The Saint Iakovos Retreat Center needed help crafting a compelling presentation for the upcoming Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Church of America. The retreat center is a Christian retreat facility in Kansasville Wisconsin and is home to many diverse ministry programs of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago as well as other events from academic and social organizations.
The Clergy Laity meeting represented a key opportunity for the retreat center’s board of directors to secure additional monetary support from the parishes of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago in order to ensure the way forward for many vibrant ministries.
The board of directors created a comprehensive presentation to walk through what the retreat center is, it’s vision, current financial performance and future goals. With a time slot of an hour and a half, there was A LOT of material to explain.
First, I reviewed the completed draft and walked through some initial thoughts and recommendations with the board. Then, I created some sample slides and sent them to the board for review to make sure my approach could be carried through the entire presentation.
Key changes included:
A new, earthy yet vibrant color scheme
New, carefully curated photography
The reduction of wording on the slides wherever possible
A templated style that added clear visual cues to each section
Recommendations on consolidating content and reducing the overall slide count
The result was a new presentation that the board was excited to present at the Clergy Laity Congress. The team completed their presentation, received kudos on their presentation and most importantly, the participants voted to approve the addition resources needed to keep the retreat center on a positive trajectory.
