Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
10-07
Volunteer
Administration
in the 21st Century:
ISOTURE: A Model for Volunteer Management
Courtney Dodd, Extension Program Specialist, Volunteerism
Chris Boleman, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist
The Texas A&M University System
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Checklist • The definition of Cooperative Extension:
Cooperative Extension is an organizational
• Screen potential volunteers through
entity of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
background and reference checks.
and the Land-Grant University System
• Review the volunteer interest forms created under provisions of the Smith-
and applications. Lever Act (1914) and subsequent related
legislation. Extension was created as an
• Interview the potential volunteers to learn organic part of the Land-Grant University
more about their skills, interests, motivations in each state to interpret, disseminate, and
and attitudes. promote practical use of knowledge to
• Match the volunteers’ interests, talents improve the quality of life for all citizens.
and time available to the needed volunteer • The legislation that defined the Land-Grant
roles. University: Smith-Lever Act of 1914.
The Volunteer Background Check Form and • The mandates of Cooperative Extension
Youth Protection Standards Rules and Guidelines according to the Smith-Lever Act:
can be found at http://texasvolunteer.tamu.edu/
YPS.htm. Extension publication D-1451, Volunteer – Serve agriculture and the public
Administration in the 21st Century: Roles
– Define agriculture broadly
Volunteers Play in Texas Extension, includes
the Volunteer Application Form. The publication – Enhance human development
is available at the Extension Bookstore,
– Meet local needs
http://agrilifebookstore.org/.
• The roles and responsibilities of an Extension
volunteer as specified in the volunteer
Orientation position description.
Orientation is the process of familiarizing
volunteers with Extension and their new duties. Checklist
Orientation begins with the first contact between • Train and orient new volunteers on the
a volunteer and the Extension staff. The county county program and Extension.
Extension agent should focus on teaching about • Provide opportunities for volunteers to meet
the agency and explaining the ways that volunteers the entire Extension staff.
fit into Extension’s big picture.
• Officially appoint the volunteer to his or her
Volunteers should learn each staff member’s new position.
role in the program and their areas of expertise.
Extension support staff and leading volunteers • Give the volunteer a copy of the position
also should be encouraged to be a part of the description and the resources needed to fulfill
orientation plan so they can provide support and the duties.
resources as needed.
Tools
Further illustrating the importance of orientation
• Volunteer Administration in the 21st
is a 2007 study by Landry Lockett. It concluded
Century: Preparing the Leadership Advisory
that the main skill needed by Master Gardener
Board for Success: Advocacy, publication
volunteer administrators was the ability
E-442. Even though this publication is
to articulate Extension’s mission and goals.
intended for leadership advisory boards, it is
Volunteers need a sense of purpose to see how
an excellent resource for orienting volunteers
their work benefits the organization.
to Extension.
After the orientation, the volunteers should
• Volunteer Administration in the 21st
know:
Century: Preparing the Leadership Advisory
• The mission of Texas AgriLife Extension: Board for Success: Visioning, publication
“To provide quality, relevant outreach E-452. Also written for leadership advisory
and continuing educational programs boards, this bulletin can help introduce
and services to the people of Texas.” volunteers to Extension.
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• “History of Cooperative Extension.” This Each volunteer brings experiences, knowledge
slide show and script can help any new and skills to the program. Volunteer managers
Extension volunteer. It is online at http:// need to be aware of each volunteer’s ability and
texasvolunteer.tamu.edu/vol-curriculum.htm. knowledge, as each has a different set of skills and
rate of growth.
Training Checklist
Training is the process of helping volunteers • Give the volunteer(s) appropriate subject-
develop the skills that will improve the quality of matter training.
their work.
• Offer ongoing training opportunities through
Training helps volunteers develop basic skills a variety of methods, formal and non-formal.
and confidence; it also provides support and
opportunities for personal growth. Volunteers • Provide volunteers with the resources needed
want to learn basic, relevant and meaningful skills to fulfill their responsibilities.
that can be useful in their personal lives. Training Tools
also can help volunteers realize their potential and
recognize the knowledge and skills they already Training tools are listed in the table below.
possess.
The type of and need for training depend on the Utilization
volunteer’s role, experience, skill level and current Utilization is providing opportunities for
knowledge. To ensure that the training programs volunteers to put their knowledge and skills into
are effective for all volunteers, county Extension appropriate action.
agents must develop educational plans that
accommodate all learning styles. After the training, volunteer managers should
give the volunteers opportunities to put their new
It is also important to provide subject-matter skills into practice, regardless of the positions held,
training specific to each program area. For and allow them to work in areas where they are
example, 4-H volunteers need training on youth comfortable and can be successful. A successful
development, and Master Gardeners should be volunteer effort provides a personal feeling of
trained on gardening and horticulture. worth.
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The use of volunteers also involves delegation. Recognition
Give the volunteers challenging tasks that are not
Recognition is acknowledging and rewarding
too easy or too hard. Effectively used, volunteers
sound volunteer efforts. Recognition helps
can extend Extension’s services to clientele, serve
motivate volunteers to stay involved in the
as advocates for Extension and concentrate their
program. Recognition is best built on respect and
time and effort to a specified project. However,
appreciation.
overusing volunteers can result in burnout and
resignations. Recognition comes in two forms: formal and
informal. Formal recognition includes being
Because volunteers need guidance and
honored at a dinner or banquet, being mentioned
supervision, county Extension agents should
in news articles and/or being given special pins,
provide feedback, whether through praise or
certificates and thank-you letters.
constructive criticism. (See the Evaluation section
for more detail.) Expectations should be made clear However, volunteers may think of a dinner as
in the volunteer position description. just one more meeting to attend; these volunteers
also appreciate informal recognition such as a
Delegating responsibilities to volunteers
pleasant work environment, timely information
sometimes causes county Extension agents to fear
about new developments, paid attendance at a
a loss of contact with clientele. A county Extension
training or opportunities to mentor new volunteers.
agent may also worry that the volunteers have more
information than the agent does, which can result Recognition is also provided through feedback
in the agent withholding information and limiting on the job a volunteer is doing, challenging work
the volunteers’ effectiveness. assignments and opportunities to take on new
responsibilities.
