Hope Is A Weapon by Curtis Sittenfeld February/March 1999 pp. 179-184

Working with volunteers is a big part of my job. I spend a lot of time organizing programs that rely on volunteers to carry out the details or to be involved in the steps of the programs. I am always looking for new ideas to keep volunteers involved or to get new people interested.

Reading this article was very good for me as I saw the results of an ambitious non-profit organization. My aspirations aren't as lofty as those in this article, but the concept behind this organization is more than admirable. The first step in the success of Focus: Hope was to run the organization with the sophistication of a business. I am assuming that it took a lot of planning and energy and guts to make this organization a success. Changing a strategy and doing things differently than others dream or desire can sometimes cause people to put their ideas on the back burner or to move slower than they had originally intended.

Eleanor Josaitis and Father William Cunningham observe three principles that allow them to be businesslike in their organization. 1) Think big 2) Demand results and 3) Invite people to help. They've moved beyond the initial service of the organization of feeding infants born to poor women. They're still doing that service, but have expanded it to get parents off food programs and into the work world. They are training people in technology, skills and industry demands so they can not only get a decent paying job, but also feed their kids. In one year, people can complete two twenty-six week courses and find a job, as the placement rate is 100%. Definitely an incentive to enter a program.

Running Focus: Hop as a business requires some pretty stiff expectations. Josaitis declares, "Nobody is going to give us anythingWe earn the business we get." People choose to become part of the program, they aren't required to participate or expected to enroll. They enroll because they want to. Once they've enrolled, they are held to non-negotiable performance standards. This helps to prepare students for the work world, where excuses aren't accepted.

I was surprised to read that Focus: Hope has come under attack for its "unforgiving standards." Eleanor Josaitis argues "that by setting high expectations, the program not only challenges people to reach their potential but also respects their dignity. And dignity is a major theme of the Focus: Hope experience." I like the high expectations and standards and I can assume the students do too, as they become employees in the work world. There is a real sense of self-worth, as well as a sense of pride in being responsible and reliable.

Josaitis says, "I believe with everything in me that there are many people of goodwill who are waiting to be invited to do something." As I work with volunteers in my job, I need to remember that there are people who would likely be interested in helping, I just need to ask. I can't always rely on the pool of people that have always been available to me, I need to ask for people to help or look for ways to encourage people to become involved. My volunteer base could quickly disappear if I don't find a way to expand it, and I recognize some new ways and reasons for asking people to help as I read the article.

My sister-in-law works for Extension in another state and sees some of the challenges of working with volunteers as well. This article was also a surprise to her as she hadn't considered the possibility of running a non-profit organization such as 4-H, as a business. The three principles weren't so unrealistic to the 4-H program - think big, demand results, and invite people to help. Those are even followed to some degree already. Demand ing results may be the most difficult because as people volunteer, it's hard to insist on what they will accomplish during the time they are involved in your organization. She commented that you can create some expectations or guidelines about their involvement, behavior or even the language they can use while volunteering, but to say what the results will be is different. Not everyone who volunteers is willing to give the time or energy to get the expected results.

Extension has some of the same ideas as Focus: Hope. There are courses offered for knowledge, which helps people, but they don't often help people improve their skills for employment. The courses might be for gardening or pesticide application, but people don't often become employed from what we teach. I struggle with the differences in our programs. I see the merit of Focus: Hope and it has made a difference for many in the Detroit area. It is innovative, needed and successful - key components for a program to continue.

Extension offers information in different ways and for different needs. I believe in what Extension is doing for the people of our communities. Programs like Parents Forever, which helps divorcing families recognize the impact on children, or "Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?" that helps families in the process of estate planning are important as they provide helpful and useful information. That information helps people during decision making and that is also an important concept.

This article was good for me to read. I am not planning to put the information to use in running the Jackson County 4-H program like a business in the sense that Focus: Hope did, but it was informative and interesting about how a program can be built from the ground up to become the "difference" people need to change their lives as well. It's definitely a thought provoker that will remind me of the many different ways we can work to instill that sense of pride in others.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 1999

Answers

Kia, I had several thoughts about relating our 4-H program to the business in your article as I read your summary. One relates to the standards we set. I've struggled a little with some of our volunteers/parents/4-hers who feel we should not be too restrictive in our requirements for kids to be a part of our program. While I agree with giving everyone an opportunity to participate, I still feel it's necessary to hold high standards. I believe kids need to work hard if they want to achieve trips, rewards and "perks". We have to work hard in our jobs to receive those incentives. The arguement that kids are too busy to be held to such requirements is a tough one, but kids also need to be taught about setting priorities and focusing on what activities will lead them down the path that makes the most impact on their future. I guess it's a fine line between keeping our enrollment up and being too restrictive; what do your think?

Kari

-- Anonymous, March 04, 1999