greene county extension council business...

Greene County Extension Council Business Plan 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807

Telephone: 417-881-8909

Email at [email protected]

Website: http://extension.missouri.edu/greene

Executive Summary

This business plan for the Greene County Extension Council is written with the

Council’s scope of operations in mind. It is essential that we work as a county team. Every spe-

cialist that serves Greene County, as well as University of Missouri Extension administration,

must be a member of this team. The success of this plan depends on involvement from those

who have a vested interest in MU Extension (Master Gardeners, 4-H volunteers, council mem-

bers, etc). This business plan lays out steps members of the council can take to achieve sustain-

ability for Extension in Greene County. It also includes ideas for efforts in marketing, fundrais-

ing, stakeholder relations, revenue generation and program creation. Implementing these sug-

gestions rests on the elected members of the Greene County Extension Council.

Greene County Extension Council is facing a budget crisis that will require transforma-

tional change. At the same time, an effort is needed to educate the public and elected officials

about the actual role of MU Extension and its relationship to county government. To create a

sustainable budget council must address the political and governmental aspects of its funding

challenges. This includes being involved with the state approved extension districting option.

The continuation of Extension in Greene County is going to require a change in how

Extension operates. It will require changes in how council markets this organization and a

united effort toward stakeholder relations. Members of the Extension council must become

invested in marketing Greene County Extension and raising funds. Specialists and staff should

work closely with Council to promote Extension and develop programs that have impact. When

Extension programs are impactful, they also often create a situation where revenue can be

generated. Council may also want to work with the regional director to discuss ways that

revenue generation can be added to the job description of Extension specialists.

What is being suggested in this plan will not be easy to get started and will not be with-

out challenges. However, as long as the Greene County Commission continues to underfund

the Extension program, we owe it to the citizens of the county to “do Extension differently” in

Greene County. Ultimately, council must raise funds. We must also get council members

engaged, active and moving in one direction.

Approved by the Greene County Extension Council: 2013

Committee members who developed this plan:

Carl Allison, chairman of county council Harold Bender, county council member

Tony DeLong, county council coordinator David Burton, county program director

George Deatz, Friends of the Garden Joe Jenkins, county council member

Lisa Bakerink, Master Gardeners of Greene County Jay Chism, director, southwest region

Extension Council reviews and updates the document annually.

Updated October 28, 2015

mailto:[email protected]

General Description

Legal name and function: The University of Missouri Extension Council of Greene County is

the official name of our governing body. We commonly refer to the elected body as Greene

County Extension Council.

Connection to county government: The Greene County Extension Council is a county govern-

ing body established in Missouri state law. (Revised Statutes of Missouri Sections 262:550 to

262:620: County Extension Programs). The council is not a not-for-profit or charity organiza-

tion however donations to Extension are tax deductible as described in the IRS advisory letter

included in the appendix of this document. Missouri law states the basic three roles of the ad-

ministrative body of the county is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens.

Greene County Extension assists in filling and supporting that role. MU Extension is the educa-

tor of choice by federal, state and national agencies because Extension already has in-place,

with joint partnerships, accessible programming in every county of the state.

Mission: The mission of the Greene County Extension Council is to govern operations of the

local office, secure revenue, give input on programs and county staff, and promote Extension.

Vision: University of Missouri Extension is a valued and trusted research-based educational

solution to improve the quality of life in Missouri, nation and world. The vision of this Exten-

sion Council is to create an atmosphere in which Extension can flourish in Greene County.

Purpose: The purpose of the Greene County Extension Council is for members to cooperate in

providing effective educational program support for the county citizens by: discussing issues of

concern and need; making recommendations on issues of concern in the county; assisting the

County Program Director (CPD) with council training; promoting and supporting county

planning and programming according to state laws and administrative guidelines; fostering the

partnership of University of Missouri Extension; supporting the polices and procedures of the

Extension council; following the state laws and supporting the funding for county office

operations, Greene County Extension programs, governance and membership.

Our clients: Businesses and residents of Greene County and the Springfield metro area who

need practical education in Extension’s educational service areas.

