*There’s obviously a lot more details within each step that we tend to forget, hope this helps!*

This list was developed and came out from the 2015 MGSOSA Leadership conference -- read more about that conference here.

1.  Brainstorm
   1. Get the Core Team to meet together
      1. Make a finite decision about the event (in general)
         1. Type? Verse? Theme? 1 day? 2 day?
   2. Things to Remember:
      1. Step welcome all ideas, “no” should not be a part of the discussion.
         1. Think how people do improve. Work each idea until it’s potential
      2. Once all ideas are exhausted, pick the best idea
   3. While you can piggy back and existing template, you may consider other possibilities.
   4. Know your audience
      1. The ideas should excite people.
2.  Approval
   1. Tell your Achen your idea and make sure he approves
      1. Always keep your Achens posted on your progress
         1. It may seem tedious, but share everything you can -- They appreciate it!
3.  Set Date/Location
   1. When considering date…
      1. Remember Lent, Exams, Church Calendar, School Breaks
   2. When considering location…
      1. Try and find a place convenient for the majority
      2. Be willing to accommodate those who may need a ride
4. Save the Date
   1. GET THE WORD OUT
      1. Post retreat details on social media (create facebook event?)
      2. Include in church announcements
   2. Start developing a unified registration form
   3. Even if a location is not set, leave TBD on the post or Flyer.
5.  Registration Form
   1. Make sure all members of the team are on board
   2. Try using Google Docs
      1. Include fees, name, parish, email, number, age
         1. Ask if accommodations will be needed, and if they have allergies!
   3. CRUCIAL to have this circulating as early as possible
      1. You want a head count early on to plan other things, like food, etc.
   4. You have to make the effort to talk to people and their parents IN PERSON
      1. Make them comfortable and let them know details. Especially for when you’re trying to convince younger participants
6.  Planning
   1. Team building
      1. Develop your leadership, they should be a small group(4-8) that can make decision quickly
      2. The next layer is people who will execute the plan
      3. Establish people accountable for each task.
         1. They don’t have to be part of the core team but must update the core team
   2. How will entire core team stay connected?
      1. Text? GroupMe? FB? Video Calls? Shared Folder?
         1. Choose what works for your team.
      2. May need to have multiple meetings, every week?
   3. After looking at funds, decide on your BUDGET
      1. Planning on t-shirts? Speakers? Donations? Folders? etc. Money should be available to pay for this.
      2. Will you need to fundraise? Ask for donations?
   4. What kind of food are you going to have?
      1. Food choices will be based on your budget.
         1. Are you taking into account peoples’ allergies? Lent?
   5. Will you have a speaker?
      1. Someone local, or do you have to fly someone in?
         1. Can you afford to do so?
      2. Contact them ASAP, make sure they’re available, get Achen’s approval
         1. Send them all the information they need for their presentations
   6. How is your day structured? (Schedule)
      1. Workshops? Lectures? Games? Fellowship?
   7. Create variety of teams to break up work
      1. Ice Breakers Team
         1. Games to introduce everyone
      2. Praise and Worship Team
         1. Singing songs before and after sessions
      3. Small Group Team
         1. Organize discussion questions and find leaders
      4. Speaker Team
         1. Find and organize speakers
      5. Registration Team
         1. In charge of getting the word out
         2. Will collect funds day of retreat
         3. Organize transportation for those who need it
            1. Achen(s)? Younger participants?
      6. Technology Team
         1. Need a laptop, projector, cables, wires?
            1. Download all videos, PowerPoints, etc
               1. If Wi-fi isn’t working (test connection beforehand)
            2. PowerPoints should include song lyrics and prayers
         2. Need microphones?
      7. RECRUIT PEOPLE TO HELP WITH ALL THIS   
         1. SET DEADLINES and hold meetings to stay on track
7. Execution
   1. Implementation of all the planning
      1. Create and post up flyers at church, on Facebook, etc.
      2. Continue to recruit people to help get everything done
         1. All teams working on separate tasks simultaneously
            1. Coordinators should check up with teams often
               1. FOLLOW DEADLINES
8. Regroup
   1. Come together and check in to make sure everything is going well
      1. Is everyone on same page? Anyone need help?
      2. Is there anything that needs to be bought, or finalized?
   2. Have a dry run of the entire event day together
   3. Can happen whenever everyone’s free to meet
      1. One month before event? One week before?
         1. It all depends on circumstances
   4. MOST IMPORTANTLY… PRAY TOGETHER… for a fruitful event :)
9.  Event
   1. PRAY AS A GROUP
   2. Meet early the day of to make sure everything is done
      1. Do any last minute organizing, shopping, etc.
   3. Keep calm and enjoy seeing your hard work pay off
   4. Make sure to clean up afterwards!
10.  Post Mortem
    1. Meet together as a group and PRAY before starting
       1. What did you do well?
          1. What are you keeping for next time?
       2. What didn’t go so well?
          1. What are you changing for next time?
       3. Based on this discussion, use this input for the next event   
    2. Collect any outstanding fees (registration?)
       1. Organize budget
    3. Plan for next meeting or next event

**Every event is different and has own time frame, so organize and set deadlines accordingly

**Always keep the event, the people planning it, and the people participating in your prayers