Analysis of Virginia and Kentucky Models

Kentucky's Strengths

. Traditional structure; organized and systematic
. Substantial volunteer involvement
. Area council involvement
. Grassroots driven
. Systematic progression of leadership from county to district to state
. Simple to understand
. Incorporate awards and recognition of council
. Provide training for council
. Communication flows up and back down the system 
. All program areas represented on each level
. Partnership between volunteers and staff

. Partnership between paid staff and volunteers
. Empowered local units
. Support from extension administration 
. Ongoing training of volunteers and extension faculty
. Focuses on leadership development
. Educational process during meetings
. Recognize strengths of volunteers
. Programmatically oriented instead for just budget oriented
. Name change to ELC - Extension Leadership Council
. Good communication
. Good funding (computers for state ELC members)
. Very organized and systematic
. Involve both "users" and "non-users" on the council
. New name to make it "new" to the system and not taken for granted
. Meeting frequently builds connections which builds relationships
. Provide technical support to members and link each via e-mail

Responses from Participants

Ideas that interested participants

. Organizational issues 

o Electronic contact between all members year round (staff and volunteers)
o Technology allows constant communication
o Name change
o Term limits at county, district, and state levels; rising from one level to next level
o Membership mix of users and non-users
o Using local officials on programs
o Defining strategies early in the budget process
o Standing committee to strategize for legislative appropriations
o Indicators of quality for all units to use
o Extension taxing districts

. Volunteer issues

o Incentives provided for volunteers
o "What's in it for me" - good way to include volunteers
o Involve volunteers in all parts of programming
o Volunteers and agents learning together 
o Leadership is more than leading others, but giving others an opportunity to lead.
o Large number of people are committed
o Evaluation of volunteers

. Advisory system are based on relationships and needs 
. Emphasis on programming for local citizenship
. Equal ownership
. Partnership of extension and advisory volunteers
. Meet three or four times per year to do meaningful work
. The organization expends resources to communicate with volunteers
. Advisory committees are staff led
. Well organized and systematic processes 
. Advisory leaders are kept informed about budget and programs 
. Strong administrative support
. Grassroots driven and bottom-up approach
. Advisory leaders advocate for extension budget and programming. 

Kentucky

1. How does Kentucky fund the university system? Kentucky has always received its state support through the University of Kentucky. There has never been a separate line item in the state budget for Extension. We have gone directly to the legislature from time-to-time with specific needs. However, the increased resources from those efforts have been earmarked for specific purposes and funneled though the University of Kentucky. Historically, being part of the university budgeting process has served Extension well. For example, we have always gotten the same pay raises as the rest of the university. 

2. Is the 30-year-old model appropriate for today's extension? The multi-tiered council system has served the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service well over the years. Minor adjustments have been made over time, but the overall scheme has remained stable. For example, the membership of county councils has been broadened to represent more than just traditional supporters of the four program areas. This provides more of a cross section of the counties. The age of the model is not related to its effectiveness. If anything, the strength of the approach has become institutionalized and is passed on from agent to agent and leader to leader. 

3. What is the voice of FCS in the Kentucky Extension Council System? There are three program councils (FCS, 4-H, and AG & NR) that also go from the county to the area to the state. And each program area has representation on the county, area and state council system. So issues of only FCS are dealt with in the FCS Council, and they are coordinated with other programs within the Extension Council. 

4. Does the extension taxing district dilute the efforts or need for grassroot involvement?
Definitely not. The council is the broad-based group that represents the needs of
the county; and, along with agents, designs programs to respond to those needs. The
six-member Extension District Board merely handles the local funds to support
what the council identifies. The Board is the fiscal agent, not the programming unit. 

5. What are the terms in Kentucky? County council members serve three years, with a rotational system. Area and State Council members have two-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive terms. 

Virginia

1. How do you fund your system? At the local level, no funding is provided for the operation of local extension leadership councils. The State Extension Leadership Council has funds appropriated by the Director. The appropriation allows volunteer members to attend four regular meetings a year. Lodging and meals, meeting facilities, and mileage are covered. The appropriation also allows a Virginia Team (local and state ELC member and extension staff) to attend the National Leadership Seminar. There is usually enough savings at the end of the fiscal year to allow for another expense, such as participating in the Southern Region Extension Advisory Conference.

2. What is considered "local"? Local for us is the county and city extension leadership councils.

3. What resources of energy, people, etc., are used to manage the Virginia model? At the local level, one extension agent manages the overall ELC. Usually, this person is the Unit Coordinator. For the program leadership committees under the overall council, the agents with those program responsibilities are the managers. For instance, the local Family and Consumer Science Program Leadership Committee is managed by the FCS agent. At the State Extension Leadership Council, a specialist in the Extension Educational Programming Unit has responsibility for the State Council. This person is also responsible for the training and education for the local ELC.

4. How do you market ELC to prospective members? We have a general job description for both local and state ELC members. We use that and other general information about the council to recruit members. Potential members are generally recruited on a one-on-one basis. For the state ELC, we have a membership committee that is composed of volunteer and salaried staff who distribute nomination materials annually to the District Directors, who in turn ask the counties and cities to recruit and nominate persons to serve as members on the state ELC. The persons nominated to the state ELC are generally members of the local ELCs. At the local level, we encourage the use of a nominating committee to identify and recruit persons to serve on local councils.

5. What are convenient times for ELC meetings? The state ELS meets four times a year. They are one-day meetings, with lodging provided for those needing overnight accommodations. We generally meet on Fridays and Saturdays. One meeting is held on the Virginia Tech campus in July, one on the Virginia State campus in October, one in Richmond in January when the General Assembly is in town (just in case we need to meet with members), and the location of the fourth meeting varies. Local groups determine their meeting times.

6. How do you raise money? For the state ELC, no fundraising is done. If agency dollars cannot cover an expense, they have been known to pass the hat.
 

From Strengthening Extension Advisory Leadership in the Southern Region, a Southern Region Extension Advisory Leadership Conference held in Charlotte, N.C., May 3-5, 2001