Wild Wescotts Volunteers

Volunteers are at the heart of the Wild Wescotts 4-H club.  They manage everything from chartering, planning, and empowering the youth within the club.  Interested in volunteering with us?  We'd love to have you!  Feel free to review volunteering with 4-H (https://extension.umn.edu/minnesota-4-h/volunteer-4-h) and reach out to our Volunteer coordinator to get involved.

Club Adult Leadership Roles

There is a lot to do to effectively manage a 4-H club.  The volunteers that lead the club provide experiences that promote positive youth development for all members. They inform and encourage members, parents, and other volunteers to actively participate in appropriate 4-H opportunities.  They mentor, assist, and advise 4-H members in the overall management of the 4-H group.  And they serve as liaisons between the local Extension office, staff, and 4-H members, their parents and other volunteers regarding 4-H group programs

These duties and responsibilities may be centralized with a handful of volunteers or distributed among a broader team.   All individuals who are acting in a Leadership capacity should be designated as a “Club Leader”.  As the club grows and matures, these roles and duties may change.  Ideally, club leaders would rotate among various roles, allowing all club leaders to become familiar with the various aspects of club leadership.  A set of leadership roles are described below, in no particular order.

Club Chairperson

The Club Chairperson is often seen as the “primary” club leader.  Their role is to ensure that all aspects of club administration and management are fulfilled.  They often take on many roles based on club needs, but ideally, they identify and encourage additional leaders within the club. 

Select Duties

o   Act as the primary point of contact, directing inquiries and needs to other leaders within the club. 

o   Identify adult leadership needs and socialize those needs with the club.

o   Create structure for adult leaders, revising leadership structures as needed to better serve the club.

o   Maintains the club administration structure, updating based on the needs of the club.

o   Attends club leadership forums and coordinates leadership forums as needed.

Dakota County & MN State Liaison

The Dakota County & MN State Liaison is deeply connected to 4-H opportunities across the state and county.  They remain informed on 4-H changes, grant opportunities, training opportunities, and more.  They also share Wild Wescott’s information, questions, concerns (etc) with extension staff.  In short, they are the connection between the club and broader 4-H.

Select Duties

o   Attend Federation Meetings as a representative for the Wild Wescotts Club, receiving information and bringing information back to the club.

o   Receive and radiate County and State Communication to the club from various sources, including direct communication, Friday Forecasts, and more.

o   Socialize county & state opportunities, including (but not limited to) County Fair, State Fair, YELLO conference, Camps, Ambassadors, etc.

o   Contributes to monthly agendas (see Appendix C) with content pertaining to County & State Opportunities.

o   Attends club leadership forums.

Youth Leadership Captain

The Youth Leadership Captain provides structure and organization to the Youth Leadership Team.  They guide members in grades 6+ in all aspects of meeting and club facilitation.  This role is integral to the youth leadership team philosophy.  They encourage and manage youth so that the youth can facilitate the club in partnership with the adult leaders.

Select Duties

o   Creates and manages outreach to create the Youth Leadership Team.

o   Leads the monthly club leadership forum, inviting adult leaders and Youth Leadership Team members to prepare for club meetings.

o   Guides the youth leadership team in preparation for club facilitation, including brainstorming and other activities to prepare the Youth Leadership Team to successfully facilitate club meetings.

o   Ensures that the Youth Leadership Team creates agendas (see Appendix C) as needed to facilitate club meetings.

o   Ensures that Youth Leadership Team members rotate duties, including publishing minutes, facilitating meetings, etc.

o   Works with the Technology Manager as needed to ensure that the Youth Leadership Team is equipped with Technology to achieve outcomes.

o   Creates team-building opportunities for Youth Leadership Team Members.

o   Solicits feedback and adjusts tactics so that the Youth Leadership team members can effectively participate in club operations.

Member Administrator

The Member Administrator ensures that all members (new and existing) are properly registered in 4-H and are included in Club Communication vehicles. 

Select Duties

o   Performs outreach on behalf of the club in order to grow and maintain membership with a variety of ages and families.

o   Regularly reviews the 4-H club Roster in 4-H online. 

o   Ensures that members registered through 4-H online are welcomed to the club.

o   Informs members of the club calendar and communication vehicles.

o   Identify members who have not registered with 4-H online and follow up with individuals to ensure participating individuals are properly registered.

o   Communicate with the Volunteer Coordinator as needed regarding volunteer screening and registration within 4-H online.

o   Manages and coordinates club-level merchandise (i.e. T-shirts or hats) that use the Wild Wescotts logo.

o   Contributes to monthly agendas (see Appendix C) as needed.

o   Attends club leadership forums.

