Founded in 1977, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies is the nation’s most trusted source for wellness and personal growth. As a nonprofit organization, Omega offers more than 350 diverse and innovative workshops that inspire an integrated approach to personal growth and social change. Located on 250 acres in the beautiful Hudson Valley, Omega welcomes more than 23,000 people annually to its workshops, conferences, and retreats in Rhinebeck, New York, and at exceptional locations around the world.
This is a living document subject to modification. Originally published December 2017; remains relevant following updates in 2021 and adjustments due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
IOVERVIEW
INTRODUCING OUR STRATEGIC PLAN
Welcome to the Omega Strategic Plan, our blueprint for action that will guide the organization over the next five years. As we turn our focus to Omega’s next chapter, we see a window opening—there has never been such widespread interest in or need for the knowledge and skills that we have cultivated since our founding in 1977. The Omega Plan is designed to build organizational strength so that we can enrich learning experiences and scale our impact. We are poised to become an even stronger force for change by increasing access to our learning programs and mobilizing our constituents through focused community engagement.
With a 40-year track record of pioneering holistic studies and helping over one million people grow, learn, and find a deeper sense of purpose in their lives, we have consistently been at the forefront of human development. From nurturing early dialogues on the integration of modern medicine and natural healing; to designing programs that connect science, spirituality, and creativity; to laying the groundwork for new traditions and sustainable lifestyles, Omega is known the world over as a trusted source for educational experiences that “awaken the best in the human spirit.”
In creating the Omega Plan, we sought input from our Board of Directors and Stewardship Council, Omega faculty and staff, participants, the community, and other key stakeholders. We conducted a variety of studies and analyses to understand our own strengths, challenges, vulnerabilities, and opportunities, including a Regional Economic Development Study, a Financial Equilibrium Study, Campus Development Studies, programmatic relevancy analysis, technology assessments, and marketing and branding studies.
During this rich period of reflection, we garnered a robust affirmation that we have a unique and important contribution to make at this time in history. We know that implementation of the Omega Plan will take the skills and commitment of many people, and we are fortunate to have a bold and prepared team to take it on. This plan is a living and evolving document which we will rely on to help guide our way.
We also know we don’t have all the answers but we are living in the questions, and we invite you to join us on this next stage of our development.
We have crafted this plan around an integrated, three-pronged organizational framework: TEACH MODEL ACT. In doing so, we have prioritized three key goals, six targeted strategies, and threshold tactics that are described in the following pages. While each of our strategies advances a primary goal, success will depend on many overlapping mutualities, dependencies, and synergies of organizational effort.
TEACH Create Inspired Learning Experiences
Omega is a hub for lifelong learning—offering workshops, professional trainings, and a wide variety of learning opportunities in person and online. Our curriculum includes the following six categories: Body, Mind & Spirit, Health & Healing, Creative Expression, Relationships & Family, Leadership & Work, and Sustainable Living.
MODEL Demonstrate What We Teach
Omega is as committed to the learning that happens outside the classroom as we are to the experiences shared in a structured learning environment. From our program choices to our purchasing policies, from our environmental practices to our service ethic, Omega takes great care and responsibility to use holistic principles to model the strategies and solutions we teach.
ACT Engage Emerging Solutions
Omega is focused on advancing solutions for issues we see as critical to our mission, such as sustainability, women’s leadership, social justice, mindfulness in education, and healing from trauma. Our Centers and Initiatives reflect our commitment to increasing advocacy by inspiring our growing constituency to take action in their own lives and broader communities.
LETTER FROM OMEGA BOARD CHAIR
Dear Friends,
I walked through Omega’s doors in 2001, and never guessed that I would stay involved for more than 15 years and become Omega’s Board Chair.
From a young age I was always looking for deeper answers to life’s questions. When I discovered Omega, I quickly realized that it was a place where I could explore a wide range of topics I was interested in, from meditation to nutrition to dance. What has inspired me to contribute as a volunteer for all these years is that at its core Omega is a place where people can open their hearts to learning, or healing, or reflection, or whatever it is that is needed in that particular moment of their lives and in the context of the times.
One of the most important things we do is take care of the caretakers. So many people in the healing professions, who do the hard work of helping other people and uplifting our communities, come to Omega for training, rejuvenation, and inspiration. In addition to learning opportunities we offer a kind of supportive community that lifts our peers through our Nonprofit Retreats program so that they can be stronger as they carry out their missions.
