Community Leadership Program Recruitment Energization
Erin Hoffrance, Nancy Klinefelter, Keith Pitts
June 2008
Prepared for:
LIS580, Jochen Scholl, University of Washington, Information School
Table of ContentsEXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................................... 3
THE MANAGERIAL TOOLSET.............................................................................................................. 4
Problems/tasks in the particular managerial area....................................................................4Problems/tasks addressed by toolset................................................................................................ 5Components.................................................................................................................................................. 5Features.......................................................................................................................................................... 5Specific purpose(s)..................................................................................................................................... 6Technology involved.................................................................................................................................. 6Users................................................................................................................................................................. 6Uses................................................................................................................................................................... 6Findings/results.......................................................................................................................................... 6Insights from analysis............................................................................................................................... 7Comparison between tools (organization versus class/textbook)........................................7What did you learn? What would you modify in the toolset?..................................................8
REPORT ON THE 10-WEEK GROUP PROCESS................................................................................8
How was the group forming done?..................................................................................................... 8How did the storming go?....................................................................................................................... 8How did the norming go?........................................................................................................................ 9When did the performing start, how did it go?..............................................................................9What were major insights from looking back to your learning process?..........................9What would you do differently if you could do it again?...........................................................9
FINAL THOUGHTS AND REMARKS..................................................................................................11
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................... 12
APPENDIX 1 - LEADERSHIP KITSAP, 2008 SURVEY..................................................................13
APPENDIX 2 – CLP INTERVIEW QUESTIONS...............................................................................17
APPENDIX 3 - THEME SUGGESTION FORM..................................................................................18
APPENDIX 4 - CANDIDATE REFERRAL FORM.............................................................................19
APPENDIX 5 - LEADERSHIP KITSAP APPLICATION..................................................................20
APPENDIX 6 - LEADERSHIP KITSAP, 2008 SURVEY RESULTS...............................................26
APPENDIX 7 - COMPARABLE US CENSUS BUREAU DATA........................................................39
Figure 1: Gender Demographic Data.............................................................................................. 39Figure 2: Racial Demographic Comparison.................................................................................39
Executive Summary
Leadership Kitsap is interested in an improved strategic recruiting plan for its
year-long community leadership program that is more diversified and reaches the wider
community of Kitsap County. This program offers current and emerging Kitsap County
leaders the opportunity to learn and expand community leadership skills. Within teams,
projects are designed and implemented to improve civic volunteerism and community
leadership within the county.
Graduate students of the Masters of Library and Information Science program
from the University of Washington in partnership with Leadership Kitsap agreed to a
project to investigate and develop recommendations that would increase diversification of
participants to its community leadership program in Kitsap County.
A demographic survey was created and electronically distributed. The results
confirmed that the typical participant is 40 to 49 years old, employed in the
government/public sector or civic/non-profit, hold a bachelor's and/or master's degree, a
director or manager/supervisor, and earns $70,000 or more annually, Caucasian, and
female.
It is the goal of this project to recommend methodology that Leadership Kitsap
may incorporate to their program in addition to the current process:
Theme Suggestion Form
Candidate Referral Form
Improved Leadership Kitsap Application Form
4
Develop and distribute brochures
Continue use of media sources
Utilizing the above tools in an active recruiting process will inherently diversify
Leadership Kitsap’s community leadership program participants, increase sponsorship,
and further represent a cross section of Kitsap County.
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The Managerial Toolset
Problems/tasks in the particular managerial area
Organizations need influential leaders that have the skills
necessary to direct and motivate people to positively affect change.
Programs with specific goals can produce leaders from within the
community as well as inspire those who wish to become stronger
leaders. Recruitment is the area that will be investigated in this paper.
The following literature and interviews presents the recruitment
methods of several community leadership programs.
A concern of the leadership programs examined here indicated
diversity was important in their programs. Gauss and Jessamy (2007)
in their article, The Board's Role in Developing a Diverse Leadership
Team, claim that organizations should “define diversity broadly.
Stretching the definition beyond ethnic, cultural and racial diversity,
boards should also include, among other factors, diversity of thought,
education and skills” (5). Leadership Kitsap is one among many non-profit
community leadership programs (CLP) that develop civic commitment and volunteerism
through its educational programs and wants to ensure diverse participation.
Erin Hoffrance interviewed several program directors of similar
community leadership organizations and how they recruit participants:
United Way of King County’s Project LEAD, Leadership Snohomish
County, United Way of Thurston County’s LEAD Thurston County, and
Leadership Tomorrow of Seattle. Jan Levy, Executive Director of
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Leadership Tomorrow, indicated most potential applicant names come
from program graduates (personal communication, May 7, 2008).
Other types of recruitment include presentations given to prospective
companies and organizations, but states that approximately ninety
percent of applicant names come from graduates. Louis Mendoza from
Project LEAD says most of their outreach comes from alumni and
community leaders. He believes word of mouth has been the most
important tool in their recruitment (personal communication, May 8,
2008). In terms of networking and building relationships within the
community, Ibarra and Hunter (2007) say that “all managers need to
build good working relationships with the people who can help them do
their jobs,” and they go further to define three types of networking:
“operational, personal, and strategic,” (41). The attributes of these
three types of networking are, respectively, “Depth: building strong
working relationships. Breadth: reaching out to contacts who can make
referrals. Leverage: creating inside-outside links. Network attributes
and key behaviors” (Ibarra & Hunter, 2007, 43).
Each highlighted CLP has similar recruitment methods: word of
mouth, alumni networking, and personal contacts. Though effective, it
could be limiting a wider community reach, therefore hindering rich
and diverse community leadership programs. As with most non-profit CLPs,
budgets and funding are primarily provided through sponsorship, donations, and tuition
from its educational programs. Staff and board members are usually volunteers who have
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additional personal and/or professional obligations. Keeping overhead and administrative
costs to a minimum is important to the success of the organization. Gaining community
and public support benefits these organizations. Leadership Kitsap is no exception.
