National 4-H Council Alumni Research

1. National 4-H Council Alumni Research Findings from Focus Groups and a National Survey of 4-H Alumni October 2012

2. Table of Contents

3. Project Overview Purpose and Objectives • Segment 4-H Alumni to better understand demographics, psychographics, youth experiences and propensity to support 4-H in the future • Identify opportunities to connect based on the interests and priorities of 4-H Alumni • Test communication messages that propel Alumni to engagement • Conduct targeted research among 4-H Alumni in select pilot states Internal Development Qualitative Phase Cumulative Findings

4. Methodology 4-H Alumni Focus Groups (5 total) • 2 focus groups in Baltimore • 2 focus groups in Atlanta • 1 phone focus group among UnitedHealthcare employees • Research conducted in August 2012 Online Survey • 1,010 respondents completed the national online survey • Drawn from a census representative sample, then screened to meet the following criteria of “Alumni” • Involved with 4-H as a youth • Specifically involved through a club, camp or school program • Oversamples in pilot states • Fielded September 20 - October 9, 2012 Pilot State Oversamples • California (n=100) • Delaware (n=63) • Florida (n=100) • Iowa (n=85) • Kentucky (n=82) • Louisiana (n=80) • Minnesota (n=100) • Nebraska (n=80) • New York (n=103) • Vermont (n=80)

5. Profile of 4-H Alumni

6. Defining the Alumni Market • For this research, “4-H Alumni” were defined as 18-64 year olds who had been in a 4-H club, attended 4-H camp, and/or were involved in a 4-H club or program at school as a youth. Basis for Initial Market Sizing 118,804,840 US adult population of email users aged 18-64 (based on 2010 census statistics) X 15% Incidence of “Alumni” = 17,820,726: Projected number of 4-H Alumni based on survey screening criteria Survey Population: US Adults 18-64, Census Rep 6

7. 4-H Alumni: Respondent Snapshot Investor Survey Consumer Survey • Gender: • 63% Female • 37% Male • Age: • 10% 18-24 • 21% 25-34 • 28% 35-44 • 22% 45-54 • 19% 55-64 • Ethnicity: • 88% Caucasian • 7% African American • 6% Hispanic • 2% Asian • 1% American Indian • Education: • 17% HS grad • 26% Some college • 18% 2 year degree • 25% Bachelor’s degree • 13% Graduate work or degree • Children at home: • 50% Yes • 50% No • 4-H Youth Experience: • 63% Small town/rural • 25% Suburban • 12% Urban • Current Home: • 35% Small town/rural • 44% Suburban • 20% Urban • Region: • 10% Northeast • 30% Midwest • 40% South • 20% West • Income: • 42% <$50K • 42% $50-99K • 12% $100k+ • Employed: • 47% Full-time • 12% Part-time • 17% Homemaker • Adult involvement with 4-H: • 48% Saw 4-H at the county fair • 31% Supported 4-H financially • 30% Maintained friendships • 24% Visited the 4-H website • 22% Participated with children/ grandchildren • 16% Visited the 4-H Facebook page • 33% No involvement as an adult • Issues or causes of interest: • 52% Education • 52% Human services • 52% Health • 51% Youth development • 50% Animals • 43% Environment • 41% Faith based • 35% Arts, culture, humanities • 23% STEM • 23% Civic organizations • 18% International

8. Positive Feelings from Youth

9. 4-H Youth Experience • Alumni have strong positive memories of their 4-H experience as a youth. 4-H Experience As Youth 96% “I still have my record book. It’s something that would be sent to county and would get awards. It’s all my accomplishments. I’d work hard all year to fill it up.” -Baltimore alumni “I remember begging my mom to let me go to 4-H camp... I was this little country girl that was going to go to camp with all of the city kids! We got to do so many projects and activities and even if you were terrible you still got a ribbon!” -Atlanta alumni Q17: How would you rate the experience you had as a youth in 4-H?

10. Impact on Future: Top Tier • Looking back, Alumni credit their 4-H experience with having a significant role in building a foundation of core values and character. Impact of 4-H Experience Q19: Below are some ways that a 4-H experience during your youth might have impacted your life and who you are today. For each, please indicate if 4-H impacted that aspect of your life in any way.

