Hosting an Event in Maricopa County
Let the Maricopa County 4-H Staff help you in planning your next 4-H event!
Hosting events is not just limited to our adult volunteers, by following these five steps our 4-H youth will also have the tools they need to navigate through the event planning process! Keep in mind, working on an event together, can result in a powerful youth-adult partnership, where learning happens on both sides!
If you're ready to take this adventure and plan a 4-H event for Maricopa County, let's get started!
STEP #1: OUTLINE YOUR EVENT
It's hard to know where to start when you have no idea of what you're doing. Take a couple of minutes and work as a team to outline your event on paper. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- What's the purpose of this event?
- Where will the event be held?
- What supplies will we need?
- When do we want to hold this event?
Use this Event To-Do List Fillable Template to make this part easier, and help you with your next event!
Once you have a good outline for your event, it's time to move on to Step #2. Just remember, the committees typically only meet once a month, so make sure you notify them far enough in advance to allow time to discuss your event proposal at the next regularly-scheduled meeting and promote it at least six (6) weeks in advance.
STEP #2 - CONTACT YOUR COUNTY PROJECT COMMITTEE
Maricopa County is one of the largest counties in the U.S. and is home to over half of Arizona residents. Due to this unique situation, Maricopa County 4-H Staff rely heavily on our County Project Committees to organize and provide a variety of learning and demonstrating opportunities for the youth of Maricopa County 4-H.
If you have an educational or competition opportunity for the youth of Maricopa County 4-H, please share it with the appropriate County Project Committee and get on their calendar!
To contact a County Project Committee, please click on the appropriate committee below and submit a contact form.
STEP #3 - COMPLETE AN ONLINE EVENT REQUEST FORM
There’s a lot involved with putting on an event. To help you be as successful as possible, the 4-H Staff have developed an online “4-H Event Request Form (link is external)” which will walk you through the entire process of planning the event, from considering your risk management plan to marketing, this form should cover everything you need.
Here are a few specific things to have prepared prior to completing the “4-H Event Request Form”:
General Events
- Two date options for your event
- Rain/Inclement Weather or Cancellation Policy
- Audience
- Marketing methods (click to download Flyer Sample and review 4-H Name and Emblem Guidelines and 4-H Clover Use Guidelines)
- Risk Management Plan (click to download Risk Management Plan)
- Food needs and reasonable accommodations
- Volunteer opportunities
- Registration
- Equipment needs
Community Service/Fund-raising
- Completed Fund-raising Form
- Information on the organization you are supporting
- Goals and objectives of the event
Educational Events
- Bios of speakers
- Goals and objectives of the event
STEP #4 – COMPLETE ALL APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTATION
There’s usually a lot of moving pieces during a 4-H event, so make sure you’re covered in all areas. Here is a list of forms you either need to complete or have on hand during your event:
Complete before or immediately after your event:
Have on hand during your event:
STEP #5 - EVENT FOLLOW-UP
Every event or show should be a learning experience, that's why it's really important to do an event follow-up.
1st Follow-up - Volunteers and Participants
By asking for feedback from the people who participated in your event, you can learn some valuable information. Feel free to create your own evaluation forms, or try one of ours:
- 4-H Event Evaluation - Volunteers
- 4-H Event Evaluation - Participants
- 4-H Show Evaluation - Volunteers
- 4-H Show Evaluation - Participants
It is also very important to send a thank-you to all the individuals who took time out of their day to volunteer for your event! Make sure the thank-you card is personable and is sent out within four (4) weeks of your event! By properly recognizing your volunteers, you have a greater chance of them volunteering in the future!
2nd Follow-up - Your Team
After an event, it's highly suggested to have a quick debriefing with your team. Debriefs can be done in may ways, but ultimately they do the same thing. They provide a platform for your team members to share what they thought went well and what they think needs improvement for next time.
3rd Follow-up - Yourself
We live our lives in two different zones, the learning zone and the performing zone. During our event, we're in the performing zone where we are demonstrating what we have previously learned. Now that your event is done, take the time to think about your thoughts and your actions prior to and during the event. What went well? What could have gone better? How can you improve for the future? By taking a couple of minutes to perform a self-evaluation, you are putting yourself in the learning zone. It is only by putting ourselves in the learning zone that we grow and overcome a plateau phase!