On January 22, Women Have Options gathered for its first-ever board retreat. The plan for the day was to give our board a chance to get to know each other better—since we welcomed four new members to the board in 2011—and make decisions about an action plan for 2012 and beyond.

We started the retreat with an icebreaker, where our more experienced members got to know our newer members and talk a little bit about their lives. Next, we had a values clarification training where we discussed why we chose to work with Women Have Options. Board members shared their ideas about the organization, and why they feel abortion access is vital to women’s health care and reproductive rights.

Moving on, we reviewed the history of Women Have Options. Our founder is still an active member of our board. She told the story of how Women Have Options was originally founded and gave us a good background of what the organization used to do—including staffing a hotline for women to call to request funding for an abortion, and an outreach project in Appalachia—and how it changed to become the organization it is today.

We then reviewed our 2011 achievements: 2011 was a record-breaking year for WHO/O in terms of fundraising, with over $53,000 raised for reproductive health care access! We also had an amazing year for outreach, with multiple successful events, presence at political events, and even some local media coverage. It was great to get the chance to celebrate our success as a group, and learn more about the foundation of our current work.

Finally, we got down to the business of deciding what we wanted to focus on for 2012 and beyond. We divided into small groups to discuss our goals for the year, and then we brought all of our ideas together for one large calendar activity. Although 2011 was a record-breaking year for WHO/O, it looks like 2012 will be even bigger!

It was a fantastic day of fun and fellowship for our board. Members stated that they enjoyed getting to know each other beter, and that it was an energizing experience for the year ahead. We’re grateful for each and every member of our board of directors, and the hard work and enthusiasm they bring to WHO/O’s mission. Thanks to them, and to all our supporters and donors who make our work possible. Here’s to a successful board retreat, and a great start to 2012!