Orienting to the Present Moment: Where Are We Now

The sabbatical is behind us. The work of re-imagining and piloting is underway. Here’s what has happened, what we’re learning, and what comes next. 

When we paused the retreat operations last November and called it a Winter Sabbatical, we couldn’t yet see exactly what would grow from that fallow ground. We knew rest was needed. We knew the land and the organization were asking for it. And we trusted that something more sustainable would begin to emerge if we had the courage to stop long enough to listen. 

Now, as we begin the transition from spring to summer – retreats return to the land and we launch new virtual offerings – we want to be transparent about what we’ve found: the progress, the setbacks, and the real work ahead. 

What We’ve Accomplished Since Winter

Although retreat operations paused, the sabbatical wasn’t a quiet season for the Board of Trustees and close community members. Our small team set about the work of building organizational infrastructure that years of constant operations hadn’t allowed time to create. 

• The fundraising campaign exceeded expectations. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of this community, and the incredible volunteers who supported this effort, , the Fund the Sabbatical campaign raised $156,208 – exceeding our $130,00 goal. That support covered fixed costs through the winter, funded critical deferred maintenance, and gave the organization the breathing room to plan rather than scramble. 

• We are building a team to reflect current organizational needs. Nan Miller and April Theriot joined the Hope Springs team during the sabbatical, bringing operational expertise, and decades of combined experience. 

• We welcomed new board members and are actively recruiting. Welcome aboard, long time friend of Hope Springs, Thomas Wendt!  

• Established a Development Plan for the year. We’re entering Q2 with a board-approved development plan, planned donor engagement initiatives, and a path to additional revenue development with program expansion and partnership development. We are deepening collaboration with Sustaining Circle as we strategically work together to support fundraising efforts to support operations and program development. 

• The return of HSI program participant favorites. We were glad to offer Astrology & Typology in late March, which brought the first participants back to the land. Enter the Quiet and Make a Joyful Noise are also on the calendar!

• Volunteers have shown up in big ways. From garden maintenance, to painting, and facilitating offerings – we’re so grateful to have the ongoing support of committed volunteers.  

• We launched virtual programming. Our new Tending the Threshold virtual series – book discussions, workshops, and community conversations, has already drawn participation beyond Ohio. Three pilot virtual offerings have been completed; 10 additional are confirmed for the year. This is genuinely a new revenue stream we’re excited to grow and help introduce new faces to the magic of Hope Springs.

• We updated our systems and policies. New booking agreements, revised pricing that reflects inflation-adjusted actual costs, updated financial processes, operational procedures that live in writing rather than in institutional memory. These aren’t glamorous things to announce, but they are the foundation that makes everything possible. 

What We Heard from You

As part of the sabbatical, we invited the broader Hope Springs community into a listening survey. Twenty-six people responded, representing retreat participants, volunteers, donors, facilitators, staff, and board members. Many of whom have held multiple roles over the years. What they shared has shaped every conversation since. 

When asked what Hope Springs means to them, people described this place consistently as sacred land and spiritual home, a trusted container for deep healing, learning, and personal growth. Not a retreat venue. A sanctuary. 

“The land itself is resilient, guiding, and sacred. The love and loyalty of this community gives me hope.”  

- Survey Respondent 

When asked what must stay at the heart of Hope Springs, the two essentials named most often were: the land as a sacred and healing place (65% of respondents) and the spiritual and transformational nature of the work (58%). Integrity, trust in relationships, and the felt sense of community and belonging followed closely. 

Respondents were equally honest about what cannot continue: an unsustainable financial model, burnout from over-carrying, deferred maintenance, and ongoing anxiety about funds. They named a desire for clearer charitable purpose, stronger governance, and shared responsibility structures so this work doesn’t rest on any one person’s sacrifice. 

And they named clear “red lines,” or in other words, things that would feel like a violation of what Hope Springs is: commercializing or developing the land, restricting access, neglecting sacred spaces, making hasty decisions without community voice, or returning to patterns of grind and overextension. 

“Protect the land. Repair and honor relationships. Get real about sustainability. Lean into community partnership without getting stuck. Make clear, timely, values-aligned decisions.” 

- Survey Respondent 

One tension surfaced with particular clarity, and the board and leadership team are holding  tenderly as we plan ahead: the question of feasibility of maintaining vast property with mission-based work. This isn’t a problem to be solved quickly. It’s a question that deserves the careful discernment it’s now receiving. 

What We’re Navigating Now

We committed to transparency with you when we announced the sabbatical. That commitment doesn’t end when the doors reopen. 

