Design and Facilitation: Terms of Reference

Interested agencies should submit the following documents on juhi.kumari by 26th February 2025
Design and Facilitation of WRI India Staff Retreat (600 Participants)
1. Introduction
India Resources Trust  (WRI India) invites proposals from experienced consulting and facilitation partners to  design and support the planning of a multi-day staff retreat  for approximately  600 employees .
The retreat marks a significant milestone of  15 years of WRI India  and is intended to be a strategic institutional intervention focused on reflection, alignment, and future readiness.

2. About WRI India
WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. As an independent research organization, we leverage our data and expertise to catalyze change across systems like food, land and water; energy; and cities. Our work focuses on improving people’s lives, protecting and restoring nature, and addressing climate change.

To enable progress at the pace and scale needed, we also engage with the economic, finance and governance systems that are key to enabling this change.

As the organization enters its next phase of growth and impact, there is a need to strengthen shared identity, institutional coherence, leadership alignment, and organizational culture.

3. Purpose and Objectives of the Retreat
The primary objectives of the retreat are to:
Reflect on  15 years of WRI India’s journey , including institutional history, milestones, and learnings.
Build a  common organizational identity and narrative  that:
Positions WRI India as a thought leader and systems orchestrator
Creates a cohesive overarching narrative alongside stakeholder-specific narratives
Strengthens institutional credibility, fundraising capability, and ecosystem-building efforts
Foster a  future-thinking mindset , with emphasis on agility, adaptability, and effective execution in complex environments.
Strengthen  people and culture , including shared values, leadership behaviors, ways of working, and collaboration norms required for the next phase of growth.

4. Scope of Work
The selected consultant will be responsible for the  conceptualization, design, and facilitation planning  of the retreat. The scope includes:
Developing the  overall retreat architecture  and thematic flow
Designing  day-wise agendas  aligned to objectives and participant cohorts
Proposing appropriate  facilitation formats , including plenaries, breakouts, dialogues, and experiential sessions
Ensuring differentiation of content and depth for different staff cohorts while maintaining a cohesive institutional narrative
Advising on leadership roles and participation within the retreat
Supporting alignment between leadership messaging and staff experience

Note:

Logistical arrangements (venue, travel, accommodation, catering) will be managed separately by WRI India and are not part of this scope.

5. Participant Profile and Structure
Total participants:  ~600 staff
Participants are organized into the following cohorts:
India Executive Team : 12 participants
Grade 7 & 8 staff : ~80 participants
Grade 5 & 6 staff : ~140 participants
All staff : ~600 participants
Participation framework:
Selected cohorts (e.g., Executive Team and senior grades) may participate across  all retreat days
All staff will participate for two common days
The consultant should design a structure that allows:
Cohort-specific depth and engagement
Shared experiences that reinforce a common identity and direction

6. Key Thematic Areas
Proposals must demonstrate capability to design content around the following themes:
6.1 15 Years of WRI India – History and Learning
Institutional evolution and milestones
Key learnings and inflection points
Reflection on impact, challenges, and growth
6.2 Common Identity and Narrative
Articulating WRI India’s role as a thought leader and systems orchestrator
Building staff understanding and ownership of the institutional narrative
Connecting individual roles to organizational purpose and external impact
6.3 Future Thinking and Agility
Preparing the organization for future challenges…