The success of the community leadership program is dependent on the success of
the participants that are representative of Kitsap County. Successful representation of the
community of Kitsap County will require a more active recruiting approach and perhaps
goes beyond the scope of this paper.
Problems/tasks addressed by toolset
The current executive director of Leadership Kitsap commences recruitment
activities in November by sending Christmas cards to former class members and
current/potential sponsors. This is followed by press releases to local media groups, word
of mouth by board members, and contacting various organizations. Last year, Leadership
Kitsap had a half- hour presentation on Bremerton Kitsap Access Television (BKAT) that
ran for four weeks. These are all beneficial, yet time-consuming, activities. The primary
concern of the new executive director and sponsor for this group project, Greg Hunt, is to
ensure program applicant diversity. According to Hunt, each year the same pool of
candidates apply and are selected, creating a generic and static class profile every year.
His goal is to improve the recruiting process as well as the overall awareness and
visibility of the program among the county’s citizenry (personal communication, April 8,
2008).
The survey was the critical tool used to gather primary information regarding
demographics of the Kitsap County community to be compared with Leadership Kitsap’s
community leadership program participants. After a month of reviews and revisions, this
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survey was completed and sent electronically to approximately 265 former and current
class members, current applicants, and board members. Slightly less than half responded.
The typical respondent is described above, and the numerical survey results are included
in Appendix 7. Note, 24.19% (n=124) of respondents are current-year applicants and
diversity perception data may not be valid for these respondents.
Components
Four tools were developed and one was modified: Survey (appendix 1), CLP
interview questions (appendix 2), Theme Suggestion form (appendix 3), Candidate
Referral form (appendix 4), and Leadership Kitsap Application (appendix 5),
respectively.
Features
Survey: Provided important demographic information about the participants to
Leadership Kitsap’s community leadership program.
Theme Suggestion form: Offers a way to personalize each class year. Group
projects can be designed around this chosen theme.
Candidate Referral form: Offers an additional method of referring candidates to
the community leadership program’s future classes.
Leadership Kitsap Application: The application was updated and modified to
further reflect Leadership Kitsap’s vision, mission, and future of Kitsap County.
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Specific purpose(s)
To gain an understanding of this need required an investigation of the
demographics of Kitsap County and how it relates to Leadership Kitsap’s CLP program’s
former and current participants. This is the first demographic study to be conducted.
Analysis of the results is important to evaluating and recommending areas of need. In
partnership with Leadership Kitsap, we designed a survey to evaluate the demographic
status of former and current class members, current applicants and board members.
The current candidate application utilized by Leadership Kitsap needed updating
to further reflect the mission, vision and goals of Leadership Kitsap’s program. It was
modified by including an optional diversity component that can be used to gather
information for future recruiting purposes. A Theme Suggestion Form was created to
give each new class a personalized experience through the community leadership
program. Additionally, the theme could be used to guide members as they progress
through the team projects. The Candidate Referral Form creates a means to refer potential
candidates.
Technology involved
Each of the managerial tools recommended can by developed and utilized by a
variety of technology sources. Word processing and other software programs can be used
to design and tailor each form to meet Leadership Kitsap’s needs.
Users
The managerial toolset will be utilized by Leadership Kitsap staff, board
members, the executive director as well as current and future class participants. The
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application and candidate referral form will be freely available to the public and
community.
Uses
The uses of the managerial toolset were designed or improved to increase
diversity and visibility of Leadership Kitsap as an organization passionate about civic
commitment and volunteerism activities; to educate current and emerging leaders; and to
increase sponsorship to its programs.
Findings/results
The major area lacking significant diversity was ethnicity where 89.42% were
Caucasian. Education level and income also showed a disparity, but leadership roles
require a modicum of education, and education typically facilitates an increased income,
thus these data may be artifacts of the leadership position
Perceptions of the program's diversity were generally positive. Only 8% of
respondents who had attended the program believed it lacked diversity, while 53% found
it to have adequate to significant diversity.
Diversity of communication about the program typically came from at-work
sources: co-workers, supervisors, or general employer communication at 93.55%.
However, only 34.68% of applicants were involved in an employer-based screening
process.
Only two samples were comparable with US Census Bureau (2006) data: race
(See Appendix 7, Fig. 1) and gender (See Appendix 7, Fig. 2). The data reflects
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disparity in gender representation, but shows a likely adequate racial representation.
(Note, the 2001 Per Capita Income.)
One question from the survey asked “Do you have any recommendations for
improving the Leadership Kitsap recruiting and marketing process?” Many of the
respondents answers reflected a general lack of public awareness and suggestions to
improve this disparity (Refer to Appendix 6 for detailed responses). Interestingly,
Leadership Kitsap is marketed through many, if not all of the suggested venues.Yet, the
organization seems to be invisible to many organizations, and in particular to academic
institutions where there is an abundance of potential candidates who may seek future
leadership opportunities. This could be an area of future research. Interestingly, the
survey results were similar to the overall demographics of Kitsap County.
Insights from analysis
Most leadership programs reflected success connected to the constant contact with
program alums. The common thread with alumni is that upon successfully completing
the program, they are still invested and eager to offer potential applicants. The positive
experiences acquired through the program allow for the keen interested in seeing the
program and its graduate’s blossom. As exampled by these other programs, it is not
simply about recruiting applicants, but ensuring that these applicants have positive and
beneficial experiences that motivate them to share what they have learned within their
communities.
Comparison between tools (organization versus class/textbook)
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In developing the toolset that could benefit Leadership Kitsap we looked at the
tools they were already using. Of the tools that were being used we sought to evaluate
their effectiveness and compare them to similar organizations. The Leadership Kitsap
Application was the only tool currently used that was examined. We made modifications
to improve its appearance. The revised application (Appendix 5) more clearly defines
Leadership Kitsap and the selection criteria incorporating bullet points to enhance the
prominence of the standard that candidates are selected.