Programming & Project Coordinator

The Programming & Project Coordinator is responsible for the overall programming for the Wild Wescotts Club.  Every month (except August) the Wild Wescotts club provides opportunities for members to connect, to learn, and to participate in club meetings.  This role “owns” the Annual Plan (calendar of events) for the club, often engaging club members and volunteers to fulfill the outcomes of programming.   The Programming & Project Coordinator does not need to LEAD activities every month, rather, they ensure that there are activities, and someone designated as a Parent Captain (or volunteer) to facilitate them.  Finally, the Programming & Project Coordinator highlights project areas within 4-H and provides opportunities for members to socialize involvement in project areas.  A sample Annual Plan is included in Appendix B.

Select Duties

o   Solicits programming ideas from members in order to craft an annual plan.

o   Reviews the annual plan with the Youth Leadership Team prior to Kick-off.

o   Ensures that the annual plan is presented during the September Kick-Off meeting, seeking club approval.

o   Provides the annual plan to the communication coordinator for socialization, publication, and calendar management.

o   Provides updates to the annual plan to the members and leaders as needed.

o   Identifies opportunities within the annual plan for additional adult volunteers.

o   Works closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure activities have facilitation needs met.

o   Creates time and space within the club to highlight project areas and areas of interest for the members.

o   Contributes to monthly agendas (see Appendix C) as needed.

o   Attends club leadership forums.

Communication Coordinator

The Communication Coordinator is responsible for communication within the club and communication on broader social or web media.  They ensure that communication vehicles reach all members and ensure that individuals can find information pertaining to the club on demand. 

Select Duties

o   Publishes & updates the club calendar.

o   “owns” the info@WildWescotts email, responding to inquiries or directing inquiries to additional leaders.

o   Ensure meeting minutes or decisions are available to all members.

o   Publishes & updates the club website, social presences, and/or digital footprints.

o   Manages the WildWescotts.com domain, adding authorized individuals with email addresses. 

o   Updates club members on changes to communication expectations or vehicles.

o   Contributes to monthly agendas (see Appendix C) as needed.

o   Attends club leadership forums.

Technology Manager

The Technology Manager is responsible for proper use and access to technology related to the Wild Wescotts club.  They own the WildWescotts domain, admin consoles, and any related technology used by the club.    

Select Duties

o   Oversee the technology suite used by the club, including the club website, band, calendars, etc. 

o   Authorizes various individuals for widlwescotts.com email addresses.

o   Manages access to club-level google drives, photo albums, leadership share drives, blogs, etc.

o   Recommends technology for use within the club in accordance with county and state expectations around technology. 

o   Works closely with all leaders to ensure that leaders are properly equipped to use technology.

o   Develops and maintains information to aid members and volunteers to use technology.

o   Contributes to monthly agendas (see Appendix C) as needed.

o   Attends club leadership forums.

Volunteer Coordinator

The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for outreach with adults within the club, encourages adults to undergo screening and helps organize volunteers with the broader leadership team.

Select Duties

o   Works closely with the Member Administrator to know the status of volunteers.

o   Educates the club on volunteer opportunities.

o   Educates the club on processes required for volunteers.

o   Respond to questions pertaining to volunteer opportunities.

o   Contributes to monthly agendas (see Appendix C) as needed.

o   Attends club leadership forums.

Finance Director

The Finance Director is responsible for proper management and oversight of club funds.  The Finance Director reviews the annual plan to ensure that finances are not a barrier to member involvement.  The Finance Director makes recommendations for if and how the club manages funds.

Select Duties

o   Works closely with the Programming Coordinator to understand and socialize costs associated with programming.

o   Recommends whether the club should or should not manage funds.

o   If the club manages funds, the Finance Director recommends club level dues to support programming needs.

o   If the club manages funds, the Finance Director ensures that financial records are properly recorded and made available to all members.

o   The Finance Director acts as an authorized signer for Financial decisions.

o   The Finance Director ensures that there is at least one non-family member on the Youth Leadership Team who can act as an authorized signer.

o   The Finance Director recommends fundraising activities to support the club as needed.

o   Contributes to monthly agendas (see Appendix C) as needed.

o   Attends club leadership forums.