Omega’s 40th anniversary is a powerful moment to launch a new 5-Year Strategic Plan, a vision for growing our commitment to being a global force for change. The board of directors and I look forward to strengthening the organization and securing Omega’s future as a unique and ever-evolving learning community that brings creative solutions, hope, and healing to people and communities living in an increasingly complex global society.
We hope you will have a chance to join us in helping Omega “awaken the best in the human spirit.”
Looking ahead, David Orlinsky, Board Chair
Omega Board of Directors (left to right): Katherine Collins, Jamia Wilson, Patty Goodwin, David Orlinsky, Elizabeth Lesser, Bruce Schearer, Sheryl Lamb, Manuela Roosevelt
Skip Backus with Janine Benyus, author and pioneer in biomimicry, in the Omega Center for Sustainable Living
LETTER FROM OMEGA CEO
Dear Friends,
One of the great gifts of working for Omega, as I have for the past 35 years, is that it has been a constant source of enlivening hopefulness. In the midst of the everyday running of an organization, I have been touched by so many of our participants, teachers, staff, volunteers, and donors—all of whom bring forward the poignancy of what it means to face life with openness, presence, creativity, and optimism.
From our earliest days when we moved our things into storage after every summer not knowing whether we would see another season, to this past year when we made the decision to catalyze our impact by building a 24/7 digital destination rich with content and community, I have always been inspired by our potential to be a global resource for healing and change.
So here we are four decades after we opened our doors, along with so many others—literally at the crossroads of great human need and great potential reach. While change is constant, there is new urgency to the challenges we face in the current political, social, and economic landscape. We feel the imperative to show up in new and more impactful ways, and we see ourselves as part of a growing movement that is actively seeding and cultivating a new vision for the future. A vision of a more unified human community that is committed to peace, freedom, sustainability, dignity, rights, justice, pluralism, and prosperity for all.
The view from here is exciting and also presents new questions. We have been asking ourselves: How do we expand our reach through leadingedge technology without compromising the depth we’re known for? How do we leverage online connectivity while still valuing the unparalleled power of in-person relationships? How do we continue our core offerings, while helping people make the leap between individual and collective consciousness, personal and social change?
Over the past two years of planning, we’ve been in continual dialogue with our team, our collaborators, and our faculty to help us understand how to step into the future with courage and grace, humility and grit. That’s what we’re striving for at this moment. To bring forward all that we’ve learned from the extraordinary people we’ve met along the way, and use it as a foundation for taking a great leap as an organization.
We are all learners and teachers in this, the experiment of our times. It’s going to take all of us to re-braid the holism of our humanity. Let’s step into that urgent mystery together.
With high hopes, Robert “Skip” Backus, CEO
OUR STORY
In the late 1970s, fresh ideas were sprouting in American culture. Modern medicine was beginning to consider the value of prevention, nutrition, and the mind-body connection. Science, psychology, and religion were entering into creative conversations. Seeds from Eastern philosophies were being planted in the West, cross-fertilizing, and blossoming into a new, global spirituality. Music, dance, literature, and art from all over the globe were influencing each other in exciting ways, and social change movements like feminism, civil rights, and environmentalism were transforming our cultural identity and societal structures.
Omega Institute came to life in these rich and changing times. Founded in 1977 by Eastern scholar Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, holistic medical doctor Stephan Rechtschaffen, and educator Elizabeth Lesser, Omega was conceived as a university for lifelong learning. We took our name from the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a 20thcentury Jesuit priest and evolutionary biologist who spoke of the “Omega Point,” or the point of unity toward which all of life is evolving. This movement toward unity, balance, and wholeness—within an individual and in the culture at large—is also expressed by the word “holistic.” And so, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies was born.
Omega has served as a gathering place for great thinkers, creatives, spiritual teachers, and social visionaries. Four decades ago our holistic studies coursework was far from the mainstream, but today Omega has grown into an institute of influence way beyond our early imaginings. When our doors opened in 1977, a few hundred inquisitive participants walked through. Today we welcome close to 23,000 people annually, and reach nearly 2 million people around the globe on our website and social media platforms. We have become one of the largest and most trusted centers for lifelong learning in the world, offering an integrated approach to personal growth and social change, and continuing to connect our work with innovators around the globe.
OMEGA BY THE NUMBERS
1,000,000+ Through Our Doors
23,000
Annual Visitors
500+
Annual Faculty
2,000,000
Visitors to eOmega.org Per Year
70,000+
eNews Subscribers
200,000+
Social Media Followers
In our local community, Omega is an economic driver with a significant ripple effect across the region.
