Pillar 01 · Families without safe water
WASH
Clean water, sanitation, and the quiet dignity of a hand washed before a meal.
Where the work most often begins.
Building With Purpose · June 22–25, 2026
Strengthening
Our Core.
Before we strengthen our programs, we strengthen how we work together — three days of reflection, alignment, and recommitment to the people we serve.
We come back to the center,
so we can return to the field with clearer eyes.
- Dates
- Jun 22–25
- 2026
- Venue
- The Henry
- Autograph Collection
- City
- Dearborn
- Michigan
- Gathering
- ~60
- HDF staff
Fairlane Plaza · 300 Town Center Dr, Dearborn, MI 48126
For HDF Staff · Internal
Every decision we make
touches a life.
HDF · Field Visit Jordan2025
Why we're here
How do we, as an organization, deepen our understanding of how we launch and implement programs — and truly connect with the people we serve?
A question we return to, together
We believe great programs start with self-awareness.
Before we can serve others well, we have to understand how each of us contributes to the mission — and where the quiet gaps are.
When we see each other's work clearly,we serve beneficiaries better.
This is an invitation to step out of our departmental silos and walk in each other's shoes.
WASH listens for Finance. Programs listens for Logistics.
And every one of us listens, again, for the families and children on the other side of the work we do.
The Three Days
A structured journey from individual awareness to organizational commitment.
The Workbook
The full agenda, reflection prompts, and your private notes live inside the workbook.
Each chapter opens session by session — a quiet place to take notes, reflect, and carry the work home. Sign in to enter your workbook; your entries are private to you.
Programmatic Areas
The avenues through which we touch lives.
Eight pillars. One mission. Each one is a doorway to a community, a household, a name we may never know.
Pillar 02 · Households facing hunger
Food Security
Meeting hunger today, and helping families build food systems they can lean on tomorrow.
Pillar 03 · Communities in crisis
Emergency Relief
Showing up quickly, and gently, in the hours and days after everything changes.
Pillar 04 · Displaced and vulnerable families
Shelter & Infrastructure
Safe walls, a door that closes, a place that begins to feel like home again.
Pillar 05 · Children without parents
Orphan Care
Education, health, and belonging — the steady presence every child deserves.
Pillar 06 · Patients and caregivers
Health
Care that meets people where they are — clinics, mothers, neighbors, lives.
Pillar 07 · Children and youth
Education
Classrooms, teachers, and futures — opening what was closed.
Pillar 08 · Partners on the ground
In-Kind
Donated goods, carefully matched to the people who actually need them.
Behind every pillar is a person — held in mind through every meeting, decision, and design we make.
The Value Chain
From donors, through us,
to the people we serve.
A quiet map of how trust, resources, and responsibility move through the organization — and back to the communities who began the journey.
- 01
Trust
Donor
Resources and trust arrive — from individuals, institutions, and partners who believe in the work.
- 02
Listening
Design
Programs are shaped with communities, not for them. We listen first.
- 03
Stewardship
Plan
Plans align resources, timelines, and teams — held to the standard of careful stewardship.
- 04
Care
Operate
We implement with care, consistency, and accountability to the people on the other side of the work.
- 05
Honesty
Measure
We track outcomes honestly — what worked, what didn't, what we owe ourselves to change.
- 06
Return
Story
We carry the story back — to donors, to each other, to the communities who entrusted us.
And then the chain begins again —
shaped by what we learned, the families we served, and the trust we were given to carry.
For Participants
How to prepare and engage.
Walk in ready to be honest — with yourself and your team.
Pre-Work Checklist
- Complete the leadership styles reflection
- Read the workshop overview
- Think of one cross-departmental colleague you'd like to understand better
- Come ready to be honest — with yourself and your team
What to Bring
- Notebook or laptop
- Openness to feedback
- Knowledge of your department's current challenges
- A story about a beneficiary your work has touched
Reflection Questions
Consider these questions before we begin. You won't be forced to share your answers, but they will ground your experience.
- 01
What does it mean to serve with excellence in my role?
- 02
How does my work connect to the communities HDF serves?
- 03
What do I wish my colleagues understood about my department's work?
- 04
What would I change if I could?
- 05
What does accountability look like for me personally?
For Team Leads
Guide the conversation. Hold the space.
The Rotating Team Lead
Each day begins with a different staff member leading the morning check-in. This builds shared leadership and ensures every voice shapes the room. Your role is not to have all the answers, but to facilitate reflection and draw out the quieter voices.
Coaching Nudges
- 01
Create space before filling it
Resist the urge to answer your own questions.
- 02
Name the tension when you see it
Avoidance is the enemy of learning.
- 03
Celebrate the specific
Vague praise doesn't land, concrete recognition does.
- 04
Model vulnerability
When you share uncertainty, others feel safe to do the same.
- 05
Keep the mission visible
Every conversation should connect back to the communities we serve.
Pre-Workshop Survey
Help us understand where we are starting from.
Anonymous responses help the facilitation team prepare. Takes about 3 minutes.
After the Workshop
The work continues in your workbook.
Every session in the retreat has a quiet companion online — a private workbook where reflections, takeaways, and commitments live together. So the conversation doesn't end on day three.
Reflect as you go
Prompted notes for each session, saved automatically as you type.
Capture commitments
What you'll carry back to your team — written, not just said.
Track your progress
Mark sessions complete and watch your three days take shape.
Return at 30 / 60 / 90 days
Revisit the work when it matters — your notes are still there.
Open my workbook
Private to HDF staff
workbook / day 2 / strengthening our core
Preview
Day 2 · Session 03
Strengthening Our Core
Where does our culture quietly drift?
A conversation about the gap between what we say and what we do.
Reflection prompt
"Name one place where our actions don't yet match our words. What would it look like to close that gap?"
Your notes
We talk about belonging, but our intake forms still feel like a gatekeeper. I want to bring this back to the team and rewrite them together before Q3.
My commitment
Draft new intake language with the team by July 15.
Auto-saved just now
Mark session complete
Post-Workshop Timeline
Our 90-day accountability map.
Insight without follow-through is just a nice memory.
Week 1–2
Department action plans finalized and shared
Owner: Department Leads
Week 3–4
Accountability pairs meet for first check-in
Owner: All Staff
Month 1
30-day progress review with leadership
Owner: Leadership Team
Month 2
Mid-point check-in: what's working, what needs adjustment
Owner: All Staff
Month 3
90-day retrospective — celebrate wins, document learnings
Owner: All Staff + Facilitator
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Still wondering? reem@hdfund.org