Expanding Your Expanding Your Leadership TeamLeadership Team

Module 4Module 4Extension Leadership County Extension Leadership County

CouncilsCouncils

What is the County What is the County Council?Council?

PurposesPurposes

PrimaryPrimary

The main mission of the The main mission of the Extension Leadership Extension Leadership County Council is to County Council is to cultivate and maintain cultivate and maintain overall overall ADVOCACYADVOCACY and and SUPPORTSUPPORT for the total for the total Extension program in Extension program in your countyyour county

Develop a marketing plan Develop a marketing plan to show total county to show total county program impact to funding program impact to funding sources and publicsources and public

Facilitate marketing of Facilitate marketing of educational events and use educational events and use public events to public events to demonstrate and demonstrate and communicate impact of communicate impact of ExtensionExtension

PurposesPurposes

SecondarySecondary

Facilitate Facilitate communication communication and collaboration and collaboration between Program between Program Development Development Teams (PDTs), Teams (PDTs), Extension program Extension program areas, and county areas, and county staffstaff

PurposesPurposes

SecondarySecondary

MembershipMembership

County Extension Agent(s)County Extension Agent(s) CECCEC CEA’s from each program CEA’s from each program

area represented in countyarea represented in county CEC & CEA’s serve as Ex-CEC & CEA’s serve as Ex-

officio membersofficio members 1-2 members of each 1-2 members of each

Program Development Program Development Team (PDT)Team (PDT)

MembershipMembership

One member representing each program One member representing each program area, at large area, at large Family Connection director, Cattleman's Family Connection director, Cattleman's

Assoc. president, BOE member, key Assoc. president, BOE member, key volunteer, etc.volunteer, etc.

Invited by CEC in consultation with CEA(s)Invited by CEC in consultation with CEA(s) 3-5 members from the community 3-5 members from the community

selected by the staff, led by CECselected by the staff, led by CEC Past PDT members, BOE member, BOC Past PDT members, BOE member, BOC

member, special Extension supporters, etc.member, special Extension supporters, etc.

MeetingsMeetings Minimum four per year (suggest Minimum four per year (suggest

quarterly)quarterly) More meetings may be used as needed to More meetings may be used as needed to

keep group informed and focusedkeep group informed and focused 11stst Meeting Meeting

Educate/Orient Educate/Orient Priority issuesPriority issues Educational programsEducational programs

Promote collaboration between PDTs and Promote collaboration between PDTs and program areas to address issuesprogram areas to address issues

Assist Council members in understanding the Assist Council members in understanding the importance of each program areaimportance of each program area

MeetingsMeetings Another meeting optionAnother meeting option

Plan and host an annual event that Plan and host an annual event that showcases the impact of Extension to showcases the impact of Extension to funding sources and to the publicfunding sources and to the public

Make sure elected officials, funding sources, Make sure elected officials, funding sources, special interest groups and general public can special interest groups and general public can see the impact that all three programs areas have see the impact that all three programs areas have on countyon county

Consider consolidating duplicated efforts across Consider consolidating duplicated efforts across program areas that have small impact into a program areas that have small impact into a larger issue driven impactlarger issue driven impact

Other Council meetings – Keep meetings Other Council meetings – Keep meetings focused on advocacy; not program focused on advocacy; not program development development

AdvocacyAdvocacy By definition – advocacy is the active By definition – advocacy is the active

support for a cause, idea, or policy; also, it support for a cause, idea, or policy; also, it can be defined as arguing or pleading in can be defined as arguing or pleading in favor of somethingfavor of something

Advocates for Extension should adhere to Advocates for Extension should adhere to the message, the message, “Cooperative Extension is “Cooperative Extension is …”…” EducationEducation AccessAccess RelevanceRelevance LinkagesLinkages

AdvocacyAdvocacy

Advocates for Extension need:Advocates for Extension need: KnowledgeKnowledge

Organization/ProgramsOrganization/Programs Clientele needs and benefits receivedClientele needs and benefits received Funding sources and needsFunding sources and needs Government process and structureGovernment process and structure Roles of elected officialsRoles of elected officials

Relationships/NetworkRelationships/Network Communication SkillsCommunication Skills

Advocacy vs. LobbyingAdvocacy vs. Lobbying

AdvocacyAdvocacy – strong support for a cause – strong support for a cause

LobbyingLobbying – an attempt to influence – an attempt to influence decision-making, especially legislationdecision-making, especially legislation

Lobbying always includes advocacy; Lobbying always includes advocacy; but advocacy does not always but advocacy does not always includes lobbyingincludes lobbying

CautionsCautions

Don’t let purpose of County Council distract Don’t let purpose of County Council distract from, or draw focus away from, PDTsfrom, or draw focus away from, PDTs

This group is to promote and support This group is to promote and support Extension and the program development Extension and the program development PROCESSPROCESS

Many counties already have these: do not Many counties already have these: do not duplicate; this is an effort to streamline and duplicate; this is an effort to streamline and encourage collaboration between program encourage collaboration between program areas, reduce duplication and have greater areas, reduce duplication and have greater impactimpact

CautionsCautions Be careful that this group does not take Be careful that this group does not take

on a life of its own. Keep them focused on on a life of its own. Keep them focused on the purpose(s) of the County Councilthe purpose(s) of the County Council

Shared leadership is important, but Shared leadership is important, but giving up control of your programs or giving up control of your programs or your office is notyour office is not

Can have tremendous impact on your Can have tremendous impact on your county and county programming, even if county and county programming, even if you are doing similar activities nowyou are doing similar activities now

Will take a concentrated and Will take a concentrated and collaborative effort from staff to make it collaborative effort from staff to make it successfulsuccessful

DO’sDO’s and and DON’T’sDON’T’s for County for County CouncilsCouncils

DO:DO: Encourage marketing of the entire Encourage marketing of the entire

Extension program, not individual eventsExtension program, not individual events Train Council members to communicate Train Council members to communicate

the overall impact of Extensionthe overall impact of Extension Select only Council members who have Select only Council members who have

wide and extensive networks in the wide and extensive networks in the communitycommunity

Ensure that Council members are sharing Ensure that Council members are sharing the “Extension is …” messagethe “Extension is …” message

DO’sDO’s and and DON’T’sDON’T’s for County for County CouncilsCouncils

DON’T:DON’T: Involve Council members in program Involve Council members in program

development roles reserved for PDTdevelopment roles reserved for PDT Put people on the Council who are not Put people on the Council who are not

willing to speak up and speak out – willing to speak up and speak out – OFTEN!OFTEN!

Meet less frequently than 4X per year Meet less frequently than 4X per year (research shows this is ineffective)(research shows this is ineffective)

Allow Council members to advocate until Allow Council members to advocate until they are fully educated and preparedthey are fully educated and prepared

4-H Program Development 4-H Program Development CoordinatorsCoordinators

Al Parker – NE DistrictAl Parker – NE DistrictDr. Lori Purcell Bledsoe – NW Dr. Lori Purcell Bledsoe – NW

DistrictDistrictMelinda Miller – SW DistrictMelinda Miller – SW DistrictKathy Baldwin – SE DistrictKathy Baldwin – SE District

ANR Program Development CoordinatorsNorman McGlohon – NE DistrictSheldon Hammond – NW District

Ken Lewis – SW DistrictPhil Torrance – SE District

FACS Program Development SpecialistsJanet Valente – NW & SW DistrictsLaurie Cantrell – NE & SE Districts

Jeff Christie – Coordinator, Extension Leadership System

Program Development Team