Serenity Ridge Retreat Center | Strategic HR Advisory Proposal

01

Purpose of This Proposal

Serenity Ridge is at an important organizational transition point. The mission has grown, operational complexity has increased, and the infrastructure required to sustainably support that growth now needs to mature alongside it.

Over the past several months, support provided has extended substantially beyond traditional board participation and into executive-level HR architecture, organizational stabilization, operational advisory, governance navigation, employee relations guidance, systems development, and risk management support.

The purpose of this proposal is not simply to establish pricing. It is to create a sustainable structure that:

Protects the mission
Protects organizational continuity
Protects governance integrity
Protects the quality and sustainability of support
Establishes clear operational boundaries moving forward

Moving forward, the current informal structure needs to transition into a more defined and sustainable engagement model that creates clarity around scope, access, deliverables, and operational support.

This proposal is intended to create that clarity while ensuring Serenity Ridge continues to receive high-quality strategic guidance and organizational support moving forward.

02

Work Completed to Date

The following work has already been completed in support of Serenity Ridge beyond standard board participation:

Retreat Manager role redesign and strategic repositioning

Organizational chart and reporting line analysis

Assistant Operations Manager role redesign and reporting clarification

Policy gap assessment identifying operational and HR exposure areas

Offer letter and compensation framework guidance

Incident response framework and reporting architecture

Temporary Operations Support Coordinator transition structure

Witness statement and documentation systems

Onboarding and training process review

Employee relations and supervisory advisory support

Board governance and communication protocol clarification

Staff communication drafting and transition messaging

HR, operational, financial, and compliance risk identification

Organizational structure and chain-of-command review

Strategic guidance related to active employee relations and reporting concerns

The scope and complexity of this work reflects executive-level organizational advisory and infrastructure support that now requires a formal engagement structure moving forward.

03

Engagement Philosophy

The objective of this engagement is not dependency. The objective is clarity, sustainability, organizational stability, and long-term operational health.

"The strongest organizations are not the ones that avoid complexity.
They are the ones that build the infrastructure
capable of holding complexity well."

This engagement is designed to help Serenity Ridge:

Strengthen organizational structure
Reduce operational and employee relations risk
Improve communication and accountability pathways
Clarify governance and reporting relationships
Create stronger operational consistency
Support leadership through periods of organizational transition

The structure outlined below is intentionally designed to support Serenity Ridge's mission and operational realities while also creating a sustainable framework for the level of support currently being provided.

04

Understanding the Engagement Structure

The support currently being provided falls into two distinct categories of work. Separating these categories creates clarity around access, scope, deliverables, and sustainability moving forward.

A · Done-With-You Support

Strategic HR Advisory Retainer

This engagement structure is designed for collaborative organizational support, strategic guidance, and leadership consultation. Serenity Ridge leadership maintains ownership of implementation while receiving ongoing executive-level HR architecture and operational advisory support.

Included in the Strategic Advisory Retainer

$3,500/month 90-day initial engagement · Includes up to 10 advisory hours/month

Executive HR consultation and organizational guidance
Employee relations and operational risk advisory
Governance and reporting structure consultation
Strategic guidance prior to major people decisions
Leadership support and working sessions
Organizational review and prioritization support
Position review and role structure guidance
Compensation and pay structure advisory
Recruitment and staffing strategy support
Performance management and accountability guidance
Limited document review, feedback, and risk-based guidance on internally prepared materials
Limited asynchronous communication support within agreed response windows

The advisory retainer is intended to provide strategic access, executive guidance, and collaborative support. It is not structured as unlimited operational execution or production support.

Not Included in Retainer | Separately Scoped

The following services are separately scoped due to the concentrated development, drafting, implementation, and production labor required:

Policy drafting or creation
Employee handbook creation or overhaul
Training development and facilitation builds
Incident response system creation
Investigation documentation systems
Organizational infrastructure architecture
Performance management system drafting and implementation
Full recruitment process management
Compensation structure redesign or benchmarking projects
Large-scale document drafting or revisions
Operational implementation projects

B · Separately Scoped Work

Phased Organizational Infrastructure Projects

For infrastructure, policy, training, or operational systems work requiring concentrated drafting, development, or implementation support, projects may be scoped separately and phased over time based on organizational priority, operational capacity, and budget considerations.

This structure allows Serenity Ridge to strengthen infrastructure incrementally while maintaining flexibility and avoiding operational overwhelm.

