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5 Ways to Bless Your Retreat Speaker

Posted by Debby on November 11, 2014

Are you bringing in a guest speaker? Honorariums are necessary and important. That cost should be an non-negotiable item on your event budget. Many speakers depend on them for their livelihood. But today I want to consider additional ways that you can show your appreciation and bless your speaker, over and above any cash payment:

Communicate with your guest speaker so that there are as few as possible “surprises” awaiting her. She should know as much as you can tell her about the event theme, the schedule for the event and time frame for her speaking, suggested dress for the event, available technology, who will meet her and get her to the venue and any overnight accommodations. If she has hand-outs, get them ahead of time so that they are copied and ready for her.
Have a welcome basket in the speaker’s room awaiting her arrival. This welcome basket could include: bottles of water or her special drink, healthy snacks, mints, throat lozenges, small plaque with theme verse and even a small gift. (Keep in mind that if the speaker is traveling by airplane, any gifts should be small and transportable.)
Assign a “hostess” to the speaker who will sit by her and be available to her during the entire event to help with anything she may need. This could range from working with the hotel if her room is not satisfactory, to bringing her water, or a sweater or anything else she might find herself needing.
Different speakers will have different levels of expertise with microphones and other technology. As much as possible, make sure that your speaker is comfortable with the set up prior to your event. Do the microphone test prior to the start of the event and make sure she is comfortable with it and any other technology she may want to use (overheads, timer, etc.).
Provide cards (even index cards) that your women may use to write a “thank you” note expressing how the speaker’s ministry has blessed them. These can be put in a basket or collected at the end of the retreat and included with the speaker’s honorarium.

Can you add to this list?? How have you blessed your guest speaker?

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Retreat and Event Planning, Your Guest Speaker

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What You Can Do with Cardboard

Posted by Debby on September 30, 2014

Cardboard can be an amazing resource for women’s ministry, and it is worth finding a few places where you can pick it up cheap, or even better, free. Cardboard is thrown away daily at big box stores like Costco. I worked in a showroom which regularly got rid of wonderful large pieces of cardboard. Cardboard is easy to work with, light-weight, and you don’t feel bad throwing it away when you have used it.

We have all used cardboard for signage. But consider cardboard for use as backdrops and props for skits. one of our talented prop designers taught me this trick: use duct tape to finish the edges your cardboard. Fold it over the edge, and it makes for a finished look and borders the sign, backdrop or prop. Note the edging on the sign below.

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning, Skits

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A Dessert Option

Posted by Debby on July 8, 2014

We recently served the pictured mini-bundt cakes at a women’s event. They were ordered from a company in our area called “Nothing Bundt Cakes” which I have no problem recommending, as they were delicious. However, you may not have that franchise nearby. But what I want to bring to your attention is the little containers these cakes came in and in which we served them. Having a prepackaged dessert like that turned out to be a blessing in more ways than one. First, it eliminated the need for paper plates (though we did have napkins), saving money. A bonus benefit was that it reduced the mess considerably, compared to serving slices of cake or cupcakes. But we found an unexpected benefit: The little containers made it easy for the ladies to take home any leftovers that they hadn’t finished! So many ladies pay for the event, but possibly don’t want to eat sweets or can’t finish it. This way, they can easily take home whatever is left to enjoy another day!

Posted in: Little Things Make a Big Difference!, Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Resources

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And the Oscar Goes to…

Posted by Debby on March 25, 2014

If you watched the Oscars this past February, one name that you probably don’t remember is the winner for “Best Production Design.” This person is behind-the-scenes, but has a key role in visually telling the story. The job description includes set design, decorating and even some costume design, in addition to supplying all the props.

Why am I bringing this up? We’re not Hollywood, but even our our small-scale skit at a retreat or women’s event benefits from the skills of a person with the gift of “production design.” The setting and props, no matter how simple, can go a long way toward getting the message across. Someone with that gift can read the skit, envision the set and the props needed, and then make it come together. That’s a gift I don’t have!

Since we have no budget for our skits or props, these ladies not only “see” the setting, but they are able to create the scene by repurposing something from around the house, or by using a little cardboard and paint. For example, one of our skits required something that would represent jail bars. So what did our “production designer” come up with? A child safety gate, propped on a desk. It got the point across.

If you plan on using skits, pray for a person with this gift to join your team!

Posted in: Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Skits

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Using Pinterest

Posted by Debby on September 17, 2013

All the new social media options can be overwhelming and confusing–as well as time-consuming! However, I want to mention that Pinterest can be a creative resource for events and retreats. For those of you familiar with Pinterest, you know it to be a source of millions of recipes, as well as creative ideas culled from the web about every topic imaginable–crafts, children’s activities, fashion, landscaping, and home decorating, to name a few. But one way I have found it helpful (once you have jointed Pinterest) is to do a search of either your theme or just “retreats” or “women’s ministry” in general. Many women have created boards of ministry ideas, and some can contain very helpful ideas, easily adapted to your needs.

For example, we recently had a women’s event themed “From Lemons to Lemonade.” The theme scripture was Romans 8:28. I searched “lemons” on Pinterest, and found a wealth of decorating ideas, centerpiece ideas, graphics and recipes that were helpful.

Posted in: Decorations, Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Resources, Retreat and Event Planning, Retreat Remembrances

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