Education is the mission and principal goal of the MG program. As UME representatives, MGs should only be working on projects and activities approved by the MGC or the person(s) designated by UME to fulfill that role. Volunteer service hours entered in the Volunteer Management System for non-approved projects and activities will be rejected. All appropriate volunteer hours should be entered in the online VMS. This includes planning meetings and events, committee and administrative work, and time spent preparing for activities. Volunteer service includes the travel time for volunteer activities and MG meetings but does not include continuing education (classroom hours or travel time). The following broad guidelines can be used to determine the suitability of a particular activity or project: 

1. Consistent with the MG educational mission. Garden maintenance activities should be kept to a minimum.

2. Accessible and open to the public. Site visits to the private properties of individual clients are strongly discouraged unless they are part of an approved activity, like the Bay-Wise Landscaping program.

3. Provides the public with science-based accurate, and useful information regarding horticulture and integrated pest management. 

4. Educational in nature.

5. Does not result in personal financial gain for Master Gardeners.

6. Conducted by the MG as a representative of the University of Maryland. 

7. Volunteers cannot earn MG hours for projects that occur at their place of employment.

MGs should discuss ideas for appropriate activities with the MGC and MG leadership and submit proposals using the formal process established by your local program for this purpose. There is a template project proposal form available in the Forms and Resources section. All MG activities/projects must be approved by the MGC or the person(s) designated by UME to fulfill that role.

Common Activity Approval Clarifications

The following can be approved activities:

• Providing technical assistance to a private school or place of worship that wishes to install a pollinator garden (See Separation of Church and State section for guidance on working with places of worship)

• Representing UME on an advisory board for a local environmental organization (if approved by the MGC)

The following cannot be approved activities:

• Registering people for a 5K wellness walk

• Picking vegetables to help a shorthanded urban farmer

• Advising a neighbor about planting a native groundcover

• Weeding gardens at your child's school for a day

Out-of-state projects

A project in an adjoining state or Washington, D.C. may be approved if:

1. It meets the criteria for an approved activity or project,

AND

2. A written, signed agreement is created between the MG program and the entity sponsoring the activity or project. The agreement would list the nature and scope of the activity or project and the specific role of the MGs. To fully protect our volunteers under the Maryland Tort Claims Act (MTCA), the agreement would have to specify that

“This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Maryland excluding its conflicts of laws/ rules.”

Or

“Nothing in this Agreement is or shall be deemed to be a waiver by University of Maryland of its status as a sovereign entity of the State of Maryland under Maryland law or the Constitution of the United States.” 

The MGC cannot sign the agreement- it must go through administrative offices at UMD AGNR. Projects occurring in other states are not encouraged, as our primary goal is to serve Maryland residents.

All volunteers are required to input their information into the online Volunteer Management System (VMS). This system is where volunteers keep track of their hours, report their contacts, and submit them for MGC approval. The MG state office monitors this system and uses it regularly for reporting, so please make every effort to keep this up to date and ensure you enter your data accurately and on a regular basis. For instructions on how to use the VMS, please see the VMS page in this manual.

Please note that not all measurements of success or accomplishments are quantitative. It is helpful to keep track of anecdotes, stories, and qualitative metrics as well as quantitative metrics. Consider reporting qualitative measures (success stories!) to your MGC so they can gain support for the program.

Entering volunteer service hours and continuing education hours into the VMS is a requirement for volunteers to remain a part of the Master Gardener program. 

Dates

The data gathered in the VMS is pertinent for reporting at the end of the year. The state office will release the due dates for entering hours and for reviewing and approving hours well before the end of the year. Please be sure that you add your hours by the deadline so that the data will be available to use for reporting. There will be no exceptions for late data being added or approved.

Timely & Individual Hour Entries

Volunteers are required to enter their hours in individual entries as they occur. Volunteers may not wait until the end of the year to enter all of their hours. Hours that are entered as lump sums will not be approved. 

The VMS is hosted online at https://vms.umd.edu. 

Volunteers are added to the site by their county/ city MGC or VMS Admin. You will only use the first access form once (https://vms.umd.edu/vms/sec_Login/). After that, you will be able to use the regular https://vms.umd.edu. You will only be able to access the site if you are currently set as an active MG or Intern within the VMS system. Volunteers who are designated as Emeritus, Separated, or Hiatus will not be able to access the system.

If you need technical assistance, you can contact your coordinator or VMS Admin. There is also a playlist on YouTube with helpful videos for how to do most basic tasks within VMS.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtL0NOPb7Xub2Q7O0Zej5J5Y8SS162l2i

This playlist is also available directly within the VMS from the Get Help tab. The Get Help tab also features written directions with screen shots that show step-by-step instructions on how to complete tasks.

In order to maintain the status of Active Master Gardener, MGs must complete at least 10 hours of continuing education each year. 

Continuing education can include any combination of

• Classes, webinars, seminars, workshops, tours, field days, and other educational activities offered by UME, plant societies, botanical gardens and arboreta, colleges, nature centers, etc. 

• Subject matter presentations made at MG membership meetings

• Continuing education events coordinated and sponsored by the local Extension Office or by the state MG office

Not eligible for continuing education hours:

• Volunteer hours

• Festivals or plant sale events

• Topics outside of our mission and subject matter of horticulture and integrated pest management (e.g., botanical illustration)

• Reading botanical books or articles

MGs are expected to log all of their continuing education hours into the VMS. VMS Admins and/ or MGCs are responsible for approving continuing education hours for the MGs in their county/city program. A list of the names and contact information of the VMS Admins can be found at the bottom of the Record and Report Volunteer Data page of the MG website.

Certified Professional Horticulturist Certification

Active MGs can apply to become Certified Professional Horticulturists, a program offered by the Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association (MNLGA). The organization has determined that the MG training and volunteer experience makes MGs eligible to apply.

Any interested MG should go to the CPH page of the MNLGA website for additional information. 

Applicants will need to download and complete the application and pay the $240 fee ($140 for MNLGA members) for materials and taking the exam. On the application, the MG should list University of Maryland Extension as the sponsor organization. It’s very important that the MG also submit a letter of sponsorship written and signed by their MGC or other Extension Educator. The application and letter should be submitted together to MNLGA.

This is a great opportunity for motivated MGs to take their knowledge and experience to the next level.