4-H Program Planning Tools for 4-H Clubs - University of Illinois Extension

• Overview
• Select a Planning Committee
• Survey Club Members, Leaders and Parents
• Committee Plans Program
• Club Approval of Plan
• Volunteering for Responsibilities
• Evaluation
• Resources
• Credits

Step 1: Select a Planning Committee

Select a planning committee at your club meeting. The vice-president, working with the club leader, needs to explain the purpose and responsibilities of the planning committee before it is chosen. The committee can be appointed by the president, selected by your club's executive board, selected from volunteers or elected. Whichever approach is used, the planning committee should not be dominated by adults, either in number or decision-making. Research shows that one of the major complaints of young people who dropped out of 4-H focused on the fact that adults dominated the program. Youth commented that "Leaders say and decide, members do." Young people want an active role in decision-making for their program.

The committee should include:

• members of different ages
• project and activity leaders
• both boys and girls
• officers and youth leaders
• organizational leaders
• parents

The planning committee may be new each year or have a rotating membership with a portion of the committee being replaced each year.

The program planning committee should represent the interests of people in the club. Younger members, who are still new to the decision-making process, will need more structure than older members. Giving them several suggestions from which to choose will be more effective than asking them to initiate all of their own ideas. Ask their parents to help identify several program ideas from which the members can choose.

Older members may be efficient planners, but they may overlook the interests and needs of the younger members. Older members are able to identify interests and activities much more readily and need the opportunity to practice this skill in determining alternatives. Set a general framework within which you feel comfortable and let members make plans. If you do not plan for the interests of all members they may become inactive.

The responsibility of the planning committee is to:

• make up a survey to be filled out by club members, leaders and parents
• survey members, leaders and parents in the club
• review possible alternatives
• determine needs of 4-H members, leaders and parents in the club after reviewing survey and evaluation results
• set club goals based on club needs
• plan for club activities, events and special programs
• write and present a club program to be approved by total club membership at the club meeting
• recruit volunteers to give leadership to club activities and to serve on committees
• provide for participation of all members, leaders, and parents
• keep "eyes and ears" open for fresh exciting ideas to be part of future club programs
• evaluate the results of plans at the end of each club year

Check out the sample role description for the 4-H Club program planning committee and a club program planning committee membership list (PDF).