Volunteers that clearly understand their service role and their relationship to the organization they are serving are more effective than those who do not. It is difficult for volunteers to develop an understanding of the program they are delivering, their relationship to the organization and the University of Kentucky without an informative, educational orientation program. While orientation has long been required for all Extension volunteers, few actually receive the orientation necessary for them to effectively perform their roles. The reasons for this are varied and many. Lack of time, inconvenient work and personal schedules of the volunteers, an increasingly busy and harried schedule of the Extension professional, and discomfort in developing or utilizing a volunteer orientation program all contribute to the gap between what is required and what is actually done. Many volunteers, therefore, fail to reach their potential because they never receive the education and/or information necessary for success. To increase the number of volunteers receiving orientation, improve the quality of the orientation being provided, accommodate the busy schedules of both volunteers and Extension professionals, and provide consistent orientation information statewide, a series of on-line 4-H Volunteer Orientation modules were developed. This series were developed by Ralph Hance, Sherrill Bentley and Leslie Bullock in conjunction with Dr. Ken Culp for the Advanced Volunteer Academy class. This series, which includes 20 voice-over powerpoint presentations, provides orientation for 4-H Camp (7 presentations), an introduction to 4-H for club leaders (10 presentations) and an introduction for each of the certified volunteer programs (Livestock, Horse and Shooting Sports). The series provides an opportunity for volunteers to receive the necessary orientation information at a time and location that is convenient for them. Modules are short; each last between 3 and 5 minutes, and conclude with an evaluation of the orientation seminar and a 5 question assessment. Individuals scoring 80% or more are directed to a certificate, which they complete, print and deliver to their Extension professional, signifying that they have completed that module. The online volunteer orientation series is not required; it simply provides a tool for busy Extension professionals and volunteers to utilize, in order to facilitate the easy with which orientation may be delivered and received. This series is still in pilot testing for most counties but has been presented at Volunteer Conferences and utilized by a few counties across the state of Kentucky. Accessibility for volunteers is the number one issue with this as it is currently on 4Honline and volunteers can' access it without obtaining a login code from their agent. In the future this is one aspect we are looking into options to solve. 

Submitted 9/21/2017 to be edited in the future.