Volunteer: Board Retreat Facilitator​/Leadership Coaching

Overview

This is a volunteer opportunity provided by Taproot Foundation, a nonprofit creating social change through pro bono connections. Heroic Gardens is seeking an experienced volunteer facilitator to lead a focused Board of Directors retreat that will help guide our organization into its next stage of growth and governance maturity. This is an ideal opportunity for a professional with experience in nonprofit governance, board development, executive coaching, or leadership facilitation who wants to make a meaningful contribution to a mission-driven organization supporting Veterans, caregivers, and community healing through nature.

• Design and facilitate a half-day (or full-day) board retreat
• Guide productive discussion around:
  • Governance best practices
  • Board roles, responsibilities, and accountability
  • Current board gap analysis to help us determine the appropriate board personas/roles that belong on our board
  • Board composition, recruitment priorities, and succession planning
• Help the board reach consensus and clarity, not just conversation
• Provide light pre-work and a brief post-retreat summary or recommendations (optional but welcome)

• Experience facilitating groups/ leadership training
• Understanding of nonprofit governance (vs operational board roles)
• Skilled at managing group dynamics, power balance, and productive decision-making
• Comfortable working with founders, Veterans, and mission-driven leaders
• Able to be both warm and directive when needed

• Sharing pain points and goals of the retreat
• Sharing draft strategic plan and all documentation previously created by consultants
• Setting expectation with the board about the role prior to the meeting
• Provide Current bylaws (with known pain points flagged)
• Board roster + committee structure
• Strategic priorities for the next 12–24 months
• Any prior board self-assessments (if available)
• Founder note: “What keeps me up at night”
• Provide:
  Power dynamics or history they should be aware of
• Who tends to dominate vs. stay quiet
• Where there may be resistance (e.g., fundraising expectations)
• Any sensitive founder–board intersections

Heroic Gardens is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, established in 2018, dedicated to connecting U.S. Veterans, their caregivers, and family members with the healing power of plants and nature through trauma-responsive, community-driven therapeutic horticulture programs. The organization’s mission is to help Veterans and their families grow healthier, more connected lives through the incorporation of plants and nature. Given the high prevalence of trauma, PTSD, and elevated suicide risk among Veterans, there is a clear need for complementary, accessible, non-pharmacological interventions that support mental health, stress reduction, social reconnection, and sense of purpose.

Evidence indicates that horticultural therapy and other nature-based interventions may deliver meaningful reductions in stress, depression, and PTSD-related symptoms, and may enhance protective factors — such as community connection, physical activity, grounding, and resilience.