Volunteer Development:Your Best Bet for Success

Volunteer Development:Your Best Bet for Success

CarolynDaleLinda Steve

4-H Youth Development:By the Numbers (in Colorado)

• 60• 100,000• 12,000• 128• $19.51• $27.7M• 9.3%• 45.35%• 67%• 86%

• # of professional 4-H FTE’s

• # of 4-H youth

• # of 4-H volunteers

• Hours/year volunteered

• Value of volunteer time

• Total value of 4-H volunteers

• Live on Farms

• Volunteers with BS, MS, PhD

• Female

• Married

Value of Volunteers Value of Volunteers (in billions of dollars)(in billions of dollars)

149.0169.6 176.4 182.3

210.6225.9

239

280

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1998 2001 2004

Type of Volunteer Work Performed Type of Volunteer Work Performed Most FrequentlyMost Frequently

Direct services (e.g. serving food, doing repairs, providing transportation

Fundraising

Don’t know/refused

Giving Advice, information, counseling

Organizing an eventVisiting people/companionshipAdministrative/ clericalBoard Member/trusteeAdvocacyOther

23%

16%

12.2%

10.5%

9.8%8.6%7.4%4.5%4.0%3.4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Volunteer

Don'tVolunteer

U.S. Volunteer RateU.S. Volunteer Rate

Did You Ask?Did You Ask?

No50%

Yes50%

Percentage of people who volunteer when asked

71%

Percentage of people who volunteer when not asked

29%

Independent Sector2001 Giving and Volunteering in the United States

Those least likely to be Those least likely to be asked: asked: (percent of population not asked)(percent of population not asked)

• Income below $20KIncome below $20K 67%67%• Retirees age 65 and overRetirees age 65 and over 65%65%• SinglesSingles 63%63%• Persons aged 18 - 24 Persons aged 18 - 24 63%63%• DivorcedDivorced 63%63%• African-Americans African-Americans 62%62%• HispanicsHispanics 56%56%

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Vou

nte

ers

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25

Years of Leadership

Volunteers by Years of Leadership

Years off service of volunteers entered in Colorado 4-H Blue Ribbon Enrollment System for 2001 - 2002 enrollment year

Volunteer Retention by %/Year

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cent

R

e-en

rolle

d

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Years of Leadership

Extension Volunteer Research

• Volunteers say Cooperative Extension could do a better job of:

–matching skills with tasks positions

– providing training to fill gaps

– giving feedback and providing evaluation

Extension Volunteer Research

• Extension Agents with 4-H Youth Development responsibility spend approximately 50% of their time engaged in volunteer development activity.

Volunteer Development Volunteer Development ModelModel

• ISOTUREISOTURE

Volunteer Development Volunteer Development GoalsGoals

• Provide a safe learning environment Provide a safe learning environment for youth.for youth.

• Assure volunteers have the skills for Assure volunteers have the skills for the position they are seeking.the position they are seeking.

• Decrease volunteer dropout rate.Decrease volunteer dropout rate.• Increase volunteer satisfaction in Increase volunteer satisfaction in

accomplishing program goals.accomplishing program goals.

Volunteer Development Volunteer Development GoalsGoals

• Ascertain the volunteers' attitudes Ascertain the volunteers' attitudes and motivations for involvement.and motivations for involvement.

• Improve communications.Improve communications.• Assess the training needsAssess the training needs• Make the best "fit" between the Make the best "fit" between the

volunteer and the program.volunteer and the program.• Improve the quality of the Improve the quality of the

educational experience for children.educational experience for children.