11. In Their Own Words… • “For kids, there are so many ways to get into trouble. 4-H gives kids a structured environment and the opportunity to find something that interests you.” • –Baltimore alumni “It gives you a sense of worth,when people take time to help you to grow as a person, to be productive in your community, that’s very important to me… I loved when a counselor would sit with me, teaching me how to do something to make me a better citizen for the future.” –Atlantaalumni “Learning new skills was something that was very exciting to me... we would go to a farm and learn how to cultivate the land and how to grow vegetables and then after the vegetables are grown, how to take them to people who didn’t have food. So, even as a child, I was already doing volunteer work.” --Atlantaalumni “4-H taught me responsibility and time management.” –Baltimorealumni “I went to 4-H day camp and I did things that I never would have tried on my own. Especially as a girl, being encouraged to play right there beside the boys for the activities you feel empowered and you have self-confidence.” –Atlantaalumni “As a kid from the inner-city, it gave me the chance to step out of my element, and an opportunity for new life experiences… things that still stick with me today.” –Baltimorealumni

12. Impact on Future: Second Tier • Alumni perceive that their 4-H youth experience had less impact on their career and educational paths. Impact of 4-H Experience Q19: Below are some ways that a 4-H experience during your youth might have impacted your life and who you are today. For each, please indicate if 4-H impacted that aspect of your life in any way.

13. In Their Own Words… “With 4-H, my whole family was involved. My parents were the leaders and my siblings were also in it. There were so many different things a whole family could work on together- I loved that! It brings you together and it kept our family close... now we are all grown up and not as close anymore.” -Baltimore alumni “Presentation skills. Doing the presentations and preparing your speeches and getting up and talking in front of your peers, parents, friends' parents and then even the county leadership folks. That prepared me for when I am now -- I'm in Toastmasters, so that was a natural transition and also now I lead meetings at all levels. It was the preparation of skills of speaking in front of people and thinking on your feet that has helped my career.” -UHC employee group “My 4-H counselor steered me to a careerin experiential education!” -Baltimore alumni “I went to a lot of fairs over the summer with my family. In fact, that was kind of our summer vacation. We just traveled from fair to fair showing cattle… It was real bonding with your family.” -UHC employee group “ I really enjoyed the aspect of volunteering… it put me on a path to continue helping others in need. In my job now, I’m helping others in need.” -Atlanta alumni

14. 4-H Favorability Today • Positive experiences during youth translate into very favorable opinions of 4-H today. Favorability of 4-H 95% Q12: Overall, how favorable is your impression of 4-H?

15. Net Promoter Score • 4-H has a cadre of potential brand ambassadors to mobilize. What is Net Promoter Score? Net Promoter is an indicator linking customer experience to growth. The only way to grow is to have more promoters (open advocacy of a product, service or organization) than detractors (negative word of mouth). Net Promoter Score is calculated by subtracting “Detractors” from “Promoters”. When an organization is strong, this score is in the positive and should be in double-digits. Net Promoter Score NPS = +55 Promoter 64% Passive 26% Detractor 9% Q13: How likely are you to recommend 4-H involvement to others? Use a 10-point scale where 10 means you are extremely likely to recommend 4-H to others and 0 means you are not at all likely to recommend 4-H.

16. Relationship Gap Today

17. Feelings about 4-H Today • While almost all Alumni express positive feelings about their time spent in 4-H, they are split between still having a strong sense of belonging, and being out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Feelings about 4-H Today • When Was the Last Time You Thought About 4-H? • “Thirty years ago, over 30 years ago.” • –Atlanta alumni • “It’s been some years for me, honestly. Being in this focus group was perfect timing. That brought my focus back to the 4-H.” -Atlanta alumni • “I haven’t thought about it much. Maybe when my daughter was first born, talking about what she would get involved in. I’ve been to a county fair since then, and still didn’t put it together.” • -Baltimore alumni • “I haven’t thought about it at all. I raised a family in R.I. and there wasn’t a presence there at all.” • -Baltimore alumni • “I have been thinking about it a lot lately, since my kids are 4 and 5. I want to get them involved, but I don’t hear about 4-H now.” –Baltimore alumni 48% I have positive memories, but haven’t thought about 4-H for a long time 4% I do not have strong feelings about 4-H, from the past or today 47% I have positive memories and still feel a strong sense of belonging to 4-H 1% Other/ not sure Q18: Which of the following comes closest to describing the feelings you have about 4-H today?

18. Familiarity with 4-H • Few would consider themselves “very familiar” with 4-H today. • When asked to describe 4-H and its work, many Alumni fall back on the traditional image of agriculture and character building; only 2-in-10 describe aspects of youth development. How Alumni Describe the Work of 4-H 33% Traditional 17% working with animals, livestock 17% agriculture, farming 6% nature, plants, horticulture 3% for rural kids 1% fairs and blue ribbons, competition “4-H supports kids in rural areas who want to learn more about agriculture.” 26% Core values/character 10% developing and building life skills 9% teaching responsibility 7% teaching leadership 7% instilling values, morals, and work ethic 22% Youth development 15% Helping communities 6% Educational 5% Domestic skills (cooking, sewing) Familiaritywith 4-H Today 65% Q10: How familiar are you with 4-H today? Q11: How would you describe 4-H and the work that it does? (Open-ended response)

19. Affinity to 4-H Today • Even fewer feel informed about or connected to today’s 4-H. Informed About 4-H Today Connection to 4-H Today 40% 38% Q16: How well informed are you about what’s going on with 4-H today? Q15: At this point in your life, how connected do you feel to 4-H?