ANNUAL IMPACT
$332 MILLION SALES
$99
OUR FACULTY
Our trailblazing faculty have been the cornerstone of Omega’s curriculum, and have helped us build a shared vision of how to create a better world.
Jon Kabat-Zinn and Rhonda V. Magee, Being Fearless Conference 2017
Al Gore Alan Arkin Alanis Morissette Alex Grey & Allyson Grey Allen Ginsberg Amory Lovins Amy Goodman
Andrew Weil, M.D. Ani DiFranco Anita Hill Anna Deavere Smith Anna Quindlen Anne Lamott Arianna Huffington
Arlo Guthrie Beryl Bender Birch Betty Williams Bill McKibben Bobby McFerrin Brené Brown, Ph.D. Brian Weiss, M.D.
“It was at Omega that I launched my speaking and workshop career. I will remain ever grateful to them. Omega offers the most extensive and comprehensive tools for personal and collective transformation. There is no other place comparable to it if you want to evolve.”
— Deepak Chopra, MD
David Life & Sharon Gannon
Diana Nyad Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
Elizabeth Gilbert Erin Brockovich
Geneen Roth Gloria Steinem
Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D.
Isabel Allende Iyanla Vanzant
Jane Goodall Jason F. McLennan
Jeremy Rifkin Jerry Lewis Jill Bolte
John Perkins John Todd
Laurie David Lester Brown
Marianne Williamson Mario Cuomo
Martha Beck, Ph.D. Maude Barlow
Maya Angelou Mia Farrow Michael Beckwith Natalie Merchant Nora Ephron Panache Desai Pat Mitchell Paul Hawken
Pema Chödrön Pete Seeger Phil Jackson Philip Glass Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela Ram Dass Rhonda V. Magee, J.D. Rigoberta
Menchú Tum Robert Bly Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Rodney Yee Rosanne Cash Sally Field Sapphire Sarah Jones Seane Corn
Sharon Salzberg Shiva Rea Sister Joan Chittister Spalding Gray Tara Brach Tara Goleman, M.A. & Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.
Thich Nhat Hanh Tim Ryan Van Jones Vandana Shiva Wangari Maathai Wayne Dyer Winona LaDuke
I have become a better leader.
Because ofOmega...
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OUR IMPACT
As an idea lab for thought leaders, creative talent, and social visionaries, Omega has been a pioneer for driving social, cultural, and environmental change, including:
Advancing holistic medicine & wellness
Adoption of yoga , mindfulness & meditation in mainstream culture
Creating dialogue between science & spirituality
Catalyzing women’s empowerment
Environmental innovation & regenerative design
Seeding whole systems thinking & business practices
Acceleration of the natural foods movement
Developing integrative strategies for mental health
Promoting aging with vitality & conscious end of life
Cross-pollination of world music , art , literature & creativity
Helping people nurture relationships & family in changing times
WHAT GUIDES US
OUR VALUES
Omega envisions a world where all people can awaken their full potential while caring for each other and the earth.
VISION MISSION
Through innovative educational experiences that awaken the best in the human spirit, Omega provides hope and healing for individuals and society.
HOLISM
Interdependence is at the foundation of Omega’s world view. We believe that the well-being of each of us is deeply connected to the well-being of all living things. We honor our inherent diversity, belonging, and contribution to the greater whole and value the fullness of every human being—mind, body, heart, and spirit.
COMMUNITY
We believe human beings thrive in connection with one another. We celebrate human diversity and strive for the broadest representation of perspectives in all that we do, recognizing that it enriches our lives and our learning community. We adopt a stance of mutuality and invite people to find belonging, to feel safe, to be nourished, and to create community.
SUSTAINABILITY
We hold an optimistic view that each of us can contribute toward a regenerative future. We recognize that the natural environment cannot be protected without creating social cohesion, economic stability, universal human rights, and a culture of peace. We are committed to developing paths forward by demonstrating actionable solutions.
SERVICE
We believe that people the world over want to make a meaningful contribution to the well-being of others. Service is a path toward greater understanding of ourselves, others, and the world we share. It requires presence, self-awareness, compassion, and empathy. Service is a cornerstone of selfactualization and of our organizational culture.
INTEGRITY
We conduct ourselves with honesty, fairness, candor, and respect in our personal, organizational, and business relationships. We learn from our mistakes, speak truthfully, and stick to our principles even when it’s difficult. We treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated, and focus on the collective good.
