Planning Effective Extension Leadership Councils
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The document discusses best practices for developing and engaging effective Extension Leadership Councils (ELCs). It outlines the role of ELCs to provide input, build relationships, advocate for Extension, and support programs. Surveys found most ELCs lack clarity on their purpose and function. The GEMS model is presented to generate, educate, mobilize, and sustain ELC membership. Key aspects include needs assessments, orientation, purpose-driven agendas, evaluation, and recognition. When ELCs are not effective, clarifying roles and expectations can help. Regular communication and engagement of stakeholders is important for ELC success.
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Planning Effective Extension Leadership Councils
- 1. Planning for Extension Leadership Councils Eric Kaufman Extension Specialist Virginia Cooperative Extension
- 2. Objectives for this Session • Describe the role of Extension Leadership Councils (ELCs) • Identify practices for developing ELC membership • Outline a plan for engaging an ELC • Share resources for implementation & evaluation
- 3. Who is Eric Kaufman? • Associate Professor & Extension Specialist @ VT • Support Virginia Cooperative Extension Leadership Council • Coordinator of Strengthening Extension Advisory Leaders (SEAL) program
- 4. A Place to Begin…
- 5. VA Secretary of Education Report (2011) Observation of Extension Leadership Council: “While the group appears to be representative of many interests within VCE, this group could be better utilized to communicate with local volunteers and lead advocacy efforts in addition to helping to surface issues from the field or local constituencies.” Among the primary recommendations: “Strengthen the role of the local ELC and their work on the local level with various constituencies and stakeholders.”
- 6. What is the most important task of an Extension Leadership Council? Provide Input Provide Output (i.e. Advocacy)
- 7. What is the most important task of an Extension Leadership Council? Provide Input Provide Output (i.e. Advocacy)
- 8. Extension Leadership Councils • Mission: To advance and promote Virginia Cooperative Extension’s programs and presence in the local community • Areas of Work – Relationship Building – Extension Advocacy – Program Support & Advisement
- 9. Relationship Building Role • Expand the communication network of the agent • Ensure all sub-groups of community are served by Extension
- 10. Extension Advocacy Role • Share Extension’s story with minimal conflicts of interest • Extend the presence of reliable sources of information
- 11. Program Support & Advisement • Maintain stakeholders at the center of programming • Guide investment and allocation of resources
- 13. State of ELCs in VCE (2011) According to Unit Coordinators & ELC Chairs: • There is a predominant lack of clarity regarding purpose, role, expectations, & tasks of unit ELCs – 55% are “functioning fairly well” – 31% are “staff-dependent” – 9% “exist on paper only” – 5% are “non-existent”
- 14. State of ELCs in VCE (2011) • # of unit ELC meetings per year: – Range: 0-14 – Average: 3.8 • # of members of a unit ELC: – Range: 5-33 – Average: 13.7 • # of members attending each meeting: – Range: 3-22 – Average: 8.4
- 15. Ratings of Effectiveness with ELC Functions (2011) 90 80 70 60 Extension Advocacy Relationship Buidling Program Advisement 50 % 40 30 20 10 0 Inneffective or Very Inneffective Neither Nor Effective or Very Effective
- 16. HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THE ELC IS THERE WHEN WE NEED IT?
- 17. GEMS Volunteer Development • Generate • Educate • Mobilize • Sustain
- 18. GEMS Model: Generate Phases • Needs Assessment • Position Description • Identify • Recruit • Select
- 19. Who Are Your Stakeholders?
- 20. Reasons for Volunteering (Spearman, 2011) 1. Desire to serve others and improve the community 2. Give back to society through Extension volunteerism 3. Positive attitudes and interests about Extension 4. Desire for value and meaningful service 5. Prior positive experience with Extension
- 21. Candidate Worksheet What interests does the candidate represent? How will the candidate contribute? Is the candidate a good fit?
- 22. GEMS Model: Educate Phases • Orient • Protect • Resource • Teach
- 23. How do your prepare members?
