At the beginning of January, the Grassroots Analytics team headed to The Inn at Perry Cabin for a two day retreat focused on building our strength as a team, defining our goals for the future, and having some fun together at one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most gorgeous resorts.

DAY 1
8:00 AM
We caught our bus from our office in Washington, DC to head to St. Michael’s Maryland - a two hour journey, crossing the Chesapeake Bay! 🦀
10:00 AM
Coffee, pastries, and an ice breaker where teams had to pitch GA in a new creative way. The winner, by a longshot, was team “All Grass, No Brakes” with their rendition of a Grassroots Analytics version of “People Person’s Paper People” from The Office.
10:15 AM
Here at GA, we have a “Stars Teach” 🌟 Award: Congratulations to Ming-Jer! A few more awards were celebrated and we headed into a session including a 2024 rewind and our 2 year company vision.
11:00 AM
We celebrated some PROMOTIONS!
Congratulations Diego, Pryor, Madeline, Adonis, Dylan, and Grayson!
12:00 PM
⏱️ Time for lunch! We had some sandwiches and salad in the Inn’s dining room. And we got to see the gorgeous bay views, covered in a fresh layer of snow.
1:30PM
We spent much of the afternoon in team breakout sessions, digging into our team's work in 2024 and where we want to learn, grow, and thrive in 2025.
Our digital team broke down goals, workflows, and what's ahead for 2025 and 2026.
Our revenue team dove into numbers: what we accomplished in 2024 and a bird's eye view of our collective work. Then, setting goals for what we want to do this year.
And we shared some memorable moments from this year!
Our operations team had a cozy spot to go over their ideas for 2025, as well as some changing roles and responsibilities.

Finally, our tech team welcomed their new Chief Product Officer, Danielle Costa Nakano, and dove deep into the path ahead for innovating new products and services in the next cycle.

4:00pm
Folks chose to rest, relax, check out their rooms, explore the hotel, and have a cocktail after their productive breakout sessions. 🍸
What a beautiful place we got to enjoy!
5:30PM
Happy Hour! We had a cocktail making class, learning how to make old fashions. Cheers 🥂
6:30PM
Dinner time 🍽️ the Inn at Perry Cabin served us a three course dinner accompanied by wine and a roaring fire in the dining room fireplace.
9:00 PM
Locked in with the nautical theme, and competed on team building challenges.

💚💚💚💚💚
First up: rope races! Teams had to tie themselves a belt and lean back without falling.
Next up: boat races! Teams had to build a boat and then race it in our table-top sailing lanes.
Some were sinkers, some were swimmers …
And then there was one clear winner. Folks, buoyancy is important. If ever in a craft boat making contest, may we recommend putting the wooden dowel UNDER the raft as little floaters.⛵️

What a great night!🕺🪩
DAY 2
9:00 AM
Some breakfast, some sunlight, some space heaters and reports back about each breakout session from the day before.
Then, one last contest: teaching a tech tool to those who don’t use it regularly!
Everyone aced the pop quiz! We work with some exceptional teachers here at GA. 📝

11:00 AM
Closing remarks from our CEO, Danny, and the winning team was announced!

12:00pm
Lunch, then afternoon activities! Folks chose between glass etching, the Eastern Shore Brewery, or a walking tour of St Michaels. Then we headed back to DC!

Our retreat let us take a step back from our day to day priorities and refocus on our mission: GA builds fundraising tech that empowers candidates and nonprofits to win important fights. We’re excited about our path forward into 2025, 2026, and beyond, and we strive to meet the challenges ahead with hard work, great teamsmanship, and a lot of joy.
At GA, we’re driven by data and powered by people. 💚
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