Leadership Advisory Boards: Advocates

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Leadership Advisory BoardsAdvocates
NORTH REGION INVEST TRAINING November 14, 2006
http//texasvolunteer.tamu.edu/
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Comparison

• Old Executive Board
• Membership comprised of people on other PACs and
  Issue Teams

• LAB
• Membership is a stand alone group.

Why? We want people that want to serve the role
outlined by the board. In the past, we have had
too many do this assignment only because they
were on a PAC.
Your ChallengeEnsure the LAB knows the programs
happening in your county.
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Comparison

• Old Executive Board
• Delegate responsibilities

• LAB
• Not in charge of other committees. So, no need
  to delegate.

Why? We want the LAB to be thinking about long
term planning and visioning in addition to
advocacy roles. So, it is not their role to
decide what other committees are doing.
Your ChallengeEnsure that the PACs and YB you
coordinate and supervise receives all needed
information when they are helping you design your
program.
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Comparison

• Old Executive Board
• Sponsor an educational activity

• LAB
• No sponsor of activity.

Why? We want them thinking about their roles and
responsibilities. Adding an activity simply adds
something to their to do list that is not
needed.
Your ChallengeEnsure that PACs and YB are
providing support to educational programs. That
is their main function.
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Leadership Advisory Board

• Carver (1997) points out that advisory boards
  function to counsel an organization. They help to
  provide direction to ensure that we maintain our
  relevancy and continue to meet the mission of
  Texas Extension.
• The primary grass roots programming effort is
  the connection the agency has with Leadership
  Advisory Boards. These LABs are critically
  important to our ability to provide locally
  relevant educational programs.
• The Leadership Advisory Board is responsible for
  the big picture of the county program.
  Specific roles will be displayed later in this
  document.

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Responsibilities of LAB

• Review the county Extension programs mission and
  purpose.
• Develop resources to ensure quality programs can
  be implemented.
• Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain
  accountability.
• Determine, monitor, and strengthen the existing
  program.
• Enhance the county Extension programs public
  standing.
• Serve as the Community Development Program Area
  Committee (Optional)

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Board Member Responsibilities

• Attends all board meetings and functions
• Be informed of the organizations mission,
  services, policies, and programs.
• Reviews agenda before meeting and be ready to
  provide discussion at the meeting.
• Serves on sub-committees and assists with special
  assignments as needed.

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Board Member Responsibilities

• Inform others about Texas Extension.
• Works with the County Extension Agents to recruit
  new LAB members.
• Keep up-to-date on developments concerning the
  county Extension program.
• Assist the board in carryout out responsibilities
  such as long term visioning, reviewing financial
  statements, and advocacy of the county Extension
  Program.

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Member Selection Criteria

• Members shall be carefully selected by the
  County Extension faculty and should represent the
  following
• Each major geographic area of the county
• Organizations affected or affecting Extension
  programs (including partners)
• Each major social and economic group in the
  county
• Anyone with a major interest in Extension Service
  including youth

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Characteristics of LAB Members

• Studies have shown that opinion leaders in
  communities are
• Successful in business, job and home life
• Residents in the community
• Influential in more than one interest area
• Able to see the community from a broad
  perspective
• Representative of the various audiences the board
  serves

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Tools for the LAB

• Laying the Foundation
• Resource Development
• Advocates
• Position the LAB for Success
• Timing is Everything

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Laying the Foundation
Orienting the LAB
Mission
To provide quality, relevant outreach and
continuing educational programs and services to
the people of Texas.
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The Structure of the Land Grant University
Morrill Act -1862
Hatch Act - 1887
TEACHING
RESEARCH
EXTENSION
Smith Lever Act - 1914
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LINKAGE DEFINED

• Learning needs
• Representing audience characteristics
• Communicating Extension programs
• Identifying leaders among target audiences.

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Who Are the Stakeholders?

• Program Participants
• Elected officials
• Business leaders
• Funding sources
• Community leaders

A
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Resource Development

• The hardest thing to do is to get programs off
  the ground.
• Develop new initiatives through a proposal
• Allow the LAB to help
• develop it or find resources.
• Let them be the incubator.

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LAB Proficiency

• Program Development
• Firm foundation
• Most of work done by PACs / YB

• Advocacy

B
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Program Development

• OUTCOME SUMMARIES!!!!
• Relevance
• Response
• Results

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LAB Members should be able to ADVOCATE!!!
Advocacy

• Believe in the value of Extension
• Well informed of Programs
• Outcomes
• Articulate outcomes to stakeholders
• Understand the Three Rs of Accountability
• Connect benefit to taxpayers
• Understand relationship of county, state, and
  federal partners

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The Message

• Education - Extension is an educational
  institution
• Access - Extension is the door to the university
• Relevance - Extension still helps people improve
  their lives
• Linkages - Federal/ state/ county partnerships

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Other Items on Advocacy

• Advocacy is a continuous process, not just an
  event we conduct prior to the budget process.
• Advocacy is systematically communicating
  outcomes.
• Advocacy is integrally linked to evaluation.
• Interpretation provides a venue that enables our
  funding partners to critically assess our
  programming efforts. This assessment can be used
  in order to refocus and redirect programming
  efforts to insure our programs remain relevant.

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Build on Strengths of Members
Position the LAB for Success

• Put members in positions to be successful
• Build on their strengths
• Try a personality analysis

C
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Meeting Requirements
(Timing is Everything)

• The Leadership Advisory Board should meet a
  minimum of twice yearly (face-to-face) and is
  encouraged to meet more often.
• The LAB also has the flexibility to meet via
  teleconferences and/or virtual meetings.
• The potential times for the LAB to meet would be
  late fall and late spring.

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Fall Meeting

• Interpretation of the county program for that
  program year to LAB by discussing results from
  Outcome Program Groups / Task Forces /
  Coalitions.
• Develop strategies to demonstrate the impact of
  the county program.
• Review program plans that have been developed for
  the next year.
• Determine resource development strategies the LAB
  can provide leadership to in order to support
  major programming efforts (Incubate Programs).

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Spring Meeting

• Discuss long term county educational plans to
  ensure the development of programs are
  maintaining relevancy in the county.
• Review of county Extension budgets from the
  previous year and potential spending for current
  year.
• Recruitment plans of new members.
• Implementation update on program strategies
• Discussion on how to diversify/expand the
  program.

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The Opportunity

• Work with new county leaders that may have not
  been connected to Extension in the past.
• Learn from these successful leaders.
• Develop and hone LAB members leadership skills.
• Market the program to new audiences.
• Grow the program to a level never reached before.