- 24. Orientation Checklist • Overview of VCE • Introduce Local Programs • Define ELC • Describe Local ELC • Obtain Commitment • Continue Education
- 25. Sample Position Description Identify a clear purpose. Offer options for involvement. Obtain a commitment.
- 26. GEMS Model: Mobilize Phases • Engage • Motivate • Supervise
- 27. Do your meetings look like this?
- 29. Purpose-Driven Agenda Lead with questions: • How has our community changed in the past year or two? • Which Extension programs relate most to current community needs? • How can Extension programs be improved or restructured to better meet community needs? • Which stakeholders and policy makers need to know more about Extension’s programs and efforts? • How can we better advertise and promote Extension’s programs? • Which programs, staff members, and volunteers deserve extra recognition for recent accomplishments?
- 30. GEMS Model: Sustain Phases • Evaluate • Recognize • Redirect • Retain • Disengage
- 31. When it’s not working…
- 32. Responsibility Report Regular 360-degree evaluation is key.
- 33. Best Ways to Retain Volunteers (Spearman, 2011) 1. Provide meaningful engagement opportunities 2. Provide training opportunities 3. Appreciate and recognize service 4. Respect volunteer time and inputs 5. Provide challenging opportunities for leadership improvement
- 34. Organizing the Plan • Community Needs Assessment (August?) • Program Review & Planning (November?) • Program Promotion (February?) • Recognition (May?)
- 35. Community Needs Assessment • How has our community changed in the past year or two? • Which community needs relate most to Extension’s mission and program areas?
- 36. Program Review & Planning • Which Extension programs relate most to current community needs? • How can Extension programs be improved or restructured to better meet community needs?
- 37. Program Promotion • Which stakeholders and policy makers need to know more about Extension’s programs and efforts? • How can we better advertise and promote Extension’s programs?
- 38. Recognition • Which programs, staff members, and volunteers deserve extra recognition? • How can we better recognize and support these individuals and programs?
- 40. Extension Leadership Councils • Mission: To advance and promote Virginia Cooperative Extension’s programs and presence in the local community • Areas of Work – Relationship Building – Extension Advocacy – Program Support & Advisement
- 42. Questions & Discussion Webinar Evaluation: http://bit.ly/SEAL-eval
- 43. For More Info • Strengthening Extension Advisory Leaders (SEAL) Curricula: http://bit.ly/ExtAdvisory • Eric Kaufman, EKaufman@VT.Edu
Editor's Notes
- https://learn.extension.org/events/1362
- Each of us shares a brief story about our background
- An Extension Leadership Council (ELC) is a key ingredient for success in developing, implementing, and evaluating Extension programs that serve the local community.
- http://www.ext.vt.edu/secretary-of-education-report.htmlIn November 2011, the Virginia Secretary of Education prepared a report on the VCE structure, funding trends, and research; and one of the Secretary’s primary recommendations was to “strengthen the role of the local ELC and their work on the local level with various constituencies and stakeholders” (Fornash, 2011, p. 30).
- Post-It Note BrainstormCategorize: Provide Input or Provide Output (i.e., advocacy)
- Post-It Note BrainstormCategorize: Provide Input or Provide Output (i.e., advocacy)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) enables people to improve their lives through an educational process that uses scientific knowledge focused on issues and needs.1 This mission cannot be fulfilled without connections and relationships within local communities. VCE’s most valuable connections to local communities are representative groups known as Extension Leadership Councils. Although each local ELC may take a unique approach to its form and overall structure, all local ELCs have a common mission: to advance and promote Virginia Cooperative Extension’s programs and presence in the local community. The ELCs’ primary areas of focus include relationship building, Extension advocacy, and program advisement and support. ELC involvement in these activities ensures that Extension’s efforts remain relevant to the community.
- ELCs are a valuable resource for connecting Extension agents and programs with stakeholders and organizations throughout the local community. Even when agents are long-time residents, their personal relationships and connections may not include all demographic groups within the community. While the local ELC is representative of the overall community, each ELC member serves as a key connection with a subgroup of that community. Without this connection, the involvement and support for local Extension programs would be limited to the communication networks already established by local agents, making local ELCs particularly important for agents who are new to a community. The local ELC can play a key role in getting community leaders and key stakeholders “on board” by introducing them to agents.
