We are deeply grateful for the 346 thoughtful responses to our recent Member Programs Survey. Your honesty, reflections, and preferences are highly valued by all of us on staff. They help us discern more clearly where our community finds itself in this moment, so that we may craft offerings that meet as many of you as possible where you are. And we of course look forward to additional feedback from any of you who want to share it! Please email it to us at [email protected].
Webinar Topics of Greatest Interest - Top 10
- Spiritual direction in times of uncertainty and change — 163 (~47.1%)
- Aging, grief, loss, and transitions — 156 (~45.1%)
- Contemplative practice and prayer — 146 (~42.2%)
- Mysticism and wisdom traditions — 146 (~42.2%)
- Trauma-informed spiritual companionship — 142 (~41.0%)
- The neuroscience of contemplation and spirituality — 121 (~35.0%)
- Applications of the Enneagram in Spiritual Companionship — 101 (~29.2%)
- Dreamwork — 87 (~25.1%)
- Interfaith and interspiritual dialogue — 85 (~24.6%)
- Ignatian Spiritual Companionship — 82 (~23.7%)
Additional notable topics: Ecology/climate/nature spirituality (~48), Making a Living as a Spiritual Companion (~45), Artificial Intelligence/technology (~44), Supervision (~40), Justice/compassion/social justice (~30).
Likelihood to Attend Selected Topics
- Probably would attend — 207 (59.8%)
- Might attend — 97 (28%)
- Definitely would attend — 89 (~26%)
Cost as a Factor
- “Cost is sometimes a factor, but I will attend for the right webinar” (~23%)
- “I can typically afford the cost of attending a webinar” or “Cost is not an issue for me”(~48%)
- “Cost is a big factor, and I often cannot always afford SDI offerings” (~29%)
Note: SDI offers scholarships, partial and full, for most of its offerings. And our pricing in 2026 has been lowered to increase accessibility.
Preferred Webinar Formats
- 60-minute presentation including Q&A — 249 (72.0%)
- Multi-session course (2–4 sessions) — 162 (46.8%)
- 90-minute workshop with breakout groups — 140 (40.5%)
- Guided contemplative practice — 123 (35.5%)
- Case-study or practical skills workshop — 122 (35.3%)
- Interview/conversation — 107 (30.9%)
- Panel discussion — 98 (28.3%)
Kinds of Presenters Most Interesting
- Spiritual directors or companions — 236 (68.2%)
- Contemplative teachers — 172 (49.7%)
- Scholars and theologians — 124 (35.8%)
- Panel discussions with diverse voices — 109 (31.5%)
- Scientists exploring spirituality — 86 (24.9%)
- People sharing lived experience — 78 (22.5%)
- Religious leaders and practitioners — 55 (15.9%)
- Authors — 42 (12.1%)
Journeys & Pilgrimages
Future Interest:
- Assisi, Italy — 108 (31.2%)
- Ghost Ranch, New Mexico — 101 (29.2%)
- Hawaii — 50 (14.5%)
Past/Considering:
- Iona, Scotland — 41 (11.8%)
- Spain (Ignatian Camino) — 35 (10.1%)
- English Mystics — 34 (9.8%)
- Ghost Ranch — 20 (5.8%)
- Forest Bathing at Kanuga — 19 (5.5%)
Note: 30-35 participants is our usual maximum.
Other Key Feedback Themes
- Gratitude for the quality, variety, and interfaith breadth of SDI programming.
- Desire for more practical, experiential content (skills, case studies, continued development).
- Requests for improved website navigation and better communication about local/affinity groups.