Competitors: There are other organizations that offer similar programs. At the same time,

Extension often collaborates with these same organizations to accomplish programs. We need to

formulate plans that leverage revenue for Extension out of those partnerships.

Strengths: University of Missouri Extension provides Greene County with well-educated and

capable extension specialists. We have the expertise and knowledge necessary to succeed.

Members of our county council are key to making this new philosophy work. Our council

members may in fact be our key competitive strength.

Meetings: Council meets monthly at the Greene County Extension headquarters. To better edu-

cate the public about Extension, and council could move meetings to different public locations

but should consider the financial impact.

Greene County Extension Council Business Plan


Pricing and fees: An Extension specialist’s teaching time is worth $50 an hour to cover office

overhead and expenses generated by housing the specialist. For many programs, the University

expects to receive a payback of an amount equal to $35 per hour for a specialist’s teaching time.

We believe Extension programming has real value to private residents and in the public arena.

Our programs have real costs and our fees should reflect the cost of doing business.

Products and Services

Greene County Extension can provide education services in these five general areas:

Agriculture and Natural Resources ― Agriculture and natural resources education provides

citizens and businesses with 21st century tools to enhance profitability, strengthen communities

and protect the environment. Livestock and forages are key aspects of this program area that are

relevant in Greene County. This program area also includes: Master Gardeners (program volun-

teers provide horticulture information and education to the public) and Master Naturalists (a

program that engages Missourians in the stewardship of our state's natural resources).

Business Development ― Business development education assists business start-ups, helps

businesses remain competitive and prosperous, and creates more wealth for the community. Our

specialists work with local Chambers and Small Business Development and Technical Centers

(SBDTC) on the campus of Missouri State University to help new and struggling businesses.

Community Development ― Community development education helps citizens tap into local

strengths and University resources to create communities of the future. Programs like the Com-

munity Emergency Management Program, Community Development Academy, Healthy Life-

styles Initiative, and community decision support define community development efforts.

4-H Youth Development ― Youth education connects parents and youth with the latest

research and best practices to help young people gain leadership skills, build self-esteem and be

valued, contributing members of our community in partnership with caring adults. We want to

see 4-H continue to positively impact rural, suburban and urban youth in Greene County.

Human Environmental Sciences ― HES education provides Missourians with research-based

programs on health, nutrition, parenting, aging, divorce, personal finance, housing, consumer

action and more. The nutrition program reaches large numbers of Greene County residents. The

nutrition program is designed to assist residents with limited resources by teaching both youth

and adults about healthy food choices and regular physical activity.

Marketing Plan

Team Approach Needed: One person cannot do it all. Members of the Extension Council,

specialists and staff in the county all play a role in marketing MU Extension. Emphasis needs to

be placed on the role Council members have in marketing Extension, especially word of mouth.

Increased use of partners: We need to get representatives of our partners on the Extension

Council, encourage partners to market Extension and promote our events, and educate them

about our need for revenue.



Increasing Word of Mouth: All research points to the same conclusion: word of mouth is the

single most effective marketing tool and strategy. The council, in partnership with the Universi-

ty, needs to create tools that make word-of-mouth marketing easier and more effective for

council members, specialists and staff.

Possible new ideas and tools include: Business cards for council members

Improved stakeholder relations

Marketing aimed at our key partners (and getting partners on the council)

Increased use of direct mail and automated phone calls to audiences

Train specialists, staff and council members to interact with these Facebook pages: Greene

County Extension Council, Master Gardeners of Greene County and MUExtension417.

Expanded distribution of Reaching Out Report to partners. This report is produced and de-

livered monthly to media, opinion leaders and elected officials in Greene County.

Identify high traffic locations in the county where MU Extension signs could be placed.

Examples of current marketing done by specialists:

Weekly interviews with Extension specialists on KOLR TV

Brochure displays in the public libraries with information about programs

Daily postings on Extension-managed social media pages

Southwest Region News Service and its subscribers

Annual report and other publications about Greene County Extension

Specialist nametags with logo and shirts with logo worn for programs and events

Southwest Region News Blog

Our YouTube channel, MUExtension417

The newspapers that carry our media content. In the region, we annual have over 1,000

articles printed at a value of over $2 million

Three weekly columns in newspapers (with over 150,000 circulation) that are key to Greene

County: Agriculture in the Ozarks (Sunday News-Leader), Ask a Master Gardener (Sunday

News-Leader) and Live and Learn (weekly Republic Monitor)

Podium banners, signs at events, class cross-marketing events at programs

Marketing efforts aimed at providing programs at area businesses.