- The relationships held by ELC members are essential for marketing Extension and advocating for the resources needed to sustain and improve Extension programs. Extension agents are certainly important proponents of Extension programming. However, an agent’s role as an employee presents a potential bias that may be difficult for some potential supporters to overlook. In fact, VCE employees are prohibited from engaging in political activities that create a conflict of interest. For this reason, volunteer members of ELCs are better suited for advocacy.2 While this advocacy can focus on local gifts and grants, the vast majority of Extension resources are from citizens’ tax dollars (local, state, and federal). Accordingly, ELC members often have the greatest impact through their relationships with elected officials.3 ELC members can be reliable sources of information relative to community needs and what Extension is doing to address them.
- The VCE programming process includes: situation analysis, program design and implementation, and program evaluation and reporting. This approach to education relies on the collective efforts of Extension educators, ELCs, and other program volunteers. The VCE Programming Model places stakeholders at the center of the entire process, and ELCs provide the means for ensuring stakeholder involvement.4 The representative nature of ELCs makes them ideal for facilitating community input, soliciting volunteer involvement, and guiding program improvement.
- http://intra.ext.vt.edu/support/process/process.html
- Survey in June 2011 (n=129)Respondents included 81 unit coordinators, 32 local ELC chairs, and 16 “other”
- Based on a 2011 survey of Unit Coordinators & ELC Chairs
- Assign each stage/category to a small group
- When generating membership in the local ELC, we should focus on two key characteristics of a successful ELC: it is representative of the community and committed to the mission of VCE. The ELC should reflect the people and interests of the local community.7 In order to ensure that ELC membership represents the diversity within the local community, it may be helpful to develop a community profile and then identify targets for membership from different community groups. A previously completed situation analysis for the Extension unit may serve as a guide.8 Appendix A: Extension Leadership Council Candidate Worksheet may be helpful in the selection process. The task of generating commitment begins with the invitations to individual board members. Some ELCs find that term limits can help improve commitment because term limits reassure council nominees that they are not volunteering for a lifetime commitment.
- http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/490/490-394/490-394_pdf.pdf
- Volunteer ELC members should participate in an orientation on Extension – its role, mission, and programs.9 All ELC members should receive a position description that describes their role within the ELC, including specific expectations for participation and involvement. An example position description and statement of commitment is provided in Appendix B: Extension Leadership Council Member Sample Position Description and Commitment. Beyond orientation, ELC members commit to continued education and professional development. One way to accomplish this is by regularly setting aside meeting time for informative presentations and professional development.
- See resources @ http://www.intra.ext.vt.edu/support/leadershipcouncil/index.html
- http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/490/490-394/490-394_pdf.pdf
- The best way to mobilize ELC members is to empower them for action. This can be done by developing an action plan for the year, taking into consideration the ELC’s role in the Extension programming process.10 Many local ELCs have found it helpful to select an annual event that the council is fully involved in planning and implementing. Examples include a community education event, legislative breakfast, volunteer recognition banquet, etc. When ELC members take ownership of these events, they often feel more engaged than when their involvement is limited to voting and discussion at meetings.
- http://intra.ext.vt.edu/support/process/process.html
- Sustaining high-quality involvement in the local ELC requires regular evaluation and recognition. Appendix C: The ELC Responsibility Report worksheet may be helpful in the process. When ELC members complete this worksheet annually, it reminds them of the purpose and role of an ELC. Beyond this tool, many ELCs find it helpful to adopt bylaws that outline clear expectations for the council. The bylaws might set term limits on ELC membership, which in turn promotes sustainability through the fresh ideas and energy offered by new ELC members.
- The structure for ELC activities and involvement generally comes from regular meetings. For this reason, purpose-driven meeting agendas are often a key to success. Based on the VCE Programming Cycle Timeline, the best months for holding each meeting may be as follows:Community Needs Assessment - AugustProgram Review and Planning - NovemberProgram Promotion - FebruaryRecognition - May
- http://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=595