20. Interest in Engagement • Lack of affinity translates into lukewarm interest in getting involved with 4-H in the near future. Likelihood to Get Involved 36% Q14: How likely are you to get involved with 4-H clubs or programs in the next year? This might be by learning more about the local 4-H, volunteering your time, making a donation, or promoting 4-H to others.

21. Barriers to Engagement • Alumni acknowledge numerous barriers to engagement. Reasons Not Involved Today (select all that apply) Q27: There are a variety of reasons that 4-H Alumni are not more involved with 4-H today. Which of the following are reasons why you, personally, are not more involved?

22. Youth Development Peer Set • Alumni tend to have multiple involvements with youth organizations. • Even with Alumni, 4-H does not really stand out above peers in any of the areas tested. • Where 4-H falls short is in its local visibility. In comparison to others… (better/about same/worse) Personal Involvement with Other YD Organizations Girl Scouts: 58% YMCA/YWCA: 53% Boy Scouts: 50% FFA: 36% Boys and Girls Clubs: 33% Positive impact on local community Benefit to young people Positive impact on world Visibility inlocal community Q05: Below is a short list of nonprofits. For each, please indicate if you have had personal experience as a member, volunteer or supporter? Q21: In comparison to other youth programs (Scouts, YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc.), do you think 4-H is better, worse or about the same in its…

23. 4-H Alumni Segments

24. Segmentation Approach 4 Segments Emerge: • Segmentation analysis is an analytical tool used to sort people into mutually exclusive groups or clusters based on similar attitudes, beliefs, and/or behaviors. • A variety of questions were used as inputs for the segmentation model: • Connection to 4-H today • How impacted personally • Reasons to engage as an adult • Life-stage/lifestyle psychographics

25. Segments Loyalty and Size 100% Boosters 35% Likelihood to get involved today (top 2 box) Winbacks 24% Nostalgic 25% Remote 16% 100% Very Positive Experience as a Youth (top box)

26. Boosters 35%

27. Winbacks 24%

28. Nostalgic 25%

29. Remote 16%

30. Better Defining the Opportunity Market • Somewhere between 9% to 13% of American adults represent your market potential.* Opportunity Segments Did not meet prospect criteria *NOTE: These estimates are generous and assume all Alumni are at least as well-informed about 4-H as the survey respondents. They cannot take into account the amount of outreach 4-H would need to exert to reach Alumni. Survey Population 30

31. Messaging and Calls to Action

32. Attitudes & Motivation • Intent is there, if not the passion. 6-in-10 Alumni would like to “help youth in 4-H” and “give something back” to 4-H. Boosters (and to some extent Winbacks) are also interested in other aspects of engagement. Attitude Statements (strongly/somewhat agree) Blue/red indicate statistical significance among audiences Q23: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements related to 4-H?

33. Pay-Off for Getting Involved • The most important benefit is “making a difference in a kid’s life,” followed by “learning new things.” • Other benefits important to opportunity segments are having new and fun experiences, meeting youth and volunteering. Professional networking is lower on the list. Important Benefits (very/somewhat) Blue/red indicate statistical significance among audiences Q29: How important are each of the following, to you personally, as a benefit of being involved with 4-H as an adult?

34. Call-to-Action Messages Q28: Below are some reasons that 4-H Alumni have given for being involved as an adult. How convincing is each as a reason for you to get involved with 4-H as an adult? This might be by learning more, volunteering, donating or promoting 4-H to others.

35. Opportunities for Outreach

36. What to Call Them? • About half of past participants in 4-H believe that “Alumni” is the best name to describe themselves. • That said, focus groups cautioned that “Alumni” implies some form of staying in touch. Best Name for Past 4-H Participants “I guess we are alumni, it depends on how they count this stuff. I have not been invited to the reunion.” -Atlanta alumni “I don’t know if I’m an official alumni, but I do consider myself one though.” –Baltimore alumni “Any other thing [that I am an alumni of] they are always reminding me… reaching out to me. But with 4-H, once you are gone, they kind of let you go, it seems like.” -Atlanta alumni Q24: Below are some different ways that people have referred to past participants in 4-H (like yourself). Which do you prefer? Please select only one.

37. Engagement Tactics • Alumni have the most interest in quick and easy donations to 4-H or visiting the alumni tent at the fair. • Boosters exhibit the most amount of enthusiasm to connect, while Remotes are a much tougher sell. Interest in Connecting with 4-H Blue/red indicate statistical significance among audiences Q25: For each of the activities below, please indicate how interested you are to connect with 4-H in this way.