Two tools that Leadership Kitsap did not have were the Theme Suggestion Form
(Appendix 3) and the Candidate Referral Form (Appendix 4). Other CLPs emphasized
alumni as one of the most beneficial resources. It is logical to elicit their input; it keeps
the organization and the program fresh in their minds. Dessler and Phillips also list
referrals as a successful and widely used recruitment tool. Candidate Referral Form can
increase general referral to the program in addition to creating a type of mentoring
relationship. Dessler and Phillips suggest establishing a mentoring relationship as a tool
in recruitment and confirm its importance by asking, "why attract a diverse workforce
and then leave the new people to sink or swim?" (54).
In order for Leadership Kitsap to adequately evaluate the effectiveness of their
current recruitment procedures, it is advisable to look at the demographics of their current
applicants to identify where potential past and future participants are not adequately
represented. As mentioned above, the survey study (Appendix 1) was a first for
Leadership Kitsap. The results (Appendix 6) will provide a healthy data set for the
organization to evaluate, review, and implement improved recruitment processes.
Additionally, responses from alumni help to examine the processes and procedures
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currently in place to evaluate their effectiveness from the perspective of one who has
been through the program. Dessler and Phillips also say that "advertising is a major way
to attract applicants," (340). And while a brochure was not implemented as an actual tool
in our proposed toolset, it was suggested as an instrument to increase the visibility and
awareness of the program.
What did you learn? What would you modify in the toolset?
Working with a real-world organization presents a unique opportunity to gain
valuable knowledge in management practices, or a part of it. Leadership Kitsap’s
incoming Executive Director, Greg Hunt, played an important role as the sponsor with
his continuous support and encouragement. He shared that this project was “in the spirit
of process improvement, it's a win-win situation.” His participative management style is
one that can be learned from because he empowers others. He wants others to learn and is
always willing to help. He exhibited this through his efforts in helping us create the
survey.
Regarding survey design, in future surveys it would behoove surveyors to first
investigate census and other survey data with which they wish to make comparisons. We
found that many of our categorical data was incomparable to Washington State and US
Census Bureau data because we’d delineated our categories differently. The rest of the
toolset was designed for immediate use, but can be modified to fit Leadership Kitsap’s
needs.
Report on the 10-week group process
How was the group forming done?
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Following our introductions at the residency in our pre-arranged group, I
suggested Leadership Kitsap as a potential site to pursue this project. This was accepted
and I wrote Greg Hunt a letter explaining the class, the purpose of the project, and
inquired if Leadership Kitsap would be interested. He immediately accepted our
invitation. I emailed Erin and Keith the letter along with the follow up emails from Greg.
Erin and Keith agreed that we could pursue a project with Leadership Kitsap. Since Greg
and I live in the same locality, I became the Group Liaison. Greg and I had an initial
teleconference and afterwards, I emailed Erin and Keith about our conversation. Once the
recruitment plan was suggested, we were easily able to establish the direction of the
project.
How did the storming go?
This stage was characterized by establishing clarity in our individual tasks. We
were able to successfully decide our tasks without adversity. Conflicts within our group
have been positive in nature, each willing to help and take responsibility where needed.
This has been as a result of excellent communications within our group. As the liaison, I
have maintained active contact with Erin, Keith, and Greg with updates and any other
information for this project. Each of us has been a successful leader in every aspect of
this project since each of us had clearly established roles, tasks, and goals to fulfill.
How did the norming go?
Similar to storming, we were able to quickly establish our goals and therefore
were able to progress without conflict. Communications has remained excellent
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throughout the process making for a successful completion of this project. During this
time, we tried to have a teleconference with Greg. Due to time constraints and this last
minute decision, this was unsuccessful. So, as the group liaison, I had the teleconference
with Greg, assuring Erin and Keith that a summary of our discussion would be sent. Prior
to submitting the updated slide presentation, Greg made a surprise visit to my office. I
shared our progress with him as well as gained more information regarding Leadership
Kitsap’s recruitment process. It was at this visit that I learned a recruitment process did
exist. This required a change of thought from a purely strategic plan to improving current
recruitment practices.
When did the performing start, how did it go?
The performing started immediately as Nancy had a connection with the incoming
Executive Director of Leadership Kitsap. During residency Nancy mentioned this
organization as a potential for our project and both Keith and Erin agreed that it sounded
like the perfect opportunity. Working with a real-life organization makes the need to
offer useful information in a professional manner vital. The fact that the organization
was really doing recruiting and really listening to the ideas our group proposed made the
pressure to perform even greater than had it been an imaginary organization.
Greg was instrumental as a sponsor and shared his sincere interest in this project.
He provided us with information from his research. He was always available by email as
evidenced from his quick responses. His active involvement in assisting with
development and distribution of the survey played a major role in gathering important
primary information.
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What were major insights from looking back to your learning process?
Formulating a plan early on helped us to map out the time it would take to
complete each step we needed along the way, which enabled us time to gather, review,
evaluate, and act on information. Had we not taken the steps necessary to map out a plan
of attack, we might have been less organized and rushed for time. As a virtual team, our
focus played heavily on Leadership Kitsap’s needs, while neglecting some of our own.
While this was not bad or wrong, paying closer attention to the team’s needs is important
to the health of the team and project. Unforeseen and preventable events can disrupt the
flow and cohesion of a team. However, despite the bumps along the way, we always
maintained an open and active line of communication.
This project afforded us the opportunity to not only read about management
techniques and procedures, but allowed us to actually take on a management-related task,
identify areas of improvement, develop the tools necessary to remedy these issues, as
well as implement the process. All of these steps required a hands-on approach that we
were fortunate to experience and from which we will be able to apply them in our
educational and career settings. Even if we do not settle into a leadership role
professionally, the tools acquired through this project have given us a glimpse of the
insight required to be an effective manager.
What would you do differently if you could do it again?
Not including the communication we had with our contacts with the various
leadership programs, our group's primary means of communication was through email.
