1. 4-H VOLUNTEER
MANAGEMENT
Isanti County 4-H program Coordinator Position
Presented by Becky Kunz

2. Objectives
Volunteers are key partners for
delivering 4-H programs
 Trends in Volunteering
 Skills needed to nurture
volunteers: recruit, train,
support, motivate &
recognize new and existing
4-H volunteers
 Ultimately it is all about
Building relationships

3. Trends in Volunteering
The Boom or Silver Tsunami effect: Baby Boomers have
always been an engaged and civic minded generation and in
20 years the Baby Boomers, those 65 yrs & up will increase
from 45 million to 80 million. Boomers are the largest
generation the 21st century. This is great news for
organizations looking for new volunteers.
Mobile Technology will continue re-shape volunteerism:
Training methods, communications, promotions, evaluation
methods and data metrics are creating valuable resources
for volunteer management in ways to engage, recruit and
retain volunteers.

4. Trends con’t.
Millennials are available and want to engage: Young adults
are looking for job skills and a meaningful experience.
Businesses want to make community impacts: More and
more companies are encouraging their employees to
volunteer and participate in team or dept. volunteer days
with pay.

5. Skills Needed to Nurture Volunteers
Ensure a Positive Experience: Plan first, recruit second. Planning and
investment in outreach, assessment, matching skills & interests as well
as training, and recognition.
Know who your volunteers are: What matters to them? What
motivates them to get and stay involved? What do they want to learn?
Asses their experience, interests and skills.
Be a match-maker: Ensure each particular job is filled with the right
person with the right temperament. Because they are often the first
impression of 4-H. Provide ongoing training and development coaching.

6. Skills Needed to Nurture a Volunteer
Recognition: Is not always about doing something but rather
being sensitive and aware of volunteers as individuals.
 Is the current recognition model fulfilling the needs of the volunteers? Ensure
it is not simply an administrative exercise.
 Tell a volunteers story as a recruitment piece in the community.
 Many youth worker volunteers are motivated by “affiliation” of the
organization and would prefer informal, local recognition from participants
directly.
-Hand written or verbal thank you.
-Ask for their input and opinions as consultants, mentors or trainers.
-Invest in them with professional & personal development, conferences, etc.

7. Skills Needed
Good Solid Communication: Define their role with job descriptions.
Conduct frequent evaluations and surveys to get feedback. Be an active
listener and ensure that volunteers are in the loop.
***Relationships: Building trusting and caring relationships takes an
investment of time. Ensure you know what is going on in the lives of
your volunteers. They need support not only with the programs and jobs
they are volunteering for but in their personal lives as well.

8. Con’t.
Capitalize on Volunteer Talent:
 Integrate volunteers into strategic planning for each county committee.
 Create an experience that is meaningful, demonstrates their impact, uses
their professional expertise, helps them to develop skills based on their
abilities and interests. Utilize all 4-H training resources to provide the tools
necessary to serve on county committees.
 In order to support a volunteer you need to understand what motivates them:
achievement, affiliation or power. This can help you define roles that they
can naturally develop into.
 Supporting a volunteer can come in a variety of ways that is specific to each
person or group. This is where building relationships is vital.

9. Skills
Recognizing why volunteers leave:
 Not matching skills with an assignment or job. This requires
ongoing involvement that taps into a volunteers professional skills
rather than a one time event or manual labor.
 Failing to recognize the $ value of volunteers in dollar amounts.
NP leaders need to see the hard data demonstrating the value and
the impact.
 A culture that says “nice, but not necessary”.

10. Specific to County Committees
Gain a better understanding of the county
committees: Review goals and objectives of each committee, its
structure, its success and challenges.
 Attend committee meetings and meet with members to gain a
deeper context of the overall management of the committee.
 Review program metrics or conduct evaluations of the impact of the
programs that committee was overseeing.
Building relationships: Meet with as many current volunteers
and groups. Relationship building takes time to get to know them
personally, asses needs and effectiveness.

11. Thank you for your time!