Volunteer Administration in the 21st Century: Interpreting Extension Programs through Leadership Adv

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Volunteer Administration in the 21st Century
Interpreting Extension Programs through
Leadership Advisory Boards
Improving Lives. Improving Texas.
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Objectives

• Importance of Leadership Advisory
  Boards and their role within Extension
• Making certain LAB members understand Texas
  AgriLife Extension and its programs
• Importance of interpreting results
• Importance of effective communication
• Identifying stakeholder interests through the LAB

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Importance of Leadership Advisory Board

• Formed in 2006
• Serve as a support system in developing and
  promoting Extension programs
• Help identify key issues relevant to the
  community
• Are looked upon to be effective spokespeople and
  advocates within the community

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How do LABs support county programs?

• Review county programs mission and purpose and
  the local programs goals, objectives, and
  primary audiences
• Develop resources to ensure high-quality programs
  can be implemented
• Ensure and maintain legal and ethical integrity
  and accountability
• Monitor and strengthen educational programs
• Enhance the countys public standing
• Serve as the Community and Economic Development
  Program Area Committee(optional)

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Why do we interpret programs?

• Build coalitions, credibility, or public support
  for an issue
• Change the perception
• of an organization
• Influence legislation
• Promote an event or a name change
• Increase membership or the
  client base
• Publicize research findings
• Support a fundraising campaign
• Enhance visibility and appreciation for Extension

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Texas AgriLife Extensions Structure

• Extension is a cooperative program between
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• County commissioners courts in 254 counties
• Texas AM University

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Texas AgriLife Extension Services Mission

• Texas Extensions mission is to provide relevant,
  high-quality education to improve the lives of
  people, businesses, and communities across Texas
  and beyond.
• Extension programs divided into four program
  areas
• Agriculture and natural resources
• Family and consumer sciences
• 4-H and youth development
• Community and resource development

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Importance of Interpreting Results

• According to Radhakrishma and Martin (1999),
  Interpretation is important because program
  performance is under increasing scrutiny and
  funders, policy makers, and decision makers want
  data relating to program results, impacts, and
  social and economic consequences.
• Interpreting results helps CEAs remain
  accountable at the federal, state and local levels

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Importance of Interpreting Results

• LAB members must serve as chief advocates for
  county programs
• Must be able to articulate the relevance of
  Extension programs in their county.
• According to Bellavita (1986), evaluators can
  take four steps to help organizations or programs
  become more efficient
• Identify performance objectives
• Assess the performance in terms of those
  objectives
• Identify ways to improve those objectives
• Communicate the value of the organization or
  program

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Importance of Interpreting Results.

• Results do not speak for themselves
• LAB members and CEAs must interpret them to their
  stakeholders
• COMMUNICATION IS CRUCIAL!!!!
• Stakeholders must be fully aware of how data was
  collected and results were found.
• Agents and LAB members must also know some
  history about their stakeholders before
  interpreting results.

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Communicating with Stakeholders

• According to Wholey, Abramson, and
  Bellavita(1986), there are five elements to
  communicating effectively with stakeholders
• Knowledge about the audience
• Knowledge about communication
• Intelligibility of the information
• Timeliness of the presentation
• Communication management

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Knowledge about the Audience
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Knowledge about Communication
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Intelligibility of Information
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Timeliness of the Presentation
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Communication Management
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Identifying Stakeholder Interests through the LAB

• LABs can use their different networks to identify
  stakeholders for Extension programs.
• Once stakeholders are identified
  LABs must do their homework.
• Information about stakeholders will
  serve as excellent tools when targeting and
  interpreting programs.
• LABs must do their homework to be successful!!

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Agents role in helping LABs with Interpretation

• Selection of LAB members is the first step in
  successfully interpreting programs
• The selection of members is crucial when
  identifying issues and interpreting results
• LAB members should be influential and prominent
• Typically respected business people or other
  opinion leaders
• Agents must select boards that represents the
  population as a whole
• LAB members must be fully oriented in Extensions
  structure, funding, and programs

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Selection of Boards

• According to Boleman and Burkham(2002), when
  establishing a board agents should consider each
  of the following
• Each major geographic area of the county
• Organizations that affect or are affected by
  Extension programs(including potential
  educational collaborators)
• Each major social and economic group in the
  county
• People with a major interest in Extension,
  including youth
• Leaders in agriculture, business, industry,
  education, civic life, and family and religious
  organizations

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Emphasis on funding streams

• The LAB must know how Extension is funded
• County
• State
• Federal
• Other(grants, contracts, etc)
• Being able to identify funding sources will allow
  LAB members to locate potential funding for the
  future.