While this mode of communication is quick, it is not always the most effective way to
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work on and through a project like this one. While this not always the case with the
online Master of Library and Information Sciences program, the three members of our
group were all in the same time zone. We all have fairly different schedules which made
it difficult to meet face-to-face, however, what might have assisted us is a virtual meeting
using a tool like Skype. Some members of the group were able to do most of their email
communication throughout the day, for others, the best time to check and respond to
email was in the evening. The ability to communicate ideas and brainstorm
simultaneously lends itself to a group cohesion that we may have been lacking.
Final Thoughts and Remarks
Creating an effective strategic recruiting program requires more time than a ten-
week course allows. Throughout this process, we discovered a commonality among
community leadership programs: they are passionate about what they do and what they
want to accomplish. Increasing advertising and marketing strategies in a cost-effective
manner is often difficult for these small, non-profit organizations and even more so in
smaller communities such as Kitsap County. Reaching out to the wider community
through active recruiting, “door-to-door” efforts requires the time of board members and
staff who may already hold full-time jobs, families and other activities. Having a toolset
that enables these organizations to reach a maximum audience with minimal effort is an
ever-present and evolving need. As we progressed through this project, we recognized
that Leadership Kitsap has a recruiting plan, and only needed some ways to improve the
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current process. At this point, we recommend developing and distributing a brochure
throughout Kitsap County in addition to continuing their media contacts.
As mentioned throughout this project, the survey provided vital information from
which Leadership Kitsap can further tailor their program to improve their awareness and
visibility to ensure representation of the citizens of Kitsap County. We have been very
pleased to be able to aid this organization through our own efforts, and hope that we have
enabled this program with knowledge and tools to better their program.
Leadership Kitsap is a great organization and we were fortunate to be able to
work with the Executive Director, Greg Hunt, who was as passionate about this project
and the benefits that the outcome would produce. Not only is the completion of the
project itself rewarding, but the fact that we were able to provide additional tools, ideas,
and input to a great non-profit organization is more than valuable.
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References
Dessler, G., & Phillips, J. (2008). Managing now! Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Gauss, J. W., & Jessamy, H. T. (2007). The Board's Role in Developing a Diverse
Leadership Team. Trustee, 60(8), 5-8.
Ibarra, H., & Hunter, M. (2007). How Leaders Create and Use Networks. Harvard
Business Review, 85(1), 40-47.
Leverett, A., Parker, D., & McDonald, J. M. (2007). USING A MARKETING
APPROACH TO IMPROVE RECRUITMENT RETENTION OF AFRICAN-
AMERICAN STUDENTS IN A BBA PROGRAM. Academy of Educational
Leadership Journal, 11(1), 1-10.
United States Census Bureau. (2006). State and County QuickFacts: Kitsap County,
Washington. Retrieved on June 6, 2008 from
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/53/53035.html
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Appendix 1 - Leadership Kitsap, 2008 Survey
Leadership Kitsap, 2008 Survey
Welcome!
Thank you for taking time to complete this survey.
As part of our Masters program at the University of Washington and in partnership with the Leadership Kitsap Foundation, we are conducting a short research project on the current recruiting process for Leadership Kitsap program applicants. Our goal is provide possible recommendations which will promote a diverse pool of program applicants each year. To accomplish this we will: 1) review current marketing and recruiting practices used by the organization; 2) sample class demography based on survey response; 3) compare class demographics to county statistical data; and 4) make recommendations based on findings
We appreciate your responses and recommendations. All responses are anonymous and data will be kept confidential.
Erin HoffranceNancy KlinefelterKeith PittsMLIS CandidatesUniversity of Washington
Directions:The survey is 13 questions in length and should take about 10 minutes to complete. The first 9 questions gather demographic data for research comparisons. Questions 10 through 13 address the marketing and recruiting processes.
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PART ONE: DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
Directions: Responses should reflect status at time of application.
Question 1.When did you attend Leadership Kitsap's educational program?
2009 Applicant Class of 2008 Class of 2007 Class of 2006 Class of 2005 Class of 2004 Class of 2003 Class of 2002 Class of 2001
Class of 2000 Class of 1999 Class of 1998 Class of 1997 Class of 1996 Class of 1995 Board Member only (have not attended the program) Other
Question 2.What was your age at time of application?
Younger than 20 years old20 to 29 years old30 to 39 years old
40 to 49 years oldOlder than 50 years old
Question 3.What organization type were you involved in at time of application? For-profit business (more than 100 employees) For-profit business (less than 100 employees) Government/Public Sector Civic/Non-profit Other
Question 4.What best describes your level of education at time of application?
Some high school Graduated high school/GED Some college/university Professional certification Graduated college/university
Some post-graduate work Masters Doctorate Other
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Question 5.Which industry best describes your area of employment at time of application?
Administrative and waste services Agriculture Architecture/Engineer Arts Community Volunteer Construction Consultant Education Environment Faith Organization Federal Government Finance (Accounting/Banking, Insurance) Food service/accommodation
Healthcare/Social Services Law/Fire/Public Service Manufacturing Public administration Public Relations/Advertising Retail Retired Student Technical services Utilities Wholesale trade Other
Question 6.Which best describes your employment position at time of application?
President/Owner Partner Executive Director/CEO Vice President Director
Senior Manager Manager/Supervisor Lead Staff
Question 7.Which option best describes your household's annual income from all sources at time of application?
Less than $10,000$10,000 to $19,999$20,000 to $29,999$30,000 to $39,999
$40,000 to $49,999$50,000 to $59,999$60,000 to $69,999$70,000 or greater
Question 8.What best describes your ethnicity?Black Latino Native American Caucasian
Pacific Islander Other
Question 9.What is your gender?Male Female
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Question 10.Leadership Kitsap believes in making a “best effort to recruit a diverse population for each Leadership Kitsap class. Diversity should include: race, sex, employment, and age.” Using this definition, how would you describe the diversity of your class?
Lacked diversity Some diversity Adequate diversity Significant diversity
I have not yet attended Leadership Kitsap
PART TWO: THE RECRUITING AND MARKETING PROCESS
Question 11.How did you learn about the Leadership Kitsap organization and program?(Check all that apply) Leadership Kitsap letter/phone call Leadership Kitsap email Google search/Website visit Leadership Kitsap Board Member Radio/Newspaper Ad
Employer Communication Co-worker Supervisor Other
Question 12.Did your employer have an application/screening process in addition to the Leadership Kitsap application process?
