Resources to help your club meetings be effective - Part 1
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EmailEvaluate the effectiveness of your 4-H club meetings using these helpful tools.
Sitting through ineffective meetings is not how anyone wants to spend their precious time. 4-H club meetings are no exception! Michigan State University Extension says that planning effective club meetings takes skill and determination on the part of the club leader and the club youth officers. There are many ways that volunteer club leaders can assess club meetings to make sure that youth are getting the most out of their club time.
Over a series of articles, MSU Extension will highlight different resources and tools that can help volunteers determine the effectiveness of their club time. These resources will provide a variety of methods to evaluate various aspects of club meetings.
The first resource from Texas Tech University—Lubbock is a tool that can be used to assess objectively the effectiveness of 4-H club meetings which was developed by 4-H Extension staff members. The “4-H Club Meeting Scorecard” can be utilized to evaluate the meetings opening ceremonies, the business session, the program, and the recreation and refreshment portion of the meeting. Each of these components serves a purpose and should intentionally be included into 4-H club meetings.
The following is the scorecard that was developed, which can be accessed online.
4-H Club Meeting Scorecard
Club Name ______________________________________ Date_____________________
OPENING CEREMONY:
(Total = 15 points)
Meeting promptly opened (possible score of 2)
Flag set displayed (possible score of 2)
Pledge of Allegiance to American flag led (possible score of 3)
4-H Motto and Pledge led (possible score of 3)
Inspiration given (possible score of 2)
Attendance taken (possible score of 3)
SUBTOTAL __________
BUSINESS SESSION:
(Total = 25 points)
Minutes read (possible score of 3)
Treasurer's report given (possible score of 3)
County council delegate report given (possible score of 3)
Different members involved (possible score of 4)
Parliamentary procedure used (possible score of 5)
Organization leader's report given (possible score of 4)
County newsletter or other announcement given (possible score of 3)
SUBTOTAL __________
PROGRAM:
(Total = 35 points)
Introduction given (possible score of 4)
Club members appeared interested (possible score of 6)
Educational ideas/skills presented (possible score of 12)
Information presented on members' level (possible score of 9)
Summary, question and/or thanks given (possible score of 4)
SUBTOTAL __________
RECREATION AND REFRESHMENTS:
(Total = 25 points)
Activity leader(s) prepared (possible score of 5)
Everyone given chance to participate (possible score of 5)
Sportsmanship exhibited (possible score of 5)
Members appeared to enjoy (possible score of 5)
Refreshments provided (possible score of 5)
SUBTOTAL __________
TOTAL __________ JUDGES'S INITIALS _________
The scorecard can be utilized in multiple ways such as to improve a clubs meeting effectiveness, train volunteer and youth leaders how to effectively run a meeting, or to conduct a meetings contest in your local program.
The next article in this series highlights ideas created by Clemson University, 4-H Youth Development. The third and final installment of this series will explore the Vibrant Club Assessment tool produced by the National 4-H Council.
