2026 Colleagues Retreat:
Building and Bolstering Our Capacities as Nonprofit Organizations and Individual Practitioners
We are excited to offer the Retreat the first day of the New York Statewide Preservation Conference!
Join your fellow nonprofit colleagues at The Otesaga resort in Cooperstown on Wednesday, April 15 and stay through Friday for the rest of the Conference.
During this day-long retreat, we'll focus on the nuts and bolts of our shared work as nonprofits operating during periods of social upheaval. We aim to share tools, case studies, and engage collaboratively throughout the day as we tackle issues of fundraising, coalition building, employee burn out, and ways to foster healthy organizational habits/culture — especially when it feels like the world is on fire.
The Otesaga seen across the lake at dusk.
Registration is FREE to staff and board members from organizations with a current Preservation Colleagues membership. (Not sure about your organization's membership status? Email Kaitlyn Robitaille).
Registration includes the full day of programming, breakfast, lunch, and a copy of the book Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Unlocking the Full Potential of a Vital and Complex Sector by Vu Le.
Date and Location
The full-day Retreat will take place Wednesday, April 15, the first day of the New York Statewide Preservation Conference, at the historic Otesaga resort in Cooperstown. Those coming in the night before are invited to join us for an informal self-pay dinner at The Otesaga's Hawkeye Bar & Grill on Tuesday, April 14 at 5:30 p.m.
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"Fundraising Can Be Organizing — If We Let It" by Haley Bash in Convergence Mag
"Arts & Culture in the Multi-Crises" by Mallory Nezam on Medium
"The Burnout Crisis in Historic Preservation" by Raina Regan for Preservation Leadership Forum
"Rethinking nonprofit infrastructure for a new era" by Nourbese Flint for Candid
Operating Hours of The Architectural League: As of January 2025, The Architectural League has shifted its regular total weekly working hours from 40 to 32.
“Navigating disruption while keeping long-term goals in focus in 2026” by Trista Harris for Candid
From the National Council of Nonprofits:
Agenda
Wednesday, April 15, All-Day Retreat
Panels and group discussions will be facilitated by Barbara D. Paxton, Director, BoardStrong, a subsidiary of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON).
8:00-9:30 a.m. - Breakfast and welcome
9:30-10:30 a.m. - Facilitated Discussion: The state of Historic Preservation (Nonprofits)
10:30-10:45 a.m. - Coffee Break
10:45 - 12:00 p.m. - Panel 1: Filling Gaps and Building Community: How Nonprofits Stay Relevant
12:00-1:30 p.m. - Lunch
2:00-3:15 p.m. - Panel 2: Supporting the Work by Supporting Ourselves: Talking About Organizational Culture
3:15-3:30 - Coffee Break
3:30-4:30 - Breakout Group Activity: Build Your Dream Organization
In small groups, discuss current challenges to your workflows and ideas (specifically no- or low-cost ideas!) that could improve employee morale, team building, etc. Each group will report out key takeaways from their conversations.
More details to come!
Lodging
A room block is available at The Otesaga as part of the New York Statewide Preservation Conference for a base rate of $249/night (the daily resort fee is waived if booking under the group room block). The cutoff date for the group rate is Friday, March 13, 2026.
Reserve your room online here OR by calling the Reservations Office M-F 8am-6pm and weekends 8:30am-5pm (hours may vary) at 866.494.0085. To get the group rate via phone, you must mention The Landmark Society of Western NY and the NY Statewide Preservation Conference.
Note: There are other hotels in and around Cooperstown for anyone looking for a more affordable alternative.
Thank you to our sponsors:
