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Frequently Asked Questions About the Michigan 4-H Youth Participation Fee
Implementation/Procedures
When did it go into effect?
September 1, 2006. Counties began collecting the fee with their 2006-7 enrollments and are including all youth in their 4-H clubs.
Are there additional fees throughout the year?
The state level annual 4-H youth participation is only charged once per year. Any other fees that have previously existed as part of the 4-H program continue to apply, as usual.
Does ten percent of the 4-H fee revenue go to support the director’s office, as is the case with the organizational cost recovery fee?
No, all of the money collected through 4-H participation fees is used only for 4-H programming.
Can the 4-H Member & Volunteer Information Forms (enrollment forms) be adapted by individual counties?
The 4-H Member & Volunteer Information Forms, version 1 and version 2 (also known as "enrollment forms") provided on the fee page are adapted from Blue Ribbon and should be used as is to facilitate entry into Blue Ribbon. The club form is available on the fee page in both pdf and Word versions. The Word version may be modified for individual club use.
When should the state portion of the money be sent in? Do we need to wait for it to reconcile with our number of enrollments?
Counties should send in the state portion of the fees by no later than October 1 of the program year. Money can be sent before that, and it can be broken into multiple payments, perhaps quarterly or twice a year—whatever works best for the county. Each payment should be accompanied by a county form that accounts for the fees being sent.
What about youth enrolled across two counties?
They pay the $10 in their primary club, just as they do if they are enrolled in two clubs within the same county. Counties have to decide whether or not the number of youth enrolled in two counties is large enough to warrant the paperwork necessary to split the county portion of the fee in half ($2.50 per county).
How is the participation fee handled when a youth transfers to a club in another county in the middle of the program year?
The fee is collected by and stays in the county in which the youth originally enrolled for the year. When enrollment opens for the next program year, the youth enrolls in their new county and the new county collects the fee. For instance, if a youth enrolled in Macomb County but transferred to Gladwin County halfway through the 2007-8 programming year, Macomb County receives and keeps that youth’s enrollment fee for 2007-8. When the youth enrolls in Gladwin County for the 2008-9 year, Gladwin County will receive and keep that youth’s enrollment fee.
Can individual clubs “apply” directly for the state portion of the funds?
At this time, the funds being collected at the state level are accessible through a proposal process for county, regional or state projects. These funds are requested by 4-H staff members, representing their constituencies. Clubs may have access to funds held in an account at the county level, depending on the system set up by each county.
When will counties be able to submit proposals to use the state-level funds?
County offices will be notified when sufficient funds have accumulated at the state level to begin the proposal process. A process and form for submitting proposals will also be available at that time.
How do leaders know the total amount of funds collected for the county and the amount being sent to the state 4-H office?
Counties and the state 4-H office will provide annual reports of funding received and how participation fee funds were spent during the year. These reports will be made available to any 4-H stakeholder—including volunteer leaders—who wants to see them, and will most likely be posted on the Web.
Michigan 4-H Youth Participation Fee Information FAQ's :
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© 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Michigan State University
Last Updated: September 12, 2007
Last Reviewed: September 12, 2007
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