Specialists also serve on community boards and bring Extension expertise and research to

those boards and community organizations.

This will require council and specialists working together and with their friends and business

networks to promote Greene County Extension and market the programs outlined in our course

catalog. The sponsorship program ultimately holds great promise as a marketing tool as well.

Operational Plan

Specialists at the Greene County Extension Center conduct programs throughout the county in

conjunction with partners. Space in the Botanical Center is scheduled by parks staff and re-

quires paperwork that is approved by the county program director.



Location: The Greene County Extension Center is located inside the Springfield-Greene Coun-

ty Botanical Center at 2400 S. Scenic, Springfield, Mo. The Botanical Center is a centralized

building located in the heart of the growing Springfield-Greene County botanical gardens. This

location provides high visibility with an estimated 100,000 visitors a year. The Botanical Center

also provides space for learning both indoors and outdoors and fits nicely with the focus of both

our 4-H youth and Master Gardeners programs. The building is owned and managed by the

Springfield-Greene County Park Board which pays for utilities and provides space to Extension

free-of-charge. The building has excellent office and classroom space. Greene County Extension

rooms are up-to-date, handicap accessible and energy efficient.

Programming: A program is an education event where the user learns, understands and applies

the knowledge they acquired to benefit themselves or society economically, environmentally,

professionally or socially. Extension offers an efficient educational process of trained experts

who then teach volunteers and others to further our educational programs. For details on local

classes, see the Greene County Extension Course Catalog for program descriptions and contacts

or the Greene County Extension website for an updated calendar listings of upcoming programs.

Personnel / Number of employees / Other resources

One full-time administrative assistant hired by the Greene County Extension Council

Five specialists provided by University of Missouri Extension

Other part-time positions when funding is available from grants.

An regional nutrition administrative office is located in Greene County with one program

coordinator, two administrative assistants, a program manger, and three Greene County nu-

trition educators provided at no cost to the county.

A regional administrative office for MU Extension is located in Greene County and is the

work location for the regional director and one administrative assistant.

In general, our organization membership numbers are as follows:

300 members of the Master Gardener program.

100 members of the Master Naturalists program.

200 student members of 4-H and 100 adult leaders

20 members of the Greene County Extension Council

Pay structure: The administrative assistant serving the county is paid hourly by the Greene

County Extension Council. MU Extension specialists serving the county are hired, trained and

paid by University of Missouri Extension, at no cost to the county.

Tasks and policies: The administrative assistant provides program support for specialists and

clients. A County Extension Council policies and procedures manual was last updated in 2010.

Inventory: A complete inventory of furniture, supplies and computer equipment is maintained

by the Greene County Extension Council, filed with University of Missouri Extension, and

updated annually.

Credit cards: Currently, the office does not accept credit cards due to concerns about costs and

labor requirements. We do use a system for online enrollment and credit card payment on larger

events or programs with a larger fee. We also accept donations via credit cards online.



Accounts payable: We do not bill individuals and are a cash only business. We will bill other

extension councils for projects and costs or publications.

Audits: Council financial reports are reviewed monthly and audited annually. Members of the

council conduct the audit using a checklist provided by professionals at University of Missouri.

Management and Organization

The County Program Director (CPD) manages the daily business of the Greene County Exten-

sion Center. The Extension council gives advice and sets policy in a number of areas related to

the operation of the office and the programs offered in Greene County. Members on the Greene

County Extension Council can be found on the local website: http://extension.missouri.edu/

greene. The continuous development of our extension council members is key to our success.

For the business plan to be successful, all specialists, staff and council members in Greene

County need to take an active role in promoting Greene County Extension in their own social

circles. Promoting something like Extension, in a county as large as Greene, cannot be success-

fully done by one individual. This also will take a unified team approach.