38. Engagement Tactics Cont. • Alumni are least interested in actively recruiting new 4-Hers, or integrating 4-H into their work. Interest in Connecting with 4-H Blue/red indicate statistical significance among audiences Q25: For each of the activities below, please indicate how interested you are to connect with 4-H in this way.

39. Preference for Support • The majority of Alumni are interested in supporting their county 4-H, as thatistheir frame of reference. 4-H Branch Most Likely to Support “I don’t want to support a corporate office, I want to support something local. It feels more tangible.” –Baltimore alumni Q26: Which branch of 4-H are you most likely to support (with your time or money)?

40. Frequency of 4-H Communication • Two-thirds of Alumni would like to hear from 4-H on at least a monthly basis. • Half of Boosters are interested in more frequent communication, suggesting there will be a core that want to be informed regularly. Desired Frequency of Communication from 4-H At least monthly: 66% At least weekly: 27% Q31: Assuming there would be news or new opportunities to get involved, how often would you like to hear from 4-H?

41. Outreach Channels • While no method is a slam-dunk, digital channels are considered most effective(email, the 4-H website and Facebook) – even more so than mainstream media or direct mail. • These three digital channels also provide the best opportunities to reengage Boosters and Winbacks. Effective as a Way to Stay Informed Q30: How effective is each of the following as a way to keep you informed about opportunities with 4-H?

42. Employee Engagement • Employee engagement is the area that received the least traction across the data set. • Alumni seem confused about how this would work, although focus groups had some ideas. Just 45% say if their work was a sponsor of 4-H, it would increase their loyalty “I think it’s a good thing if we are a partner. We promote the same values, the same healthier lives. I’m just not sure what we do as partners. What makes it evident that we’re a partner in 4-H? I’m a little lost.” –UHC employee group “The company I work for, we are big on STEM programs. A lot of our money goes into supporting the youth involved. We just had students from the local high school come into our company for engineering week. One of the students from that event became a regional winner in robotics. We could do something like that with 4-H clubs.” -Atlanta alumni “I like the idea of sponsoring and sending local youth to 4-H camps. It’s a really good opportunity. It would be nice if there were kids that maybe couldn’t go or afford it.” –UHC employee group “I would really like it if we did something in the newsletter or intranet, where we could submit photos or pictures of our ribbons and what we learned in 4-H. Maybe people would see that and want to get their kids involved in 4-H.” –UHC employee group 48% interested in encouraging work to sponsor a 4-H club or camp 4-in-10 want to tap the 4-H network for new employees or interns One-thirdinterested in organizing a 4-H event at work (employee giving, run/walk, etc.) Q25 Very/Somewhat interested: For each of the activities below, please indicate how interested you are to connect with 4-H in this way. Q32: If your company or employer was a sponsor of 4-H, specifically the state or local 4-H, how would it affect your loyalty?

43. Corporate Partner Potential • Results suggest that 4-H currently has valuable relationships. • Many Alumni in the focus groups want corporate partners using their marketing muscle to promote 4-H. Majorities of 4-H Alumni interacted with these brands in the last 3 months “I think JCPenney was doing a thing where you could round up to the nearest dollar, and the donation goes to 4-H. Why don’t they put more out about that?” -Baltimore alumni “They are not advocating for 4-H. Like with Coca-Cola, they are advocating for other groups. If they put their name and attached it with 4-H to the public, I feel you would get more people involved.” -Baltimore alumni “How recent are the corporate partners? I don’t remember being exposed to it. Why don’t I see things like, ‘Wal-Mart is a proud sponsor of 4-H’?” -Atlanta alumni “I think these partners are just donating money, basically. They are not really promoting it. You don’t go into Wal-Mart and see 4-H anywhere.” -Atlanta alumni Q33: With which of the following companies have you been a customer, subscriber or user in the last 90 days? Please select all that apply.

44. Key Takeaways

45. Key Takeaways Continued

46. Key Takeaways Continued THE MESSAGE THE ROUTE

47. Appendix: Detailed Tables and Charts

48. Demographics Blue/red indicate statistical significance among subgroups Q01: In which of the following categories does your age fall? Q39: Which of the following best describes your race or ethnicity?/ Q40: Are you of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin? Q36: What is the last grade that you completed in school? Q37: Are there any children under age 18 currently living in your household?

49. Demographics Cont. Blue/red indicate statistical significance among subgroups Q41: Would you classify the area you live in to be predominantly… Q03: In what state do you live? Q42: What was your TOTAL household income in 2011 before taxes? Q43: Which of the following best describes your current employment situation? Please choose one.

50. Generational Differences by Segment Segments by Age and Children in Home