Policies and procedures

section 11: Volunteer management

• 11.1 Introduction to 4-H Youth Development Adult Volunteer Application and Screening Process 
• 11.2 Initial Volunteer Onboarding
• 11.3 Annual Re-enrollment Process
• 11.4 Additional Volunteer Information
• 11.5 4-H Youth Behavioral Expectations
• 11.6 Confidentiality

11.1 Introduction

The mission of the 4-H Youth Development Program is to provide real-life educational opportunities
that develop young people who positively impact their community and world. Extension personnel and
volunteer time and energy should be spent in positive educational programs that support these quality
experiences for children and youth.

All individuals who wish to have a volunteer role with the 4-H Youth Development program must be approved as a volunteer in 4-H Online  prior to assuming a volunteer duties on behalf of the 4-H program.  The following is a standard statement that can be used to communicate this expectation.

Volunteer Status

Only approved volunteers in 4-H Online may assume volunteer duties on behalf of the Purdue Extension 4-H youth Development Program including working with youth, fundraising or making decisions for 4-H.  If you are unsure of your own volunteer status, contact your county 4-H Educator. 

Individuals assisting at 4-H activities or event who are not approved as a 4-H Volunteer in 4-H Online should complete the Non-Purdue Guest Presenter/Partner Form prior to assisting to help create a safe environment for youth.  Contact your county 4-H Educator if you have someone assisting at a 4-H activity or event.

Whether volunteers are recruited or seek out the opportunity for themselves, it is the responsibility of the 4-H Educator to screen, appoint and manage volunteers for the 4-H Program.  All new and any volunteers with a lapse in service (more than one year without an approved enrollment in 4-H Online) must go through the Initial Volunteer Onboarding process documented below.  If you have any questions or need any assistance with this process, please reach out to the 4-H Volunteer Specialist. 

Not all applicants may be approved to serve as a 4-H Volunteer.  4-H Educators should consider the outcome of the screening process, the needs of the program, skills of the individual and roles available to determine the outcome of each applicant’s onboarding process.

11.2 Initial Volunteer Onboarding

All new volunteer applicants and returning volunteers after a lapse in service (more than one year without an approved enrollment in 4-H Online) must complete a the 4-H Volunteer Process including an volunteer application, volunteer screening and training before the county 4-H Educator can decide whether to accept and appoint them to a volunteer role.

4-H Volunteer Process Steps: 

Extension Educator Screening (or their designee) Steps:

Appointment Considerations:

• Any person who has been convicted of child abuse as determined by the screening process or check of the National and State Sex & Violent Offender Registries shall not serve as a volunteer.
• Potential volunteers who are discovered through the application and screening process to have been charged with felony convictions or other charges/convictions shall have their applications and volunteer appointments reviewed by the appropriate staff in the State 4-H office.
• Any individual serving as a volunteer at the time charges of child abuse are made shall be immediately suspended from his/her role as a volunteer pending the outcome of the case. The volunteer status of the individual may be re-evaluated by the Extension Educator once the outcome of the case is known.
• Individuals serving as volunteers who are discovered to have not reported felony or child abuse convictions at the time of application shall be subject to immediate termination as a volunteer. Terminations of volunteers are conducted by the Extension Educator and shall be done in writing.

The Extension Educator* should provide support to all volunteers including:  

• information about future meetings
• resource support
• training opportunities, including an orientation of local information.

*The 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator may choose to designate another Extension Staff member to assist with these steps of the volunteer application and screening process.

11.3 Annual Re-enrollment Process

The 4-H Extension Educator will annually determine if a current 4-H Volunteer should be renewed for the coming year.  Each adult 4-H Volunteer who will have their assignment renewed by the Extension Educator will re-enroll annually in 4-H Online to reconfirm their commitment to the program and to provide updated contact information.  Annually, the Extension Educator* will share instructions with all approved 4-H Volunteers on how to re-enroll in the 4-H Online data management system (enrolling-in-4-h-online-as-a-returning-adult-volunteer.pdf (purdue.edu). For those without Internet access, the Educator will provide paper copies or offer times for the volunteer to use equipment in the Extension Office.