Yes No
Question 13.On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the most difficult), how difficult did you feel the Leadership Kitsap application was to complete?
1 2 3 4 5
Question 14.On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the most difficult,) how difficult do you feel the Leadership Kitsap screening/interview process was?
1 2 3 4 5
Question 15.
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Do you have any recommendations for improving the Leadership Kitsap recruiting and marketing process?
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Appendix 2 – CLP Interview Questions
Hello,
My name is Erin Hoffrance and along my cohorts, Nancy Klinefelter, and Keith Pitts, we are students enrolled in the University of Washington’s Master of Library and Information Sciences Program. We are doing a project that requires us to evaluate and compare the way in which non-profit organizations recruit for their programs. Regarding your specific program [insert program title here] I have a few questions:
Do you have an active recruiting process for your leadership program? When recruiting how do you ensure you attract a wide-range of applicants? What do you see as the most important tool in making sure your program is
visible to potential applicants? How do you evaluate the recruiting process for areas of improvement? Is there
anything you would like to add to your current recruiting process?
If you would prefer to speak over the phone, please let me know that as well. My telephone number is 206.240.0364
Thank you very much for your time. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you again!
Erin HoffranceMLIS Candidate
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Appendix 3 - Theme Suggestion Form
Class of 20xx
Theme Suggestion Form
Please give three suggestions for next year’s class theme.
First choice: ___________________________________
Second choice: _________________________________
Third choice: ___________________________________
Thank you,
Greg Hunt, Executive Director
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Appendix 4 - Candidate Referral Form
Candidate Referral
Class of 20xx
(Theme Here)Please assist us in recruiting candidates!
If you know someone who would benefit from this program and benefit the community, let us know.
We appreciate you helping us build a better community.
Please tell us about you:
Name: ___________________________________________________
Phone number: ____________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________________
Please tell us about your candidate:
Name: _____________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
Phone number: _______________________________________________
Email: ______________________________________________________
Please tell us why you believe this person would be a good candidate for our community leadership program: _______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Thank you for your referral!
Appendix 5 - Leadership Kitsap Application
Leadership Kitsap ApplicationClass of 20xx
Visions for Tomorrow
Leadership Kitsap is a non-profit organization founded in 1993 by community leaders from Kitsap County Chambers of Commerce and United Way of Kitsap County. Leadership Kitsap is committed to promoting a culturally rich and diverse program to foster community leadership of current and emerging leaders in Kitsap County.
MissionThe mission of Leadership Kitsap is to educate, prepare and connect a new group of committed leaders for community involvement in Kitsap County. Its programs are designed to help participants acquire both a greater sense of critical issues affecting Kitsap County and leadership skills necessary to motivate and engage others in collaborative efforts to resolve them.
Selection CriteriaLeadership Kitsap class participants are selected through a competitive screening/interview process conducted by the Board of Directors. A limited number of individuals will be chosen based on an evaluation of the following criteria:
Represent a cross-section of the community including business, education, organized labor, health services, government, arts, and community organizations.
Representative of diverse backgrounds including ethnic, racial, age, gender, education level, and professional level.
Exhibit commitment, motivation, and interest in serving the community.
Have potential or existing advancement or leadership opportunities in their own organizations or in the community.
Will use their leadership for the future benefit of the community.
Non-DiscriminationLeadership Kitsap does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or physical ability.
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ConfidentialityAll applications are handled respectfully and with appropriate confidentiality.
Application Fee, Tuition and Application DeadlineAn application fee of $25 is required at time of submission. Accepted candidates will receive $25 credit on their portion of the tuition. Candidates not accepted who wish to reapply in subsequent years will not have to pay the $25 application fee. Tuition for the program is $1750 ($250 participant responsibility; the remainder paid through employers, sponsoring organization, or scholarships). Mail, email, or deliver all application materials by (date). Those selected will be notified by (date).
Leadership Kitsap Greg Hunt, Executive Director 647 4th Street (360) 782-1058Bremerton, WA 98337 [email protected]
Please answer all questions completely and limit answers to space provided.
Personal Information
Name (Last, First): _______________________________Preferred nickname: ____________________
Home Address: ________________________________City: ___________________Zip:____________
Home Phone: __________________Cell Phone: ________________ E-Mail______________________
Diversity (optional): We appreciate this information as it is used to evaluate our recruitment effectiveness to ensure a wide representation of the community.
Age: ________ Gender: ________ Ethnic/Cultural Identification: _________________________
Current Employment
Employer: ________________________Position: __________________From: _____To:______
Employer Address: ________________________________City: _____________Zip: ________
Phone:_________________ Fax: __________________ E-Mail: _________________________
What type of organization is your employer? (business, non-profit, government, etc)
______________________________________________________________________________
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Please describe your duties and responsibilities. ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Employment History (start with most recent)
Employer Position Responsibilities Dates
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Education
School City/State Dates Degree
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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Academic and/or Professional Accomplishments (offices held, awards, honors)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Community Organizations and Activities
Please describe current or past volunteer community, civic, religious, political, government, social, athletic, or other community activities. (Please exclude business, professional, or academic).
Organization Position/Responsibilities Dates
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What do you consider your most important accomplishment in one of the above organizations? Why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What kinds of volunteer activities would you like to become active with in the future?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How much time per month do you commit to volunteer work? _________________________________________
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Short Essays
(Please limit responses to space provided.)
1) What leadership qualities will you bring to the Leadership Kitsap class? What do you hope to gain from this experience, and how will you put it to use?
2) Please describe your leadership style and give an example of a situation in which you exhibited leadership.
3) Please describe up to three problems facing Kitsap County. What would you recommend to resolve one of them?
4) Please describe up to three notable opportunities in Kitsap County. How would you approach any one of them?
