Volunteering with Iowa 4-H

Are you curious about volunteering for 4-H? Check out our orientation videos  and other volunteer support resources found on the website. Visit with Extension staff in your county office about volunteer opportunities.

Almost 10,000 volunteers guide 4-H members in becoming productive citizens, outstanding communicators, effective leaders, and successful learners.  But just as important as what volunteers give is what they get back!  In a recent survey, Iowa volunteers shared that:

“My volunteer experience has helped me both professionally and with my family. I seem to look at kids in a different light and try to encourage all to be the best that they can be.”

“I feel a great sense of excitement and pride when youth accomplish something they never thought they could do. It is wonderful to see kids work through a project and feel proud of what they can do. This keeps me volunteering in school and church, as well as the 4-H program. I believe youth can be encouraged to do great things.”

Iowa 4-H needs many volunteers who are willing to share creative ideas, time, talent, and skills to support youth at the community, county, and state level. 

If you are a current volunteer – thanks for all you do!  Please share with us additional resources you want to see on the website to support the many volunteer roles in 4-H. What new and challenging volunteer role would you like to create and how can we support you?

Over 150 New 4-H Volunteers and Staff Participated in New Volunteer Training Pilot! 

In Fall 2011 and Spring 2012, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 4-H staff and volunteers across Iowa worked together to provide new 4-H club/project and Clover Kids volunteers with a newly designed training program. The training was created by a team of 4-H volunteers, county youth coordinators, and youth program specialists and was designed to provide the youth development framework needed to put new volunteers on the path to becoming successful, competent, confident, caring adults in the 4-H program.

Advantages of this new training program included

• Learning about the role of a caring adult
• Dynamic training to boost the positive youth development knowledge and skills to support a vibrant 4-H club and Clover Kids group
• Meeting and networking with other new volunteers and volunteer mentors beyond their own county

The interactive training included an agenda loaded with knowledge, skills, and tools needed to enhance a volunteer’s work with 4-H youth. Included were breakout sessions specific for 4-H clubs and Clover Kids groups to allow for more targeted skill building for volunteers working with those specific age groups. Volunteers received a “toolbox” – a binder of resources to support their work with their club or group.

Evaluations and comments have been excellent. One new volunteer wrote:

I just wanted to thank you for the great new leaders training. I found it very informative and FUN! I was excited to take the information I had learned back to the leaders. We had a great meeting and are looking forward to making some positive changes to the group. The youth officers are very excited to help plan and really participate. They now feel as though we are walking beside them instead of ahead of them. The meeting really opened my eyes to what 4-H is all about and all the positive that it can bring to not only the youth's lives but also the volunteers. I really appreciate all the time and effort you put forth to create this great program that you put together, it has really made an impact on my role as a leader.

Got ideas for something you don’t see on the website? – contact us to explore the possibilities!

Iowa 4-H Volunteer Philosophy