Districting Option

The districting option was authorized by the legislature in 2013. The Extension Council sup-

ported the passage of this law. In the coming years, council needs to consider forming a district

and then educating the public to the point that an Extension tax can be approved by voters.

Financial Plan

The goal of the council is to support programs with the necessary staff to make those programs

a success. In order to do so, the council also needs to raise revenue. For several years the coun-

ty allocation was $10,000. In 2015 it was increased to $27,000. A minimum of $66,000 is re-

quired to operate a full-time functioning office.

Short-term Funding Goal: Our immediate goal is to generate or raise $35,000 to $50,000 that

could be used toward program support for Extension programs in the county.

Long-term Funding Goal: It will take $150,000 per year to fund Greene County Extension the

way we want to see it operated. Our objective is an operational budget of $150,000.

Endowments and gifts: Council is developing a program to solicit private gifts to provide

some operational monies and to also build the local Extension endowment. This work is being

done in conjunction with the development office at MU. Initially, the focus will be on raising

operational funds but after Commission funding is regained, efforts will focus on raising funds

for special needs, positions or programs.

Budgets: Annual budgets can be found on our county website: extension.missouri.edu/greene.



http://extension.missouri.edu/greene


Considerations and Limitations:

1) Reductions in specialists in the county/region does reduce our ability to generate revenue.

2) The emphasis of this plan is on what the Extension Council can do. Some suggested work

goes beyond the job description, scope, time and abilities of existing specialists.

3) There are many MU Extension programs held in Greene County that mine our population

but there is no benefit to the Greene County Extension Center (like Tax School, Continuing

Education programs like Fire and Rescue Training). Council would like to consider ways to

integrate with these programs and host continuing education programs at the Greene County

Extension Center. This would enhance our local programs and fee potential.

4) We consider the following to be barriers to collecting fees: restrictions on what can be

charged for certain programs, campus revenue generation when specialists are involved,

goal to have each specialist generate $2,000 in revenue for campus on an annual basis, inter-

nal and program level politics, hours in the day, transition from a culture of no-cost pro-

grams to fees, and a reduced staff to manage accounting and registrations.

5) The size of Springfield and Greene County makes it difficult for an office of four or five

people to stand out. Especially when other organizations have started to do similar work.

6) Due to cuts in the primary revenue source for county extension, members of the Greene

County Extension Council have cut $60,000 out of its operational budget over the last five

years. These cuts have included the elimination of a youth program assistant and administra-

tive assistants that supported ongoing programs. We believe $66,000 is a baseline number

required to keep the Greene County Extension Center open and functional.

7) Council works with the MU Development office to coordinate a “Friends of Greene County

Extension” program which annually raises over $25,000 with assistance from the CPD.

8) There will be costs incurred as a result of a sponsorship and Friends program. Both will

have additional travel and mailing costs that will need to be addressed in some way. Region-

al marketing funds may be able to be used to address these costs at the beginning.

Revenue Generating Ideas

Revenue generation is not easy for an organization in the business of education and operating

without a campus, credit hours, students or alumni. We believe new ideas and approaches, when

done together, can generate some of the needed revenue in Greene County, at least until the

Commission restores its funding for Extension to a proper level (seeking this base-line funding

from the Commission should remain a priority).

Council must generate $200 per day to keep the office open and programs and services to the

public available. The reality is that we do programming on more than just the five business days

of the week. Council members and specialists have to work toward these fundraising goals as a

committed team. Council would need to work with the regional director for Extension before

the time of any specialist is committed to help with fundraising. Council must be developed and

given tools to lead. It may also require some upfront costs.



Specialists do not work for the Greene County Extension Council but are essential members of

the Greene County Extension team. The council can encourage specialists to plan programs

with an eye toward revenue generation even though a portion will go to campus. Each activity

to raise money must be weighed against the programming demands placed on specialists.

Proposed Timeline for Implementation of Plan

First tier items — Work with administration on staffing and job expectations for specialists.

Educate County Commission on funding needs of Extension and the benefit of Extension. Re-

cruit active council members who can support this business plan. Work with regional director

on funding opportunities for marketing and council development.

Second tier items — Change the distribution of the Reaching Out Report. Get addresses for

MU alumni and local Extension users for Friends of Greene County Extension. Request mar-

keting monies.