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Time CommitmentLeadership Kitsap, a personal and intensive training program, requires a one-year time commitment. The program works best for people who see themselves acting in leadership roles in their place of employment and in their community.
Full participation by each class member is expected. This includes attendance at: Orientation - One evening in Mid-August Opening Retreat - 2-day retreat in mid-September (Overnight) Monthly Challenge Days - October through June Leadership Development Day – 2nd Saturday in February Community Action Projects - to be scheduled by the class members in each group Graduation Celebration - late June (Schedule subject to change).
NOTE: To ensure that you can be an active participant during the coming year, please review these commitments to be confident that you, your family, and your employer understand these demands on your time, energy, and money. If you are unable to commit to this schedule, please do not apply at this time.
Financial CommitmentTuition for the Leadership Kitsap program is $1750. At least $250 of the tuition should be paid by the student with the remainder to be paid by the employer or sponsoring organization. Tuition is due by September 1, 2008. There are no refunds. For information on tuition assistance or individual payment arrangements, please call Kathy Nelson at 360-782-1058.
Employer/Sponsor Tuition Contribution $_____________
Applicant Tuition Contribution $_____________
Total Tuition 1,750.00
I, as an applicant/employer, understand and agree to these commitments:
_______________________________Applicant’s Signature Employer’s Signature*
*Not applicable to partnerships, self-employed, or those not employed.
Sponsor Information (if applicable)
Organization Contact Person Title ________________________Business Address________________________________________________________Business Phone______________Fax________________E-mail____________________
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Appendix 6 - Leadership Kitsap, 2008 Survey Results
Question 1. When did you attend Leadership Kitsap's educational program?Mean 5.22Median 2.00Mode 1Min/Max 1/16Standard deviation 4.54Total responses (N): 123 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value
Answer Frequency Percentage
1 2009 Applicant 30 24.39%2 Class of 2008 20 16.26%3 Class of 2007 19 14.63%4 Class of 2006 7 5.69%5 Class of 2005 2 1.63%6 Class of 2004 7 5.69%7 Class of 2003 4 3.25%8 Class of 2002 3 2.44%9 Class of 2001 4 3.25%10 Class of 2000 5 4.07%11 Class of 1999 4 3.25%12 Class of 1998 6 4.88%13 Class of 1997 4 3.25%14 Class of 1996 4 3.25%15 Class of 1995 4 3.25%16 Board Member only (have not attended the program) 1 0.81%17 Other 0 0.00%
Question 2. What was your age at time of application?Mean 3.76Median 4.00Mode 4Min/Max 2/5Standard deviation 0.89Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Younger than 20 years old 0 0.00%2 20 to 29 years old 10 8.06%3 30 to 39 years old 37 29.84%
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4 40 to 49 years old 50 40.32%5 Older than 50 years old 27 21.77%
Question 3. What organization type were you involved in at time of application?Mean 3.13Median 3.00Mode 3Min/Max 1/5Standard deviation 1.09Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 For-profit business (more than 100 employees) 15 12.10%2 For-profit business (less than 100 employees) 12 9.68%3 Government/Public Sector 48 38.71%4 Civic/Non-profit 40 32.26%5 Other 9 7.26%
Question 4. What best describes your level of education at time of application? Mean 5.58Median 5.00Mode 7Min/Max 2/8Standard deviation 1.60Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Some high school 0 0.00%2 Graduated high school/GED 3 2.42%3 Some college/university 15 12.10%4 Professional certification 8 6.45%5 Graduated college/university 40 32.26%6 Some post-graduate work 7 5.65%7 Masters 41 33.06%8 Doctorate 10 8.06%9 Other 0 0.00%
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Question 5. Which industry best describes your area of employment at time of application?Mean 14.11Median 17.50Mode 14Min/Max 1/25Standard deviation 6.71Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Administrative and waste services 2 1.61%
2 Agriculture 0 0.00%3 Architecture/Engineer 10 8.06%4 Arts 2 1.61%5 Community Volunteer 0 0.00%6 Construction 0 0.00%7 Consultant 2 1.61%8 Education 13 10.48%9 Environment 2 1.61%10 Faith Organization 1 0.81%11 Federal Government 13 10.48%12 Finance (Accounting/Banking, Insurance) 6 4.84%13 Food service/accommodation 1 0.81%14 Healthcare/Social Services 23 18.55%15 Law/Fire/Public Service 11 8.87%16 Manufacturing 0 0.00%17 Public administration 5 4.03%18 Public Relations/Advertising 4 3.23%19 Retail 0 0.00%20 Retired 2 1.61%21 Student 0 0.00%22 Technical services 5 4.03%23 Utilities 4 3.23%24 Wholesale trade 0 0.00%25 Other 18 14.52%
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Question 6. Which best describes your employment position at time of application? Mean 6.19Median 6.00Mode 5Min/Max 1/9Standard deviation 1.80Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 President/Owner 2 1.61%2 Partner 0 0.00%3 Executive Director/CEO 12 9.68%4 Vice President 1 0.81%5 Director 31 25.00%6 Senior Manager 18 14.52%7 Manager/Supervisor 30 24.19%8 Lead 18 14.52%9 Staff 12 9.68%
Question 7. Which option best describes your household's annual income from all sources at time of application?Mean 7.22Median 8.00Mode 8Min/Max 2/8Standard deviation 1.33Total responses (N): 120 Did not respond: 4
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Less than $10,000 0 0.00%2 $10,000 to $19,999 1 0.83%3 $20,000 to $29,999 0 0.00%4 $30,000 to $39,999 9 7.50%5 $40,000 to $49,999 6 5.00%6 $50,000 to $59,999 7 5.83%7 $60,000 to $69,999 19 15.83%8 $70,000 or greater 78 65.00%
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Question 8. What best describes your ethnicity?Response statisticsMean 3.97Median 4.00Mode 4Min/Max 1/6Standard deviation 0.65Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Black 3 2.42%2 Latino 1 0.81%3 Native American 3 2.42%4 Caucasian 111 89.52%5 Pacific Islander 2 1.61%6 Other 4 3.23%
Question 9. What is your gender?Mean 1.63Median 2.00Mode 2Min/Max 1/2Standard deviation 0.49Total responses (N): 121 Did not respond: 2
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Male 45 37.19%2 Female 76 62.81%
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Question 10. Leadership Kitsap believes in making a “best effort to recruit a diverse population for each Leadership Kitsap class. Diversity should include: race, sex, employment, and age.” Using this definition, how would you describe the diversity of your class? Mean 3.20Median 3.00Mode 3Min/Max 1/5Standard deviation 1.27Total responses (N): 85 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Lacked diversity 5 5.88%2 Some diversity 23 27.06%3 Adequate diversity 30 35.29%4 Significant diversity 4 4.71%5 I have not yet attended Leadership Kitsap 23 27.06%