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Emphasis of Extension Structure

• LAB must understand how Extension is arranged and
  what the primary mission is.
• Mission- To provide relevant, high-quality
  education to improve the lives of people,
  businesses, and communities across Texas and
  beyond.
• Extension workforce includes
• 1,900 employees
• 100,000 volunteers

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Emphasis on identifying stakeholders

• Agents should assist LAB members in identifying
  key stakeholders to help support Extension
  programs
• Locating stakeholders is crucial in maintaining
  support for Extension programs
• Utilizing LAB member networks, CEAs can locate
  many opinion leaders and create great working
  relationships
• The more networks that can be formed between LAB
  members and stakeholders the more successful
  Extension programs will be

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Emphasis on outcomes and interpretation

• Agents should assist LAB members in telling the
  story of their programs.
• Agents should present all LAB members with an
  interpretation of all educational programs that
  take place throughout the year.
• Assists LAB members in advocating for programs
• Interpretation pieces should focus on the
  following three areas
• Relevance
• Response
• Results

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Relevance

• Highlights why the program is important and why
  it was implemented
• Typically, discusses any costs associated with
  the issue being addressed
• Monetary costs
• People affected
• Environmental effects
• Role education can play in this issue
• Where the issue was identified
• Target audience program was geared toward

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Response

• Outline what the county Extension agent did to
  address the issue
• Includes involvement of committees, volunteers,
  and collaborators
• Addresses the subject matter being taught and the
  activities used to address the issue.
• This may include
• Field days
• Lectures
• Newsletters
• Radio shows
• Result demonstrations

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Results

• Discuss the evaluation strategy used to measure
  program impact
• Provide ranked changes in participant knowledge,
  behavior, and economics
• Include testimonials, images, and graphs to help
  explain program impact.
• Important to include economic impacts when
  possible

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Preparing LAB members

• Important for agents to note that interpretation
  will be easier for some more than others
• Agents must build members confidence
• before going out and interpreting results
• This can be accomplished by making certain
  they have all the needed
  info and resources
• Reassure them the time and effort they have
  put forth is worth it and will
  pay off.
• Set aside time to help member build their
  presentations and give
• them feedback as they prepare.
• Taking this grassroots approach when interpreting
  results can pay huge dividends with stakeholders

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Follow up with stakeholders

• After interpreting results to stakeholders LAB
  members and agents should send a special thank
  you for taking the time to meet with them
• This can be done by doing any of the following
• Thank you note
• Phone call
• Email
• Thank them for any feedback they may have given
  and let them know you look forward to their next
  meeting.

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Who else can help?

• Texas AgriLife Extension has over 100,000
  volunteers who plan, implement, and evaluate
  educational programs each year.
• They are Extensions best spokespeople
• Many are involved in program area committees,
  coalitions, youth boards, associations, or master
  volunteer groups, and are highly regarded in the
  community
• However, it is important to note that volunteers
  do not have to be board or association members to
  support Extension and its interpretation efforts

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Who else can help?

• According to Dodson (1993) volunteers can
  contribute in the following ways without
  attending a board meeting
• Be a volunteer- Just being a volunteer helps
  establish a stronger grassroots approach to
  gaining stakeholder support
• Help raise funds- Volunteers are excellent
  resources for fundraising. Their community
  networks are an excellent way to access funds for
  Extension programs.
• Be a good spokesperson for the agency- Advocating
  Extension programs in the community does not take
  a lot of time and effort. These volunteers are
  the most cost-effective spokespersons.

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Conclusion

• To succeed in program development, especially
  interpreting programs agents must ensure that LAB
  members know
• The mission and programs of the Texas AgriLife
  Extension Service
• The reasons that interpreting Extension programs
  is important
• The importance of identifying stakeholder
  interests
• The agents role in helping Leadership Advisory
  Boards
• The importance of having volunteers even if they
  are not on boards
• Given the proper tools LAB members can be very
  effective spokespersons for Extension programs