• Retreat bookings are rebuilding more slowly than projected. We’ve already seen cancellations due to lower than anticipated enrollment. While we have several retreats booked for the coming months, summer bookings are slower than we hoped, and July currently has no retreats on the calendar. We’re actively working to fill those gaps, while navigating current economic uncertainties.

• Our financial runway requires careful management. As we enter May, and anticipate no July retreat income, we’re making proactive adjustments to staffing hours and contracts to extend our runway while the next layer of revenue development takes hold, including virtual programming.

• Leadership is evolving to match the mission. One of the real findings of this moment is that Hope Springs needs a leadership structure that can evolve with the organization, not just sustain it. We’re in active conversation about what that looks like: how roles are defined, where responsibility lives, and how we build capacity that doesn’t concentrate on too few people. These conversations are taking genuine bandwidth, and we want you to know they’re happening with care. 

• Our board is being asked to carry a great deal. Governance and leadership succession are live conversations. The board is reviewing term limits, committee structures, and how to care for the people doing this stewardship work. We believe organizational health includes the health of those who lead it and we’re taking that seriously. 

A Time of Discernment

Perhaps the most significant outcome of the sabbatical and start to the new year is the spaciousness to finally ask questions that years of constant operation had crowded out. 

The board and leadership team are in active discernment about the shape of Hope Springs’ future – what we’re here to do, who we’re here to serve, and how the organization is structured to do that work sustainably over the long term. The community survey confirmed that you’re asking versions of these questions too. 

We’re not ready to name conclusions because we haven’t reached them. What we can say is that we’re asking the right questions, sitting with them honestly, and resisting the pull to rush toward answers just because uncertainty is uncomfortable. 

You’d hear more from us as the discernment matures. The June and September community gatherings are part of that process, and we hope you’ll join us. 

The Model We’re Building

2026 is a learning year. We’re testing different approaches to how Hope Springs operates and we’re being transparent about what that means. 

Rather than 40+ retreats per year, a pace that our financial analysis showed was losing money,  Hope Springs is hosting 12 - 18 on-site retreats and programs this year, each tended with greater care. We’re pairing that with virtual programming that reaches more people at lower overhead, and expands program accessibility. And we’re working to build the donor relationships that can sustain this mission for decades, not just months. 

The strategic pillars guiding us: protecting the land, building sustainable business operations, engaging community as genuine co-creators, and diversifying revenue so no single stream carries the whole weight. 

We don’t have everything figured out. What we do have is clarity about what wasn’t working, honesty about what’s hard, and community (you) who has shown us again and again the work of Hope Springs matters enough to fight for. 

What Comes Next

The months ahead will be shaped by several key moments. We’d love for you to be part of them. 

May 14 - Virtual Community Gathering

A peer learning conversation with Grailville, exploring lessons learned about stewarding land, properties, and the sustainability of a retreat-model mission.

July 25 - On-Site Open House

An opportunity to invite new participants, partners, and facilitators to the land to meet the team, connect with the place and people that make Hope Springs what it is. 

Ongoing - Tending the Threshold Virtual Series & On-site Programs

Monthly virtual offerings and quarterly on-site HSI programs including Enter the Quiet and Make a Joyful Noise. 

September 9 - Virtual Community Gathering 

We’ll gather again to share more about what we’ve learned and look forward to 2027 together. 

Fall - On-Site Open House

Another opportunity to introduce new people to Hope Springs. 

A Note of Gratitude

 We recognize this update holds both  challenging and hopeful news. We share both because we’re committed to being in relationship with the wider Hope Springs community. Hope Springs is not the same organization it was a year ago.  After operating for many years in a crossover deficit, we transitioned a $40,000 deficit in the beginning of 2025 to $40,000 in reserve to begin 2026. We’re working collectively to be more  realistic about the true costs to do this work on a large property with aging infrastructure. We’re having brave conversations about what is sustainable and how we prioritize our impact. And, we’re more grounded in the rhythms of the earth. We’re more grateful than ever for a community that chooses to stay with us through the threshold. 

The survey reminded us of something we already knew in our bones: you love Hope Springs. You love the work we do in community together. And you’re willing to be in the hard parts of this with us. That means more than we can say. 

The light came back. We’re walking into it together. 

With love and in service, 

The Hope Springs Board of Trustees

Melissa Marie Dunlap - President

Cait Miller - Vice President

Kristi Lee - Secretary

Janet Hales - Treasurer 

Jan Flynn - Board Member at large

Jojo Waddell - Board Member at large

Thomas Wendt - Board Member at large