce our monthly programs in virtual formats so that members may take part no matter where in the world they live.

The UMRA Executive Committee and Board will consider the recommendations from the retreat at their meetings in the coming weeks.

—Frank Cerra, president, and Jan Morlock, president-elect