Third tier items — Continue to meet and dialogue with MU staff in continuing education

about working on events in Springfield. Seek additional ways to educate the public about

Greene County Extension and its funding needs.

Friends of the Greene County Extension

This is a program designed to provide incentives to donors. This has the potential to generate

significant dollars for the office. The office manager works with the CPD and council on donor

relations and acknowledgement. This is not a role that can be filled by MU Extension special-

ists in Greene County based on current job descriptions. However, specialists can help in pro-

moting this donor option at events. The “Friends of Greene County Extension” effort is de-

signed for sustainability and long-term maintenance.

There will be various giving levels within “Friends of Greene County Extension” developed by

the council and staff. Possible donation levels on giving cards will range from $35 to $3,000.

Action Steps

1) Use the Greene County Gift Fund that exists within the MU Development office. Getting

access to these monies requires a vote of council and a letter from the council to campus.

2) Fundraising is not an effort that falls under the job description of existing MU Extension

specialists.

3) Write grants and seek funds from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Mercy, Gan-

nett and the county senior fund.

4) Educate members of the Greene County Extension Council on fundraising.

5) An arrangement has also been developed locally that allows donors to give junk cars that

will then be auctioned off with the proceeds going to Greene County Extension.

6) Accept donations in the local office with the funds accounted for locally. As the program

has developed over three years this is the primary touch point for most donations.



Great Game of Business

The Greene County Extension Council has a business plan in place. Does the Great Game of

Business replace that business plan? The simple answer is “no.” The bottom line is that the

Great Game of Business strengthens our business plan.

The Great Game of Business is not a system. It is not a methodology. It is not a philosophy, or

an attitude, or a set of techniques. It is all of those things and more. One of the misconceptions

about The Great Game of Business is that it is synonymous with being financially transparent.

While transparency is important, sharing financials is only a fraction of the entire process.

GGOB includes financial education. It includes techniques that improve teamwork. GGOB

can improve communication with staff and volunteers about an organization and its finances.

GGOB games and “stakes in the outcome” do a lot to get all staff and volunteers involved and

moving in the same direction and addressing the same concerns. Best of all, GGOB techniques

make it possible to implement a business plan as a team and to focus on improving finances or

addressing specific concerns or drivers in an organization.

Best of all, by using the GGOB we can more quickly respond to new needs or changes in the

business itself. The business plan is a large umbrella that explains the needs and outlines con-

cerns as well as ideas for an organization to improve. GGOB is more like the engine that makes

implementation possible and also does more to improve teamwork and communication than

any business plan ever could.

What is the Great Game of Business

The Great Game of Business, Inc. was established to help companies implement the open-book

management practices outlined in the book The Great Game of Business. It is the educational

wing of SRC Holdings Corporation in Springfield, where the business philosophy of open-

book management was developed by its President and CEO, Jack Stack, more than 30 years

ago. The Great Game of Business, Inc. is now the largest and most well-known resource for

open-book management training and education.

How we Play

Keep up with what Greene County Extension is doing to implement The Great Game of Busi-

ness online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene under the tab “Great Game.” Links are pro-

vided online to our minigames and other relevant information including a presentation on the

Great Game of Business and Greene County Extension.

The Great Game of Business provides a real opportunity to engage the entire extension staff

and council in working together toward getting Greene County Extension back in the black and

moving forward.






Greene County Extension

Office located inside the

Springfield-Greene County

Botanical Center

2400 S. Scenic Ave.,

Springfield, Mo. 65807

Tel: (417) 881-8909

Online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene

Each “Reaching Out Report” is used by Greene Coun-

ty Extension specialists to concisely communicate

activities, contacts and events to members of the

Greene County Extension Council, Greene County

Commission and residents of Greene County. For

more about this report contact the editor, David Bur-

Videos on YouTube

Watch the videos posted to our channel at

www.youtube.com/MUExtension417.

On Facebook

Get regular updates about programs and news from

Current financial documents for the Extension Council

include current budgets and a financial history can be

found on the local Extension website:


A complete updated list of Extension specialists and

assistants serving residents of Greene County can be

found on the local Extension website:


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