May 16, 2023
Kansas 4-H Communication Process
As a system, we communicate through a variety of methods including, but not limited to, Microsoft Teams, the Tuesday Letter, the 4-H Tip Sheet and email. We all have a responsibility to read and keep up with the correspondence, so we are informed on what is going on in our system. Can it be overwhelming? Absolutely! Therefore, we want to help you understand our intention moving forward by spelling out the communication process we will use for Kansas 4-H. This article will outline this process as we move forward.
We all must do our part to keep up, be accountable and follow through. We do not claim that this system will be perfect, but we have to start somewhere. I love the saying, progress over perfection. We must start somewhere and as long as our progress is moving in the right direction, we are winning!
Your Kansas State 4-H Office values open, honest and timely communication. Our team has been working on a communication plan and wants you to know that our goal is to make sure you, our local KSRE professionals, are notified about learning opportunities and other news prior to our families and clients.
Our goal will be to notify the local Extension Units via the 4-H Tip Sheet, Tuesday Letter, Microsoft Teams, and/or email. We will strive to make this notification at least one day, if not more, before it goes out to the public (i.e., Facebook posts, 4-H Online emails).
When it comes to our state learning opportunities, we are going to work hard to have registrations open and close around the 1st or 15th of the month (adjusting for weekends). We want events to be open for six weeks to allow for adequate promotion and recruitment.
When the registration opens, an email will go out to the local KSRE professionals prior to the initial notification going out to the public. Additional promotion (or follow-up) messages may be sent during the registration period, however, local KSRE professionals will not be notified of those in advance.
Registration for an event will close at least two weeks prior to the event (This is subject to change based on the timing of the event and at the discretion of the state professionals. Examples include but are not limited to the Kansas 4-H Horticulture Judging Contest, etc.). This will help ensure that those working behind the scenes will have time to prepare nametags, copies and other details for the learning opportunity.
When someone registers, the email address that is indicated in the registration is the email address that will receive a confirmation email once the registration has been submitted. If the submit button is not pushed, then the registration will not be completed. The confirmation email should be received within moments of submitting their registration. If this confirmation message is not received within 12 hours of submitting the registration (the junk and spam folders should be checked), the family should contact their local office.
For more information on where to locate the list of event registrations, please refer to an earlier 4-H Tip Sheet article (https://www.kansas4-h.org/tipsheet/announcement/?id=87006) and the email sent by Sarah Maass on January 6, 2023 (subject: State 4-H Event Registrations).
Every participant will need a designated chaperone who is either a KSRE employee or a screened volunteer who has completed the volunteer registration process and has been approved by their local Extension board. Extension units will also need to determine the best way to get 4-H members from the Extension Unit to the learning opportunity, which may mean asking another Extension Unit to assist with transportation.
Our goal is to post invoices in Microsoft Teams within five business days of the event registration closing; for reference, please review the following communication: https://www.kansas4-h.org/tipsheet/announcement/?id=87006, and an email sent on 1/6/2023. When invoices are posted, just like registration updates, the invoices will be posted in the KSRE Resources Team under the Youth Development Team Channel with a message indicating invoices have been uploaded. While we know you would like itemized invoices, it is not feasible at this time. However, we are working on a process for this. In the meantime, it is best to print the list of those registered to attach to the invoice. We ask that payment for invoices are received within 30 days.
We appreciate your flexibility, patience and understanding as we continue to work together “To Make the Best Better.”