Retreat Manager

Retreat Preparation Tasks

Two - Four Months Ahead:

Calendar - Reserve space for retreat. At Red Cedar Dharma Hall contact the Building Manager.
Website - Work with the Guiding Teacher to post retreat on website, setting up automatic promotional announcement emails and registration reminder emails. Ask the Registrar to proof the website listing.
Outreach - Check with outreach person, if any, about making a poster
Food - Check in with Tenzo (Chef), Ino, Registrar. Help them find their job instructions.
Supplies - Organize purchase of supplies beyond

Tenzo organizes food purchases - delegates and oversees specific ingredients and quantities to Food Buyer

Ino organizes zendo supply purchases

Check on oryoki supplies

Check on general building supplies (toilet paper, etc.) - we may have a general shopper for this

2 Weeks Ahead:

Plan retreat and Job Assignments with Ino and Registrar. Ino consults Tanto, Teacher and Tenzo, and notifies Doan-ryo (3), Chiden Jisha. RM notifies Tenzo Assistants, meal Servers, Dishwashers, Soku, Work Leader, Flower Chiden. Confirm that they can do these jobs.
Participant Requests - Support Registrar with any requests from participants (scholarships, housing, special schedules)
Schedules - Finalize schedule in coordination with Teacher, Tanto, and Ino (almost all are on this workgroups page)
- Work with Ino prepare Tenken and Ino schedules (same schedule, but annotated for their jobs)

1 Week Ahead:

Refine/revise Job Assignments - Work with the Ino to respond to last minute changes to assignments
Print Outs - Prepare copies of retreat documents for distribution
- Job Assignments list
- - Copy for: Retreat Manager, Registrar, Ino, Tenzo, Work Leader, & each Teacher (in dokusan room)
  - Post at RCDH: Lobby,by restrooms, by downstairs exit
  - Post at Samish: Both mens and womens side of both restrooms, zendo, dining hall
- Schedules
- - Copy for: Retreat Manager, Ino, each Teacher, Tenzo, 2 for Jisha,
  - Post: same as Job Assignments
- Participant Lists
- - Copy for: Retreat Manager, Jisha, Ino, extra for Registrar
- (Ino provides direction and documents for Tenken, Doan-ryo, Chiden, Doshi, Jiko)
Major Jobs - Inform Work Leader and Soku (head server) of their jobs. Help them find their job instructions.
Oryoki - If oryoki: assemble enough sangha oryoki kits for those borrowing them, or ask soku to do so.
Kitchen/Bath supplies - Check to see there are enough towels, toilet paper, hand soap; purchase what's needed.
First aid kit and Tools - Check to see that these are full and available downstairs
Tea - Plan with Tenzo and make sure these supplies are there; RM may need to purchase sweets, tea.

Posting - Post and distribute prepared documents
Notes System - Set up message board. RM clear space on bulletin boards for pinning notes; supply paper, pens
Setup Help - Check in with Registrar, Tenzo, Ino for their set-up (Ino lead zendo setup)
Dana Boxes - Take from upstairs closet and put in lobby
Pair of Clackers for Soku - Take downstairs if having oryoki meals. Keep other pairs upstairs for Ino & Tenken
Clocks - Synchronize 4 clocks; also clock that Tenken will use
Water glass shelf from women's restroom to hallway by water jug
Snack and coffee areas (if needed) - Ask food buyer to purchase things for these areas, as needed
Meal Chant cards (for oryoki meals) - Bring upstairs from kitchen area

Interface with non-retreat participants such as caretakers, neighbors (Ino welcomes zendo guests)
Work with Registrar to see that everyone knows what their jobs are, and that everyone completed registration
Orientation regarding non-zendo topics
Make general announcements as needed, preferably at work period
Check in with retreat leaders: Jisha (on behalf of Teacher), Ino, Tenzo, Work Leader, Tanto, Registrar
Synchronize clocks
On first days of retreat, orient servers, kitchen clean-up crew, coffee & snack person to their roles, and thereafter check to see they remember to do their jobs and/or need any support
On final retreat day, assess clean-up needs in kitchen, zendo, dokusan room, and bathroom; organize clean-up teams to complete all needed tasks. If retreat ends in evening, assign 2 - 4 people to clean up kitchen, laundry, take out garbage, sweep, etc. during dinner hour and/or first period of evening zazen.
With Tenzo, save left-over food from meals in small containers and offer it to retreat participants to take home.

Retreat Follow-up Tasks (usually to be done during days/week following retreat)

Wash and dry and put away all towels, oryoki cloths, other cloth items
Wash and dry borrowed oryoki sets; reassemble kits and store in Oryoki storage bin--take to storage room
Return other items to storage room--futons, tool kit, etc.
Wash and put away all remaining dishes, cups, cooking implements
Take down all retreat schedules and job assignment sheets from bulletin boards
See to it that everything is returned to usual room arrangements
Process Norman's Dana

Red Cedar Zen Community