Question 11. Leadership Kitsap believes in making a “best effort to recruit a diverse population for each Leadership Kitsap class. Diversity should include: race, sex, employment, and age.” Using this definition, how would you describe the diversity of your class?Mean 2.51Median 2.00Mode 2Min/Max 1/4Standard deviation 0.79Total responses (N): 39 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Lacked diversity 3 7.69%2 Some diversity 17 43.59%3 Adequate diversity 15 38.46%4 Significant diversity 4 10.26%
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Question 12. How did you learn about the Leadership Kitsap organization and program? (Check all that apply)Response statisticsMean 6.29Median 6.00Mode 6Min/Max 1/9Standard deviation 1.75Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Leadership Kitsap letter/phone call 3 2.42%2 Leadership Kitsap email 0 0.00%3 Google search/Website visit 6 4.84%4 Leadership Kitsap Board Member 26 20.97%5 Radio/Newspaper Ad 9 7.26%6 Employer Communication 52 41.94%7 Co-worker 33 26.61%8 Supervisor 31 25.00%9 Other 17 13.71%
Question 13. Did your employer have an application/screening process in addition to the Leadership Kitsap application process? Mean 1.65Median 2.00Mode 2Min/Max 1/2Standard deviation 0.48Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 Yes 43 34.68%2 No 81 65.32%
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Question 14. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the most difficult), how difficult did you feel the Leadership Kitsap application was to complete?Mean 2.31Median 2.00Mode 2Min/Max 1/5Standard deviation 0.97Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0 Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 1 28 22.58%2 2 45 36.29%3 3 36 29.03%4 4 14 11.29%5 5 1 0.81%
Question 15. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the most difficult,) how difficult do you feel the Leadership Kitsap screening/interview process was? Response statisticsMean 2.09Median 2.00Mode 2Min/Max 1/5Standard deviation 0.96Total responses (N): 124 Did not respond: 0
Numeric value Answer Frequency Percentage1 1 40 32.26%2 2 44 35.48%3 3 30 24.19%4 4 9 7.26%5 5 1 0.81%
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Question 16. Do you have any recommendations for improving the Leadership Kitsap recruiting and marketing process? (Statistics are not calculated for this question type.)Total responses (N): 56 Did not respond: 68
• "xecutive Director, Board Members and graudates need to speak to the community/business and/or community groups about the program."
• "As is most organizations, Leadership Kitsap is mostly advertised by word of mouth in our community. ore agressive recruiting process with an information sharing meeting for potential candidates prior to the selection/application process."
• "More public funding could offer a more diverse community class. If this was a more publicly (private businesss) funded program then people from different and more diverse parts of the community could participate through the endowment. Suggest a committee to address funding the program endowment approching companies like Wal-Mart, Costco, Harrison Hospital, Safeway, and other big businesses to support challenged participants and the LK & LKAA organizations as a whole."
• "It would be helpful for any employer initiated communication to include links to get to LK site for review.
• I received the link after a second communication and found it very helpful in thinking about my interests, application essay, etc. seeing the projects past, currrent was a plus."
• "Focus on citizens within Kitsap County employed in the public and privite sector; identify and recruit largest employers; presentations to special purpose districts (schools, fire, water, port, conservation, library, health); Kitsap County; Federal Government; chambers......... Perhaps a notice in the business general and newsletter for various organizations. You might be more publicly visible. I was personally recruited, otherwise I wouldn't have known anything about it. Enhance contact with area Chambers of Commerce. Network with alumni vigorously. Target individuals and actively recruit them. Yes, don't keep growing the class to accept all applicants. Actually make it a true selection process. Don't recruit people who are already leaders in the community just because they (or their organization) support LK financially. Recruit people who need to grow their community connection. That's a way you can truly make a meaningful difference and impact on our community. Make more attempts at marketing the program - press releases in local newspapers, magazines, and publications that talk about the great things that LK does for this community. I have heard about Leadership Kitsap via word of mouth from colleagues and friends. I was surprised the heads of my organization were not familar with the program. Possibly mailers to organizations including local governments? I don't know what their marketing process is so I really can't comment on it at this time."
• "I only knew about LK through my coworker and a Board member that I work with. I don't think I saw anything about it anywhere else. Maybe something in the paper would be beneficial, or emailings for sure would spread the word."
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• "Be sure you PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN NOT ONLY KITSAP COUNTY BUT WERE THEY WORK. THIS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT TO KEEP LEADERSHIP KITSAP SPREAD THRU YOUR WORKPLACE TO HAVE OTHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE"
• "Feel participants residency of Kitsap County should be an equal factor as employment in Kitsap County."
• "A very good program but difficult to maintain contact in these tring times. Once established,I certainly enjoyed the "mix" on our Team. Each one of our memebers brought a level of expertise from photographer, community liasion, copywriting, advertising and presentation skills. Our individual strenghts were called upon when needed and our individual challenges were complimented by the power of other team members."
• "Process was not hard, but did take some effort. Overall the process seems good and the concept of the whole program is very exciting."
• "On-site information sessions at employer groups or locally held for interested (potential) candidates to learn more about the program -- what they can expect to share and gain, as well as how their past experience might tie into the program."
