Preservation Retreats – Preservation Trust of Vermont

The Preservation Retreats are underwritten in part by generous support from the Kelly Lorraine Baggett Fund. Kelly was a UVM Graduate, a 31-year veteran of the United States Forest Service, and a former resident of Burlington, VT, where she spent many hours restoring and caring for her historic brick home overlooking Lake Champlain. Kelly won many awards for her outstanding contributions in research pertaining to sugar maple decline and American elm restoration, and wrote or co-wrote numerous scientific papers during her career. This fund pays homage to Kelly’s passion for history, the environment, and scholarship.

We are grateful for our partnership and underwriting support from The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.

Upcoming 2020 Offerings

Our online Preservation Retreats series is an immersive adult learning experience designed to support anyone undertaking or considering a community development or historic preservation project. Retreats offer an opportunity to connect with communities throughout the state working on similar projects, connect with potential funders to learn about grant opportunities and to receive technical assistance about your specific project.

Attendees will be asked to spend five minutes sharing a challenge or issue that once solved will move their project forward. These brief presentation will be followed by robust and informative group discussions with peers, funders and technical support providers.

No remaining retreats are scheduled for 2020.

Completed 2020 Offerings

Navigating Uncertainty: May 19, 2020
On-Line Workshop

This Zoom workshop will examine the impacts and constraints on fundraising due to Covid-19 as it affects nonprofits in Vermont. Most of our meeting will explore the possibilities for nonprofits that are not offering the initial basic needs of food, shelter and health care: community groups in the areas of preservation, local gathering places, arts, culture, education and the environment. We will focus in particular on community-based organizations that are already planning or implementing campaigns for local projects.

Sustainable Preservation: July 30, 2020, 9 am – 12 pm
On-Line Workshop

Join us for a three-hour session with top state experts on how to reduce the energy costs and carbon footprint of your non-profit or municipally-owned historic building. Learn the hows and whys of getting an energy audit, strategies and funding sources for efficiency upgrades, and basic and advanced techniques for weatherizing leaky windows, doors, attics and cellars. For non-profits and municipalities. Presenters include the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, Efficiency Vermont, VGS, and NeighborWorks.

Navigating Uncertainty: August 25, 2020
On-Line Workshop, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm

This workshop will examine the impacts and constraints on fundraising due to Covid-19 as it affects nonprofits in Vermont. We will explore fundraising possibilities for nonprofits and community groups with a focus on historic preservation, local gathering places, arts, culture, and education. We will focus in particular on community-based organizations that are already planning or implementing campaigns for local projects. We will offer a presentation along with some examples, recommendations and data, and then discuss the concerns of participants.

Arts & Cultural Heritage: September 21 and 22, 2020
On-line Retreat

A lot of energy and good ideas flow when you connect arts organizations, theaters, historical societies and cultural heritage buffs. Do you have an underutilized public space that could be transformed through arts and cultural programming? Are you interested in finding ways to draw new audiences to your cultural facility or historic property? Are you interested in learning about funding opportunities for restoration, archival storage or offering new programs? Whether the context is churches doubling as performance venues, historic sites hosting art installations, or industrial spaces being repurposed for community use, this retreat promises an interesting and inspiring mix of ideas and resources. The Monday afternoon session will be followed by one-to-one chats with funders on Tuesday morning.

Churches and Sacred Places: October 26 & 27, 2020
On-line Retreat

Churches and sacred places continue to play a critical role in the health and wellness of our communities. They often act as overflow shelters for our most vulnerable citizens or as community gathering places for cultural performances or events. All the while, these buildings can be challenging to maintain. We offer this retreat in partnership with Partners for Sacred Places, a non-denominational nonprofit organization, to explore potential partnerships for existing churches and new uses for under-utilized church buildings. The Monday afternoon session will be followed by one-to-one chats with funders on Tuesday morning.

2020 Cancelled Retreats

Due to Covid-19, our regularly scheduled Preservation Retreats at the Grand Isle Lake House have been cancelled. We are working to offer an on-line retreat series. Please check back here for updates. Thank you.

An Opportunity to Dig In

Preservation Retreats at the Grand Isle Lake House are an immersive adult learning experience designed to support anyone undertaking or considering a community development or historic preservation project.

Attendees will be asked to present a challenge or issue that once solved will move their project forward. This brief presentation is followed by a robust and informative group discussion with peers, funders and technical support providers.

All retreats begin at 3:00 pm and end after lunch the following day. Space is limited to around 20 participants with a limited number of single rooms, so reservations should be made as early as possible. The 2020 costs are $105 for a shared room and $135 for a single room. Pre-registration is required.

Questions? Contact: Lisa Ryan lisa@ptvermont.org

“After 4 years of fundraising and beginning to run out of energy for our one-room schoolhouse restoration project, the retreat at the Grand Isle Lake House was really helpful. We got information on contacts for different kinds of grants and how to write them and lots of support not to get discouraged! Through these contacts and the support of PTV and the Vermont State Division of Historic Preservation we have been able to complete the grant writing process and receive the funds we need to get a matching grant. We are on our way to a new foundation!”

–Courtney Dobyns, Root Schoolhouse, Norwich

Churches and Sacred Places

Historic Preservation & Community Development

The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." Historic Preservation plays an important role in community development, particularly when so much of Vermont's preservation work is focused in our downtowns and village centers. We offer this retreat for any nonprofit, for profit, community supported enterprise, or public facility taking on or exploring a building rehabilitation project or a project that strengthens their community.

Arts & Cultural Heritage

A lot of energy and good ideas flow when you put arts organizations in the same room with cultural heritage buffs. Do you have an underutilized public space that could be transformed through arts and cultural programming? Are you interested in finding ways to draw new audiences to your cultural facility or historic property? Whether the context is churches doubling as performance venues, historic sites hosting art installations, or industrial spaces being repurposed for community use, this retreat promises an interesting and inspiring mix of ideas.

Fundraising and Project Management

What are some techniques that community projects are doing to successfully fund-raise while enhancing the use of their historic buildings? Christine Graham of CPG Fundraising will be on hand to provide training in the area of capital campaigns and annual giving. We will also explore how to manage a rehabilitation project, work with grantors, contractors, and the community to help you get to success.

Libraries, Nonprofit-Owned and Public Buildings

With a strain on town budgets, what help is there to ensure that these critical facilities are maintained and well-used in an evolving environment? At this retreat, we will look at some of the particular challenges and opportunities for libraries, nonprofit-owned, and public buildings.

Sign up here to receive notifications of our upcoming retreats

Join Our Mailing List