Assessing Leadership Development Needs of 4-H Volunteer Leaders

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate Penn State Extension 4-H volunteer leaders’ leadership development needs and preferred delivery methods for leadership development. The participants were 147 volunteer leaders who attended Penn State Extension Annual 4-H Leader Forum and filled out the survey. We found that the overall mean score for leadership skills needs among volunteer leaders was 4.33 (SD =.45). Volunteers’ overall leadership skills needs do not differ based on volunteer gender, level of education, age, and previous volunteer experience. The preferred delivery methods of leadership development for Penn State Extension 4-H volunteer leaders were workshop and in-service training. Leadership education is critical in advancing volunteers’ skills and preparing them to delivery well-developed, state of the art contemporary leadership education programs.