• "Advertise more!! Educational leaders need to be more involved: OC, four year schools on OC campus, School districts, private schools"
• "I think LK should take a look at the group project piece. It is very time consuming but important. It would be improved if the groups were kept to a maximum of 4 people. This would make graduation longer, probably, but have 5 - 7 folks in a group is a bit much and as a result more time consuming and as a result may deter people from applying. "
• "Perhaps a powerpoint marketing tool could be developed that gave more insight into the program. I didn't really understand what I was getting into (I really enjoyed the program) but the main consideration was cost. My employer covered all but $250. Without this sponsorship, I would not have been able to participate in this program.
• I had to choose "other" for my ethnicity since there was no "Asian" category. First time that has happened for me."
• "Send announcement through local Personnel/Human Resources Offices. Place a large ad in the area newspaper."
• "The visibility of the alumni in our community is a great recruting tool. It would be good to publish where they are now in your publications."
• "The best marketing tool is board members and grads."
• "I do not know if there is a limit to class size. I remember there being fewer applicants than desired. Except for Alumni mail directed to me - I do not see information about the Kitsap Leadership program in the media (I must not see it.)"
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• "Not clear how you market. I see the newsletters as an alumni, but don't see or hear about it in other venues. When I market I find most have never heard of it. If you don't put newsletters at organizations/both large and small, perhaps that would be helpful, newspaper ads, speaking at rotaries, briefs at HS and local colleges for prospective and project involvement are also options.
• I think a bit more emphasis on the time/team commitment. Some people were very committed, others just wanted to "finish up so we could graduate". It's a great program and there is so much to learn, but there was a lot of complaining about the time commitment for the challenge days that was kind of annoying, as that's what we'd signed up for."
• "At least with my class, greater male participation would be appropriate. (Question 6 doesn't have an option if one is retired.)"
• "My Interview was with about 12 board members, I understand that we now have a much better process and a beeter application. "
• "No"
• "It is estremely easy to figure out who is completing this survey by looking at the demographic data; certinly not anonymous. :-) There seems to be a lack students from faith based organizations and a preponderance of students with liberal political/pro governmental solutions viewpoints. I believe the mission and training would be much more effective if the diversity of the student body included a broader spectrum of political perspectives and more faith-based perspectives."
• "Because it requires a fee and many companies pay a portion of the cost, I think getting info out to as many employers as possible throughout Kitsap County. Also important are the Chamber of Commerce with their connections to local businesses.
• No."
• "I would just have to say that making sure that we have diversity in Leadership Kitsap is very important. Minorities need to be represented in the class.
• Appears to be working well."
• "The current target is quite narrow...it would be good to include ALL areas of the community."
• "Distribute application packets or informational brochures to businesses via email, events or other employer gatherings."
• "Question #5 did not include science/pharmaceutical research as a category. Some other categories were missing (artist, writer, and entrepreneur)."
• "LK should include more for-profit, private sector employees and company leaders. LK should include people who are Kitsap County residents but who commute (40% of our
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workforce commutes). We should use this as a vehicle to invite company leaders to Kitsap County to see what is available. "
• "The LK program was good. I enjoyed it."
• "The vast percentage of participants were government workers or contractors whose businesses rely on government contracts. If this leadership, god help the county!
• I think that non-profits with less economic strength can contribute significantly to the class. The availability of scholarship dollars will increase the socioeconomic and racial diversity of the cohorts."
• "No."
• "My personal recruitment process through the Federal government was very thorough and competitive. It required that I submit a 500 word essay explaining my interest and goals for the program and also an employer panel interview. I don't know that I would have heard of the program if it wasn't through my employer. One note - I answered the question about the diversity of my class as adequate although I have not yet met my class members. The question was required though and did not give me the option to put unknown or N/A at this time."
• "In my case I had to go through two screening processes, one for my employer and one for Leadership Kitsap. The screening by my employer was much more involved than Leadership Kitsap. Other people in the program just paid the tuition and were in the class. I don't think the program has balance when it comes to politics and issues. I felt it had a great lean towards the left side of the spectrum and if you were not part of that group then your opinion did not matter and they did not want here about it. Too bad, but that is the demographics of Kitsap County. The program needs to have balance. This one does not."
• "Good folks to recruit are past participants. Maybe have a list of contacts willing to answer questions from potential applicants. "
• "One to market LK would be to have a media or outreach component in the public service projects. Lots of good ""buzz"" could be generated from the projects themselves."
• "My answer to #10 is invalid (I am a 2009 applicant)."
• "I think efforts to reach very community minded people is essential. This includes outreach to small non-profits and grassroots activists that don't normally hit the radar. A scholarship program could help make the program accessible to those with great vision, energy and ideas, but without a budget."
• "Yes. I don't feel we get enough of a "heads up" regarding when applications are due. I've felt that the process makes my radar screen too late to recruit members of my management team to participate."
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• "Branch out to different sectors and companies. It seems we have the same agencies represented each year."
• "Leadership Kitsap is not as well known as I feel it should be. Many citizens in our community are not aware of Leadership Kitsap at all, what the program consists of and what it does for the community."
• "I participated in LK several years ago - my overall sense is that both recruitment and the program itself have significantly improved.
• It appears that the web has many hits on Leadership Kitsap. It would appear that a more focused approach would be a way to enhance the recruit candidates. This however may be viewed as discriminatory. So the existing methods seem to be effective at this time.
• Increasing visiblity of the Projects would give applicants a better idea of expectations. Inviting applicants to the February challenge day (or portion of it) would improve marketing."
• "Better marketing to the public (not a lot of public awareness about the program).
• Not enough public awareness of the program"
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2.50
%
4.60
%
1.60
%
82.5
0%
0.70
%
9.00
%
2.42
%
0.81
%
2.42
%
89.5
2%
1.61
%
3.23
%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
Black Latino Native American Caucasian Pacific Islander Other
Appendix 7 - Comparable US Census Bureau data
Figure 1: Gender Demographic Data
Figure 2: Racial Demographic Comparison
48
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Male Female
Kitsap County* Survey
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Male Female
