March 16, 2017
Investing in Volunteers
Volunteers are a great way to extend the budget and expand the learning opportunities for youth in the local 4-H program. The average value across the United States for one hour of a volunteer’s time is $23.56, therefore if a volunteer contributes eight hours of work the local program receives $188.48 worth of donated time. If the local program had a team of volunteers contributing time to extend 4-H programming, how many more youth could be reached and education shared?
As you prepare for National 4-H Volunteers Week in April, reflect upon the volunteers in your local programming with the time and talents that is being generated on 4-H behalf. Volunteers are energetic go-getters that can serve as the best recruitment tool enhancing 4-H. Think about the vibrant clubs or growing projects chances are the volunteer leading the group is the key. These individuals have contributed much to 4-H’s success – praise them publicly, thank them with a note or assist them in receiving additional training. Volunteers like Extension Agents sometimes might need up-dating, reviving or refocusing so offering scholarships for trainings or workshops shows the volunteers their efforts don’t go unnoticed. Small gestures pay big benefits in keeping the 4-H programs thriving!