HOW WE WANT TO ENGAGE
The last 40 years have given us a deep understanding of how people grow, learn, heal, and connect. We learned this from decades of engaging with the gifted thought leaders, teachers, staff, and participants who have walked through our doors. To put into practice what we’ve learned along the way, we created Our Organizational Aspirations as an integral part of the Strategic Plan. We know from experience that we won’t get it right all the time, but this is how we aspire to engage as the Omega community.
OUR ORGANIZATIONAL ASPIRATIONS
WE THINK BEYOND “THE WAY IT IS” TOWARD “THE WAY IT CAN BE.” We’ve never been afraid to go against the grain. Our organizational courage is what keeps us reflective, adaptive, and innovative. We are unapologetic disrupters when the times call for change.
WE ARE RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED. We understand that relationships are central to everything we do. As a learning community, we focus on understanding each other and supporting each other’s individual and collective well-being, creativity, contribution, and development.
WE NURTURE A SENSE OF BELONGING, MUTUALITY, AND WHOLENESS. We strive to be an open and supportive environment where all of us—our staff, guests, and teachers—can meet new people, expanding the boundaries of our communities, and connect across differences, in mutuality and nonjudgment. This is a continuous, evolving journey.
WE WORK TO ADVANCE EQUALITY AND JUSTICE. We recognize that systems of inequality and injustice are embedded in society, and strive to contribute to efforts for change. We also recognize the ways in which we, as individuals, can work to heal and undo harmful patterns in ourselves.
OUR LEARNING APPROACH IS ROOTED IN PLACE, NATURE, AND COMMUNITY. We believe in the power of place: where we live and learn can be meaningful sources for inspiring ideas, fostering human connection, and serving as a springboard for understanding our global community.
WE EMBRACE CURIOSITY AND OPENNESS. We believe in living with deep inquiry—striving to understand what can be known even as we relax into life’s mystery. We practice “beginner’s mind”—a curiosity about life, death, and consciousness. We believe this creates more space for learning, growth, and joy.
WE COMMUNICATE MINDFULLY. We strive for clear, compassionate, and courageous communication. We reach across differences to find solutions that are equitable and constructive. We seek a larger perspective and strive to understand the underlying meaning of the challenges and complexities of life.
WE STOP, REFLECT, AND REPLENISH. We understand that in today’s fast-paced world it’s essential to make time to take a rest, to be able to reflect, integrate experience, relieve stress, and regenerate one’s energy, creativity, and enthusiasm for the work ahead.
WE HOLD UP THE BASIC HUMAN DESIRE FOR JOY, HOPE, AND LOVE. We recognize that everybody shares the yearning for being joyful, having hope, and living with loving relationships. As an organization committed to “awakening the best in the human spirit,” we focus on bringing forth these qualities in all that we do.
PLAN
BUILD ORGANIZATIONAL STRENGTH
ENRICH LEARNING & SCALE IMPACT
OUR GOALS & STRATEGIES
Dramatically increase access to a vibrant curriculum that integrates campus-based education with online learning
Model a holistic, resilient organization and community committed to building a more compassionate, just, sustainable, healthy, and peaceful world
Innovate and scale up delivery of our curriculum and relevant content across multiple platforms to a growing global audience
Develop the Omega campus as a learning lab that models sustainable and regenerative design principles
Leverage Omega’s assets and voice to advance the growing social, cultural, and economic, movements for change
Enrich learning experiences by making major improvements to the Omega campus, including development and renovation of key facilities and grounds
Work at organizational, regional, and global levels to advance a “living systems” economic framework that responds to our natural environment, social relationships, and interdependent human need
Leverage collective impact and increase access to Omega programs through strategic partnerships with social change leaders, organizations, coalitions, entrepreneurs, and funders
Advance our public leadership and advocacy on issues related to Omega’s core curriculum, Centers, and Initiatives
TEACH Create Inspired Learning Experiences
Economic Sustainability
Body, Mind & Spirit
CatalyzeWell
GOAL 1
DRAMATICALLY INCREASE ACCESS TO A VIBRANT CURRICULUM THAT INTEGRATES CAMPUS-BASED EDUCATION WITH ONLINE LEARNING
STRATEGY 1
Innovate and scale up delivery of our curriculum and relevant content across multiple platforms to a growing global audience
STRATEGY 2
Enrich learning experiences by making major improvements to the Omega campus, including development and renovation of key facilities and grounds
Key Tactics:
• Enhance the relevancy and reach of our curriculum by cultivating strategic partnerships with faculty, thought leaders, organizations, activists, and social entrepreneurs
• Develop a new Omega Digital Campus to provide unique distant and blended learning opportunities and digital content
• Create a dynamic online learning curriculum and digital content that informs, inspires, and galvanizes a global learning community
• Create a robust, supportive, and cocreative membership community that can be engaged in Omega’s mission in person and online
Key Tactics:
• Construct and renovate classroom buildings to create improved, expanded, and updated learning environments, including a new Arts Building and an improved Wellness Center
• Renovate and equip the Omega Teaching Kitchen to enable ongoing training in culinary skills and nutrition related to a healthy farm-to-table menu
• Renovate and update participant and faculty housing to enhance the overall learning and teaching experience
• Enhance education opportunities offered by the natural environment of the Omega campus, including new plantings, a new trail system, and educational signage focused on natural habitat, wildlife, and water
MODEL Demonstrate What We Teach
GOAL 2
MODEL A HOLISTIC, RESILIENT ORGANIZATION AND COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO BUILDING A MORE COMPASSIONATE, JUST, SUSTAINABLE, HEALTHY, AND PEACEFUL WORLD
STRATEGY 3
Develop the Omega campus as a learning lab that models sustainable and regenerative design principles
Key Tactics:
• Align Omega’s operations with net-positive action plans
• Develop an organizational culture that reflects regenerative principles and aligns with Omega’s aspirations
• Further integrate the water management practices demonstrated by the OCSL and lake stewardship into campus operations, and thereby enhance education opportunities about our critical relationship to water
• Renovate campus facilities and create new community spaces to demonstrate an integrated relationship with the natural environment and the benefits of regenerative design principles
STRATEGY 4
Work at organizational, regional, and global levels to advance a “living systems” economic framework that responds to our natural environment, social relationships, and interdependent human needs
Key Tactics:
• Leverage Omega’s economic resources to support the local economy through our purchasing policies
• Apply whole systems planning and measurement to Omega’s financial and operational models
• Participate in regional economic development efforts to advocate for adoption of “living systems” approach to regional planning
• Through partnerships and alliances with other advocates, advance efforts to adopt a “living systems” global economic framework
ACT Engage Emerging Solutions
Our Centers and Initiatives bring a unique perspective to solving some of the most pressing issues faced by society today.
Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL)
An environmental education center and natural water reclamation facility that teaches and demonstrates what is possible through regenerative design.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness programs help individuals and institutions apply mindfulness practice across a range of fields—from neuroscience to education, from corporations to prisons, to workplaces and beyond.
Omega Women’s Leadership Center (OWLC)
A women’s leadership hub committed to redefining power and supporting a growing community of leaders.
Veterans, Trauma & Resilience
Retreats for veterans and training programs for professionals focused on effective complementary practices that address posttraumatic stress and promote resilience.
Nonprofit Retreats
Annual working retreats that connect a community of change leaders and support nonprofits engaged in creating a more compassionate and sustainable world.
Yoga Service
Sharing a deep sense of purpose and community, these programs aim to bring yoga to an ever-widening group of practitioners who enrich and are enriched by the experience.
NONPROFIT GRANTS
350 Organizations 5,000 People 10+ Years
GOAL 3
LEVERAGE OMEGA’S ASSETS AND VOICE TO ADVANCE THE GROWING SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND ECONOMIC MOVEMENTS FOR CHANGE
STRATEGY 5
Leverage collective impact and increase access to Omega programs through strategic partnerships with social change leaders, organizations, coalitions, entrepreneurs, and funders
Key Tactics:
• Publicly amplify key issues by leveraging the content of Center and Initiative partners
• Educate Omega constituents on key issues related to the Centers and Initiative programs through our cross-platform channels
• Use the Centers and Initiative programs as central drivers for programmatic fund development
• Focus communications and programming teams on issues relevant to our Centers and Initiatives to maximize strategic impact
STRATEGY 6
Advance our public leadership and advocacy on issues related to Omega’s core curriculum, Centers, and initiatives
Key Tactics:
• Substantially increase funding of the Omega Scholarship Program and underwriting of key programs to increase access to Omega programs and enrich our learning community
• Increase Omega’s public relations effort to educate the public on core issues
• Create campus design and technology solutions to support increased engagement with strategic partners
• Further develop the Community Engagement program to scale up our collective impact by supporting efforts of aligned change-makers and non-profit organizations
