In November 2021, the IECA Board of Directors embarked upon the development of an action plan to guide their work over the next three years from 2022-2025. The action plan answers the question: Imagine we have fully engaged County Extension Councils, what should IECA do by 2025 to enhance this engagement? Goals, outcomes, and strategies to achieve the outcomes were developed.
Download the action plan in PDF format.
Action Planning Summary
Guiding Question: Imagine we have fully engaged County Extension Councils, what should IECA do by 2025 to enhance this engagement?
Goals to answer the guiding question:
- IECA has a broad set of benefits that are well-used by counties to improve services to their constituents
- More council member involvement in IECA to improve county council effectiveness
- Improve effectiveness of local councils
Outcomes we will see to know we have reached our goals:
- Increase participation at events – council conference, legislative day
- Increase awareness and use of IECA benefits
- Increase member benefits offerings
- Increase role clarity in county council membership
- Increase networking opportunities between counties
- Increase usage of online resources
Strategies to employ to achieve our outcomes:
Extension Council Conference:
- More networking time
- Employ visual cues of commonality (ways to identify people from the same region, same council committee, etc.)
- Offer a virtual hybrid option for workshops to allow off-site participation
- Incentives – benefit usage, not just door prizes
- Incentives for attendance
Legislative Day
- Make sure all IECA board members have a clear vision and details about legislative day
- More emails (to council members) about legislative day
- Develop talking points for board members to share
Awareness/usage of benefits:
- 3-Minute video: Discussion of IECA benefits (EAP, legal services, IECA staff)
- Share success stories/promos with highlights of how our benefits help serve the needs of councils
- Promote IECA staff
Board Members connecting to Council members
- Talking points for board members to use when meeting with councils – focused topics
Enhance online resources for Council members
- Include links to website on all online resources
- Partner with regional directors to train councils on resources available on the IECA website
Identify new benefits of membership
- Needs assessment to identify council needs that we can help solve
- Make personal contacts for ideas – ask council members about their needs and solicit success stories of benefit usage
- Standardize interview questions for board members to ask of council members
Networking for councils
- Regional meetings
- Develop a potential agenda for regional meetings – each county could share both a success story and a concern
Improve council role clarity
- 3-minute video on importance of the nominating committee
- 3-minute video on council member role
- Provide links to resources