Mobilizing Members, Volunteers, and Leaders in Extension: The Call to Action

Abstract

Mobilizing members, volunteers, and leaders is the all-important component of a volunteer program and consists of three steps, including engage, motivate, and supervise. Providing service to an organization cannot occur without engaging its volunteers and leaders. Engaging in the performance of tasks and roles too quickly will generally result in frustration, poor performance, and a poor retention rate. Administrators of volunteer programs should understand the motives that contribute to beginning, continuing, and discontinuing volunteer service. During the supervising phase, Extension professionals and volunteer administrators determine how well the volunteer is using the available resources to perform the assigned task.