The Volunteer Café is a webinar series held every two months for 4-H volunteers. It will highlight and share creative and useful ideas from the 4-H community. This series aims to inspire, educate, and unite 4-H volunteers by sharing knowledge between volunteers and staff.

These webinars are a free resource for all 4-H volunteers. Join the live webinars to connect with other volunteers, share your experiences and learn from each other. This is a space for new and long-time volunteers to share ideas, questions and suggestions with each other.

Join us for our first webinar

Fun with a Purpose: Creating Belonging in 4-H

Thursday, October 17, 2024

7pm – 8pm

Via Zoom: Register to receive login information

As leaders, our goal is for all youth to feel included in a meaningful way in 4-H. Fun activities can build connections between leaders and youth and support a feeling of belonging. Together, we will explore different types of group activities that use fun intentionally to foster belonging.

Led by Scott Mautte, MS; Community Education Specialist-Volunteer & Staff Development

Scott specializes in creating inclusive environments through engaging activities. He has over 30 years of experience in youth development and community education and a Master's degree in Organizational Learning and Performance.

~~~~~

Save the date for our next webinar on December 19th!

Day Camp: Cultivating Positive Ethnic Identity

Thursday, December 19, 2024 7pm – 8pm

Through our day camp, we helped kids feel good about their ethnic backgrounds. Learn why a positive ethnic identity is important for our youth. Emily will share how their day camp in San Bernardino County started and how it’s going now. The fun and hands-on activities support kids from all backgrounds and can also be used to expand your programming in afterschool clubs.

Led by Emily Watson, 4-H Community Education Specialist, San Bernardino County

Emily is a member of the UC ANR Program Team for Expanded Learning.

Beyond Ready Zoom backgrounds

We are proud to share Zoom backgrounds for the Beyond Ready theme. You can use them during National 4-H Week and through the rest of the year. In addition to images from National 4-H, we are proud to feature the work of the following 4-H'ers from the 2024 State Photography Contest:

• Veda G.- Alameda- Intermediate- Birds in the Sunset
• Lane T.- Kings- Intermediate- Angus Silhouette at Sunset
• Ava W.- Kern- Intermediate- Cabbage Field of Dreams
• John F.- Santa Clara- Senior- In Your Eye
• Plus, a photo by Eve Dowdell, 4-H Alumna and our Communications Intern, who came up with this idea!

To view and download the Zoom backgrounds, please go to the Marketing Materials page of the CA 4-H Resource Center. We will also be adding Beyond Ready posts and bookmarks in English and Spanish to the page soon.

California 4-H Learning Center

Explore a variety of on-demand eLearning courses just for volunteers like you! From required core courses to enriching topics, the 4-H Learning Center offers everything you need to grow. Each course has a brief description and an easy link to access them. You'll also find enrollment keys for your county. Visit the Learning Center today and start your personal learning journey!

Financial Management Series for Volunteers

This series of micro-learning modules covers key financial management topics tailored for 4-H volunteers. It's especially beneficial for those in financial roles like Club Leaders, Treasurer Advisors, and Volunteer Management Organization (VMO) Treasurers.

Learners will receive certificate of completion and electronic badge upon completion of all seven modules. 

Visit the 4-H Learning Center to explore the English and Spanish versions of this series.

Available now

1. Financial management basics
2. Setting up and authorizing bank accounts
3. Planning, fundraising, and managing resources

Coming soon

1. November 2024: Handling gifts, scholarships, animals, and firearms as gifts
2. February 2025: Financial reporting and compliance
3. April 2025: Responsibilities of 4-H Unit and VMO Treasurers
4. June 2025: Managing excess funds, disbursements, taxes, and property

The Future of AgTech 4-H Breakfast fundraiser

Thursday, Oct. 24; 7:30 – 9 am

FIRA USA 2024, Yolo County Fairgrounds

$100 ticket includes breakfast and an all day access pass to the FIRA-USA Conference.

Support the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program by purchasing a ticket to the Future of AgTech 4-H Breakfast. Your breakfast ticket will also give you an all day access pass to the FIRA-USA conference. The breakfast will feature speakers from California 4-H and highlight the ways 4-H activities are preparing students to become leaders in their communities. 

Proceeds from the breakfast will support higher education scholarships for 4-H youth pursuing the use of technology to enhance agricultural practices and solve our most pressing challenges.

About FIRA-USA

With 3 demo zones, the FIRA USA is the largest robot playground in the world. Get to the front row of the agriculture of tomorrow and see 35+ robots in demos and display, from prototypes to marketed robots. From weed control to fertilizer, harvesting, picking and seeding: automation is in the spotlight on cultivated plots, vegetables, orchards, and vineyards!

The FIRA Conference draws attendees from the ag industry, researchers, start-ups, and investors. Learn more about FIRA at https://fira-usa.com/

Please see the flyer for more information. You can purchase tickets at 4-H Breakfast @FIRA Registration.

Fundraising Made Friendly

Contrary to popular belief, fundraising is not just about asking people for money. It’s about building relationships, showcasing the benefits of your program, and proudly displaying your affinity to the program as a 4-H alumni, supporter, and friend. Fundraising Made Friendly is a monthly tip that will help you build those relationships which may lead to support for your program. By consistently engaging with your network through personalized updates and meaningful interactions, you’ll cultivate a strong foundation of trust and collaboration that can enhance the success and reach of 4-H in your community.

As we approach this fall’s giving season, think about the benefits your program provides to your community and begin to share these benefits through your communication channels (i.e., email list serve, social media, interactions with volunteers, parents, expanded partners, and donors).

Consider a programmatic goal and develop a fundraising amount that will help support this goal. Create a few talking points that will clearly articulate how private support will help you achieve this goal. Examples are below.:

• One of our top priorities this year is to expand 4-H programming in the community and engage more youth.
• We are working with the school districts to launch a “4-H Soccer for Success” program which is projected to engage (number) youth in the first year.
• Our goal is to raise $(insert dollar amount) during this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign which will provide support for supplies (i.e., soccer equipment), trainings, and youth and adult volunteer fee waivers.
• Will you join us on December 3 and help us reach our goals?

Dear 4-H Community,

      I hope you are well and looking forward to a restful weekend. Please allow me to share that, in the 2 months in which I have been in the role of State 4-H Director, I have discovered how absolutely wonderful each of you are. I am grateful to you for sharing your time, talent, and treasure to help young people learn and grow. I am looking forward to visiting your communities over the next few months. In the meantime, please know that you are thought of frequently and fondly and appreciated always. 

Sincerely,

Kimberly Sinclair Holmes, PhD

State 4-H Director

University of California ANR

See more upcoming events



Donate to keep our community thriving