itsheresomewhere Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Are most 4H's severely disorganized? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 In what way? What kind of 4H club was it? Animal? Gardening? Robotic? Archery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Some are. Ours is not. Even in the town where we participate there are many 4H groups, we had to hunt around until we found a good fit for us. Kind of like scouting groups, it varies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 This is our first year. It's going very well. Our parent leader is on top of things. There are a few experienced and dedicated parents and some seriously impressive teens heading up our group. I will say that this is a homeschool only group. We drive 30 miles to attend. Completely worth it for the quality of the experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 It is not the clubs that are so disorganized. The clubs we are involved in are great but they can only do so much with the information they have. It seems to be the top here. I just want email/phone call when times are changed or cancelled. Maybe a calendar for 4H events in advance and not the day before. We get notices the day of for drop off donations for this or events. Another mom who leads one of the clubs tells me that the other local 4H's are the same way. I did make some suggestions to the main office here only to be told that this is made of volunteers and I shouldn't expect much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 In my experience as a member growing up in a different area and as a community leader now: no, "severely disorganized" doesn't describe most clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Well your local office is right. It is a volunteer organization, and the organization will only be as good as the leaders. If the problem is within the club leadership, and you think you can do it better, you could always step-up... If the problem is within the county office, I'd complain to the state office. We have county leaders' meetings to organize events. The county office gets dates from the state, and input from the county leaders, and puts together a calendar of events which is published in the fall. The county also sends out notices about a month before the next upcoming event which includes event information and registration deadlines. It's up to the leaders to stay on top of their members to get registration forms in, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 In what way? What kind of 4H club was it? Animal? Gardening? Robotic? Archery? In our state, the majority of 4-H clubs aren't focused on one particular project, though there may be separate project meetings depending on the project at the club or county level. The clubs are divided primarily by where people live, and most members are involved in multiple projects. How 4-H clubs operate varies from one state to another and even one county to another in the same state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Well your local office is right. It is a volunteer organization, and the organization will only be as good as the leaders. If the problem is within the club leadership, and you think you can do it better, you could always step-up... If the problem is within the county office, I'd complain to the state office. We have county leaders' meetings to organize events. The county office gets dates from the state, and input from the county leaders, and puts together a calendar of events which is published in the fall. The county also sends out notices about a month before the next upcoming event which includes event information and registration deadlines. It's up to the leaders to stay on top of their members to get registration forms in, etc. My next step is to complain to the state office. Some of the club leaders have told me the complaints fall on deaf ears as they have complained too. The club leaders are really trying with what they have. It is just getting on several of the other parents nerves and to the point of affecting attendance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Ours isn't, but then again the leaders spent at least half of every meeting talking about all of the events/activities for the rest of the year. It really drives me crazy. Plus, they describe our record books over and over, but in that vague way people speak where they know too much about something and don't know how to parse their knowledge down to the essentials, so they omit key facts while giving you superfluous ones. Luckily, my kiddos are still in Primary and aren't that vested. We're happy to go sew a few times a month :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 If the problem is at the Extension Office, I'd first express my concerns to the local Extension Council/Board, as they select area Extension agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 It is not the clubs that are so disorganized. The clubs we are involved in are great but they can only do so much with the information they have. It seems to be the top here. I just want email/phone call when times are changed or cancelled. Maybe a calendar for 4H events in advance and not the day before. We get notices the day of for drop off donations for this or events. Another mom who leads one of the clubs tells me that the other local 4H's are the same way. I did make some suggestions to the main office here only to be told that this is made of volunteers and I shouldn't expect much. Our group uses Shutterfly to post group messages, pictures, events, etc.... It has helped improve communication 100%! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 No, ours is run as a pretty tight ship. IF you read the darn newsletter! If you don't, you're sunk. Deadlines and schedules for summer are already posted. Our newsletter is such nonsense. Put events/dates in it not what 4H is or the oath or parenting tips every newsletter. How often is your newsletter? Ours is supposed to be four times a year but really three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Our group uses Shutterfly to post group messages, pictures, events, etc.... It has helped improve communication 100%! I wish they would do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Oh, I didn't see the rest of this, or that your problem might be at the county level. Our 4-H county people have always been good, but this year we got a new Youth & Family Education Director, and he is fantastic! Very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and has a complete open door policy. He wants our input and is all about change. I know that if we had issues, we would go to him. If I were you, I would go over whoever's head you need to, so that you can get things resolved. 4-H is such a great organization, I'd hate to see people leave because of some lax leadership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 No, ours is a shooting sports club, and it is extremely well run. No room for mistakes here. That said, there are often things that occur that might seem disorganized to anyone who hasn't lived through them before, such as sign up for the spring and fall shooting sessions. However, after all these years, we seem to have settled into the path of least resistance and best outcome. The Club Advisor is a volunteer position and will definitely vary from club to club. If you have concerns, get in touch with your county Extension Service, which usually runs the local 4-H program. Determine whether the problems are only at the club level or whether they are also prevalent at the county level. If it's just a club thing, find a new club. Life's too short to try to fit into a club that's not working for you. If it's a county wide thing, you might try to go to a neighboring county or consider a different youth organization such as Scouts or some local civic group. Or, you can find out how many members you need and start your own club. I had to do that to get a homeschool 4-H club within a reasonable distance from my home. I was an advisor for 7 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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