June 18, 2019
New Suggested Template for Monthly Board Reports
Completing monthly/quarterly board reports is one way for agents to communicate with board members about progress on their programming goals for the year. For many local units, this is a regular requirement for agents and most have developed their own format.
We've received several requests for an example of what a monthly board report should look like. So we asked several local units to share their template and from there we developed a suggested format for monthly board reports. The template has been posted to the FORMS page under "Extension Local Unit Forms." It has been formatted in WORD to provide you with flexibility to change the document to suit the needs of your local unit.
In talking to Local Unit Directors, they shared some tips for how to make the board reports more effective for board members:
• Try to keep the report to one page, front and back.
• Include 1 or 2 pictures from your program.
• Instead of providing a list of activities and meetings attended, try to focus your report toward progress on your action plans, i.e. target audience, partnerships developed, grants secured, evaluation results.
Here are a couple examples:
• Instead of listing that you attended a health coalition meeting, you might change it to say, "Attended the health coalition meeting where we discussed strategies for starting a local farmer's market to increase access to locally grown fruits and vegetables. As part of that project, Extension will provide information and training to local producers and consumers.”
• Instead of listing that you took 48 youth to Rock Springs for 4-H Camp, you might change it to say "48 youth attended camp at Rock Springs. The 4-H camping experience helps youth discover their independence (by being responsible for their self-care and belongings), develop social skills (living with a group of 8 other youth) and master new skills (through camp experiences such as canoeing and archery).”
The template also includes space for you to record the number of direct educational contacts along with race, gender and ethnicity. Completing this section is great information for the board, but will also help to make the process easier for you when completing your Quarterly Effort Reports.