April 25, 2017
Engaging Volunteers in Telling Our Story
Every local unit of Kansas State University Research and Extension (KSRE) has four Program Development Committees (PDC) with responsibility for working with the local Extension Agents to identify community needs related to the Five Grand Challenges and insure that educational programming is available to assist local residents to address those needs. However, many times we forget that the final piece of this is to equip those PDC members to inform key decision makers about the impact that KSRE has had on making a difference at the local, state, and national level.
During the Public Issues Leadership Development conference in Washington D.C. this month, four of your volunteers from State Extension Advisory Council did an excellent job of communicating the impact of KSRE educational programs in their communities. They shared stories related to increased 4-H membership, a community culture of health, making informed management decisions on the farm, and the impact of the PRIDE program on their communities - just to name a few.
The time is now to start working with your PDC members to become strong advocates for KSRE programming.
- First, set goals for PDC members to communicate with elected officials
- Prepare them with impact information that is a good fit with the elected officials priority issues
- Finally, take action by making contact throughout the year with “bits” of information delivered by PDC members to those elected officials they have or are developing a relationship with.
Check out "Working with Elected Officials" for more information and ideas for sharing information with elected officials about Extension's impact in the community. This publication is one of many included in the PDC Resources website.
We can no longer afford to be the “best kept secret” around!