I

Phase

Immediate HR Stabilization & Risk Reduction

Estimated Investment: $4,200 - $6,900

Examples:

Immediate policy and employee relations priority review
Guidance related to active staffing and workplace concerns
Investigatory interview support and documentation guidance
Reporting structure and accountability clarification
Communication guidance for active operational situations
Identification of immediate HR and operational exposure areas

This phase is designed to help Serenity Ridge stabilize immediate employee relations and operational pressure points, reduce organizational risk, and create clearer structure around communication, accountability, and decision-making while longer-term infrastructure priorities are phased in over time.

II

Phase

Policy & Incident Infrastructure

Estimated Investment: $4,500 - $6,700

Examples:

Incident reporting systems
Witness statement procedures
Documentation standards
Complaint and escalation pathways
Core operational policy review and revision

III

Phase

Training & Accountability Systems

Estimated Investment: $5,200 - $8,000

Examples:

Performance management policy development
Manager guidance and accountability systems
Documentation and performance expectations
Communication standards
Staff training support materials
Operational workflow clarification

IV

Phase

Operational Systems & Onboarding Infrastructure

Estimated Investment: $4,250 - $6,900

Examples:

Onboarding and orientation systems
Operational communication structures
Role clarity and workflow support
Staff support documentation
Organizational continuity systems

05

HR Armor Standard Engagement Context

The level of organizational advisory, HR architecture, employee relations strategy, operational risk support, and infrastructure guidance reflected in this proposal represents work that is typically engaged at substantially higher rates than those outlined here.

For context, the following reflect standard HR Armor engagement structures and pricing ranges:

Strategic Advisory Retainers	Engagements involving this level of organizational access, leadership consultation, operational guidance, and employee relations involvement commonly range from $12,000 - $25,000+ per month depending on organizational scope and level of involvement.
Infrastructure Development & Systems Projects	Policy architecture, training systems, performance management systems, staffing strategy, and operational support projects are typically scoped separately and range from $15,000 - $65,000+ depending on organizational complexity and implementation scope.
Individual Employee Advisory Engagements	Single-situation strategic discussion and documentation guidance begin at $3,500+ flat per each engagement.

The work currently being provided to Serenity Ridge includes ongoing organizational advisory, staffing and reporting structure guidance, employee relations consultation, operational risk review, policy and documentation support, investigatory guidance, governance navigation, communication support, and active organizational stabilization work.

The pricing reflected within this proposal is intentionally structured as a mission-conscious nonprofit rate in recognition of Serenity Ridge's current stage of development and operational realities.

These rates should not be interpreted as reflective of reduced complexity, reduced organizational exposure, or reduced strategic involvement. They reflect an intentional adjustment designed to support the organization while still creating a sustainable and professionally structured engagement moving forward.

06

Governance Role Option

Option A | Governance Participation Only

Volunteer Board Service · No Charge

This option returns the role strictly to governance participation.

Included

Board meeting participation
Governance input and strategic perspective
Voting and oversight responsibilities within board role

Not Included

Operational advisory
Employee relations support
Organizational systems development
Drafting or implementation support
Infrastructure creation or project work

This option requires the organization to secure separate operational or HR resources for implementation-level support.

07

Engagement Boundaries

To protect organizational sustainability and maintain the quality of support being provided, the following boundaries apply to all advisory work:

Requests outside agreed scope may be deferred or separately scoped
Communication outside designated channels or response windows may not receive immediate response
Board service and advisory services remain operationally separate
Ongoing implementation support without an active agreement is not available
Additional deliverables or expanded scope require written approval before work proceeds
Emergency response support is not automatically included unless specifically defined

These boundaries are intended to create clarity, sustainability, consistency, and healthy operational expectations for all parties involved.

08

Engagement Selection & Next Steps

The engagement structures outlined in this proposal are intended to provide Serenity Ridge with flexible options for organizational support based on operational priorities, infrastructure needs, budget considerations, and internal capacity.

The organization may choose to:

Maintain governance participation only

Engage strategic HR advisory support

Implement phased infrastructure projects as needed over time

Utilize a combination of advisory and project-based support depending on organizational priorities

Upon selection of an engagement structure:

01

Agreement

A short engagement agreement and scope document will be finalized

02

Protocols

Communication protocols and advisory boundaries will be established

03

Priorities

Initial organizational priorities and sequencing will be confirmed

04

Kickoff

Kickoff scheduling and project planning will begin

The goal of this proposal is to create a sustainable structure that supports Serenity Ridge's continued operational growth while maintaining clarity, organizational stability, and healthy support boundaries moving forward.

Serenity RidgeRetreat Center

Purpose of This Proposal

Work Completed to Date

Engagement Philosophy

Understanding the Engagement Structure

Included in the Strategic Advisory Retainer

HR Armor Standard Engagement Context

Governance Role Option

Engagement Boundaries

Engagement Selection & Next Steps

Serenity Ridge
Retreat Center