The Extension Educator will communicate with the 4-H Volunteers from the previous program year that 4-H Online will open for the new program year on October 1. At that time, individuals may complete the 4-H Volunteer Re-enrollment Process.  While there is no established state deadline for completion of the re-enrollment process, individuals are not considered approved volunteers and should not assume volunteer duties until they have enrolled for the new program year in 4-H Online and their enrollment is approved. Educators will set and communicate a reasonable timeframe in which individuals are asked to complete the re-enrollment process so that the Educators will know who is willing to serve as a 4-H Volunteer as they plan the new 4-H Program year.

Educators will send enrollment reminders until the end of their target enrollment timeline, but volunteer enrollment in 4-H Online remains open all year.  Educators may set event specific deadlines for enrollment for volunteers (i.e. individuals wishing to assist at the fair must enroll one month prior to the fair).  Therefore, individuals wishing to volunteer should enroll well in advance of any programming with youth to allow adequate time for the Educator to complete the enrollment review and approval process.

* The 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator may choose to designate another Extension Staff member to assist with these steps of the volunteer application and screening process.

Extension Educator Returning Volunteer Review (or their designee) Steps:

* The 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator may choose to designate another Extension Staff member to assist with these steps of the volunteer application and screening process.

11.4 Additional Volunteer Information

4-H members, volunteers, parents, friends and family who do not follow the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service and 4-H Youth Development behavioral expectations and/or who are a continuing disruptive force, despite appropriate and sincere efforts to resolve their concerns, may be barred from participating in and/or volunteering for youth development programs sponsored by the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service.

Volunteers who relocate from one Indiana county to another and desire continued volunteer
involvement may be asked to undergo the initial volunteer process by the new Educator.

On occasion a volunteer may not be able to sign the Vehicle Use Policy. The Extension Educator
should first contact the volunteer to determine the reason he/she cannot sign the policy. Then,
the Educator should contact the State 4-H Office for additional guidance. Inability to sign the
Vehicle Use Policy does not automatically disqualify an individual from serving as a volunteer.

This information is being provided to help maintain a system established in 1991. The purpose
is to effectively select and retain qualified 4-H Youth Development volunteers. Questions may
arise that are not addressed in the above policies. Direct those questions to the State 4-H
Office.

11.5 4-H Youth Behavioral Expectations

Previously, the 4-H Youth Behavioral Expectations Form (4-H785Y) was provided to those individuals
serving as leaders or role models for other youth involved in the 4-H Youth Development Program.

11.6 Confidentiality

• All persons involved in the volunteer screening process will be informed and expected to maintain confidentiality.  All information collected through the 4-H Volunteer Process must be handled as private and confidential and should not be shared with anyone outside of CES personnel or their designees assigned to manage and support the 4-H Volunteer Process.   
• All forms, applications, notes on references, background checks, National Sex and Violent Offender Registry information, and interviews must be kept in a location which can be accessed only by CES personnel or their designees who are responsible for implementing these volunteer procedures.
• All information about applicants and why they are accepted or rejected as a youth program volunteer must be treated in a confidential manner. Only authorized persons should be involved in discussing applicants. Discretion and privacy must be used when screening and discussing applicants.
• As with other university personnel files, an applicant may have access only to the materials he/she has completed. Materials provided by others, including references, committee reports and interview notes, are NOT shared with the applicant/volunteer.
• Individuals requesting information on a 4-H volunteer applicant may have access to the information in an individual, volunteer file if the proper criteria are met. Should you receive a request to access any volunteer record:
  • Clearly state that you have no authority to receive, grant, or deny any request for access.
  • Instruct them to contact the Office of Legal Counsel:
    • Hovde Hall, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907
    • 765-496-3550; publicrecords@purdue.edu
  • You may reference the required Request for Public Record form that is found on the Purdue University Public Records web site: http://www.purdue.edu/business/records/Public_Records/index.html
• Any person who permits or encourages unauthorized disclosure of confidential information obtained from background checks can be charged with a class misdemeanor.
• Any person who shares confidential information may be subject to disciplinary actions.