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Focus |
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February 9, 2005 Volume 1, Number 1 |
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In This Issue · New Format for Focus Newsletter · Advancement of Effective Volunteer Resources Management ·
Start Smart Eating and
Upcoming Events
Know Your Government February 19-21 Red Lion Downtown
Contact: Mary Jean Craig 208- 885-6498
February 18 Red Lion Downtown
Contact: Arlinda Nauman 208-885-7276
4-H Endowment Board February 19 Red Lion Downtown
Contact:
208-364-4004
4-H Advisory Board February 19 Red Lion Downtown
Contact: Arlinda Nauman 208-885-7276
Western Region Leaders Forum February 23-26
Meat Animal Task Force March 14
Doubletree
Contact:Jim Wilson 208-446-1680
Youth Development Institute March 15-17
Doubletree
Contact:Barb Abo 208-377-2107
“Horses Affecting Positive & Productive Youth” training March 18
Western Idaho Fairgrounds,
Contact: Tass Heim 208-482-4330
Curriculum Review March 17-18
Doubletree
Contact: Michele Pike 208-885-4080
4-H Wildlife Habitat Contest May 7
Contact: Local
National Shooting Sports Training May 15-19 Contact: Michele Pike 208-885-4080
4-H Teen Conference June 20-24
Contact: Janet Edwards 208-885-7700
October 21-23
Templins in
Contact: Sharla Wilson 280-446-1680
Future Deadlines:
April 15
February 16 and April 19
Focus and Leaders Corner
Articles due to
Anyone with an interest in
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New Format for Focus Newsletter
Starting with this
issue, the Focus will be sent as an email HTML message. A small study of
We are hoping that this format makes it easier for you to keep current with state 4-H news. At the left of the newsletter is a list of current , upcoming events, and links of importance.
The Focus is a newsletter to keep 4-H staff updated on current youth development issues, other county programs, other state programs of interest, professional development opportunities, funding opportunities, and other topics of interest for staff. The Leaders Corner is a communication piece for 4-H volunteers. Articles include information on volunteer opportunities, member opportunities, statewide and county events, and helpful information for the 4-H volunteer. The Leaders Corner is also published in the email HTML format. Both newsletters are published bi-monthly. We invite anyone to submit articles for Focus and the Leaders Corner. Both newsletters will be unique, with different articles. Any article of interest to volunteers will be placed in the Leaders Corner. We invite you to use any article in your county newsletters. We only ask that you credit the individual who wrote the article.
Send us your feedback on this format. Send any suggestions to lwebb@uidaho.edu
Advancement of Effective Volunteer Resources Management
The UPS Foundation, in collaboration with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the USA Freedom Corps unveiled the results of a landmark study on nonprofit volunteer management capacity in February 2004. The results of the study, conducted by The Urban Institute, clearly indicated that when it comes to building the capacity of nonprofit organizations through the effective use of volunteers, work remains to be done. The UPS Foundation, CNCS and the USA Freedom Corps actively sought input from volunteer managers, nonprofit leaders, funders, policymakers, researchers and others to formulate an agenda for action based on these findings. Through convenings, briefings and an online forum, broad feedback was received that produced a framework for action. This collaborative process has fueled development of a pooled fund as a sector-wide response.
In June 2004, The UPS Foundation announced the creation of the Fund for the Advancement of Effective Volunteer Resources Management. The Fund will be housed at the National Human Services Assembly (www.nassembly.org). The UPS Foundation will provide up to $1 million over three years to establish the Fund, as well as additional support for operations. The Foundation also is inviting other funders to participate. Resources contributed to the Fund will be re-granted over time to national and local organizations to support initiatives aligned with the needs identified in the Urban Institute research. Financial supporters of the Fund will determine the types of grants to be made and in selecting the grantees.
Several of the study findings are exactly what we hear from the 4-H professionals who have volunteer management responsibilities. Some key volunteer management capacity study findings:
ü The demand for volunteers is high, and many charities and congregational social service programs struggle with finding a sufficient number of volunteers. ü One of the most prominent challenges to implementing volunteer programs among charities and congregations is recruiting volunteers during the workday. This was reported as a big problem by 25 percent of charities and 34 percent of congregational social service outreach programs. ü The greatest challenge that charities and congregations face is an inability to dedicate substantial staff resources to volunteer management. Only three out of five charities reported having a paid staff person who worked on volunteer coordination.
To read more about the study and future projects go to http://www.volunteerinput.org/
The 4-H Youth Development and Family and Community Development programs of the Oregon State University Extension Service and the Oregon Department of Education. jointly produced a curriculum to help children discover the importance of breakfast through reading and discussion of various children's literature books. The four modules each offer a no-cook food activity and other activities to reinforce the message about smart eating. "Breakfast Bites," a parent newsletter, takes the message from the classroom into the home. Each module's lesson plan, worksheets, and parent newsletter are available for online viewing, downloading, and printing in Adobe Acrobat PDF The curriculum also includes some activities used in all modules. This would be an excellent curriculum to use in afterschool 4-H, school enrichment, and Cloverbud projects. To review or download the curriculum go to http://oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/index_t.html
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