However, to be successful, volunteers need to
have current information to share with clientele. Building relationships with volunteers is vital
Volunteers can often relate better to clients and to the recognition process. When Extension
foster closer relationships than the Extension professionals build a relationship of trust and
professional can. County Extension agents must respect for the volunteer, the rewards become more
overcome any resistance to using volunteers and valuable. However, over-honoring a favorite or
continue to provide them with opportunities to two can cause the recognition process to become
serve. meaningless.
Checklist Checklist
• Support volunteers in carrying out their • Recognize volunteers through formal and
responsibilities as outlined in the position informal methods.
description.
• Build relationships with the volunteers.
• Provide them with opportunities to use their
skills and talents and follow their interests. • Provide feedback and support to the
volunteers.
• Train them, and give them opportunities to
apply knowledge and skills. • Be careful not to over-recognize.
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For an evaluation process to be effective, the Tools
volunteers and county Extension agents should
• “Introduction to Evaluation of Volunteers,”
approach it with a positive attitude. Although
http://texasvolunteer.tamu.edu/vol-
not all volunteers need to be evaluated, at times
curriculum.htm
evaluation is a necessity.
• Questionnaire Design: Asking Questions
To effectively measure volunteer performance,
with a Purpose, Extension publication
county Extension agents should use evaluation
E-227.
techniques just as for any outcome program. In The
Volunteer Management Handbook, Tracy Daniel • Keys to Education that Works—Texas
Conners suggests five steps for effective evaluation: AgriLife Extension’s Program Development
Model, publication E-345.
1. Know the questions that need answers. Do
not evaluate just for the sake of evaluating.
Have clearly defined objectives to measure. Summary
2. Plan the information-gathering process. Managing volunteers can bring stumbling
Develop the evaluation method early in the blocks. The volunteers might feel burdened by
process to provide support for the items to be multiple roles or the lack of funding or resources to
measured. fulfill their duties, or frustrated because of “grunt
3. Meet with the volunteers to update them on work,” lack of communication and recognition,
their progress. This could include one-on-one inappropriate placement, underused skills, talents
meetings, group meetings, phone conferences and interests, and lack of training. However, the
or other communication. ISOTURE model can help county Extension
4. Develop an evaluation report that includes agents build and strengthen a volunteer program.
the results. Volunteers help expand Extension outreach and
programming into many Texas communities.
5. Share the results with stakeholders to show
them the progress and successes of the As managers of volunteers within Extension,
volunteers’ efforts. county Extension agents must become volunteer
Three types of evaluations are commonly used administrators. Volunteer development is a
when working with volunteers: continuing process. Extension cannot achieve its
goals without a strong volunteer program.
• Process evaluation allows the volunteer
administrator to evaluate the volunteer’s For more information on volunteer management
experience. This type of evaluation measures in Extension, please visit http://texasvolunteer.
satisfaction, the hours provided and the tamu.edu/
resources needed by the volunteer.
• Outcome evaluation measures the changes Resources
the volunteers have implemented based on Boyce, V. Milton. “A Systematic Approach to Lead-
what they have learned or practiced. These ership Development.” Presented to county and
include teaching others, using the appropriate area 4-H youth agents conference (PA and MO).
teaching methods, practicing proper Publication: Extension Service, USDA (4-H-5),
parliamentary procedures and managing 1971.
other volunteers.
Conners, Tracy Daniel. The Volunteer Manage-
• Economic impact shows the monetary value ment Handbook. John Wiley & Sons, 1995.
that volunteers offer to communities. Most
of the time, this is what their wages would Fisher, James C. and Kathleen M. Cole. Leader-
have been if they had been paid for their ship and Management of Volunteer Programs:
work, but it could be more. For example, A Guide for Volunteer Administrators. Jossey-
during a countywide cleanup day, volunteers Bass, 1993.
clean trash and litter from highways. What Lockett, Landry. “Competencies, Benefits and
does that save the county in terms of hiring Limitations for Master Gardener Coordinators:
individuals to clean the community? A Delphi Technique Involving County Extension
Agents in Texas.” Dissertation, Texas A&M Uni-
versity, 2007.
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Produced by AgriLife Communications, The Texas A&M System
Extension publications can be found on the Web at: http://AgriLifebookstore.org
Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914, in
cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Edward G. Smith, Director, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, The Texas A&M System.
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ISOTURE
2. ________________ The process of stimulating and supporting volunteers’ efforts and developing the skills
that will improve the quality of their work and enable them to be successful.
3. ________________ The process of familiarizing volunteers with Extension and their new duties.
4. ________________ The process of determining the results of volunteer performance and giving feedback.
5. ________________ The process of finding people who have the skills essential to fill specific volunteer
positions.
6. ________________ The process of providing the opportunity for volunteers to put their knowledge and skills
into appropriate action.
7. ________________ The process of studying the backgrounds of the potential volunteers and motivating them
to fill the volunteer positions.
Word bank
Identification Selection Orientation Training Utilization Recognition Evaluation
7. Selection
6. Utilization 5. Identification 4. Evaluation 3. Orientation 2. Training 1. Recognition
Answers: