ALABAMA MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION, INC. (AMGA) LOCAL ASSOCIATION S HANDBOOK

Transcription

1 ALABAMA MASTER GARDENERS ASSOCIATION, INC. (AMGA) LOCAL ASSOCIATION S HANDBOOK A GUIDE FOR NEW ASSOCIATIONS AND PROCEDURES TO CONDUCT BUSINESS FOR ESTABLISHED ASSOCIATIONS Contents are the property of AMGA And for AMGA Use only (Updated September 2011)

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS (PAGE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN DELETED SINCE THEY ARE INCORRCT) PAGE Welcome What do I need to do?...3 AMGA Relationship with Alabama Cooperative Extension System...4 Organizational Flow Chart...5 Alabama Master Gardener Program Steering Committee...6 AMGA and Its Relationship with Local Associations...7 Conducting Local Association Meetings (Suggested Format)...8 Duties and Responsibilities for Officers and Chairs:...9 President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Directors State Advisory Council Duties and Responsibilities for Committee Chairs...11 Communications Committee Membership Committee Finance Committee Programs Committee Projects Committee AMGA Awards Program...14 Non Master Gardeners The Gary Murray Outstanding Service and Dedication Award...14 Master Gardeners: The Mary Lou McNabb Alabama Master Gardener of The Year Award...15 The Jean Lee Lifetime Hours Award...16 Top Hours for the Year Award...16 Outstanding Newsletter Award...16 Reach for the Stars Awards...17 Master Gardener Search For Excellence...18 Appendix A: Glossary of Terms...19 Appendix B: AMGA References (List of local and state officers, etc.)...20 Appendix C: Local Association Bylaws (Instructions)...21 Appendix D: Local Association Organization Chart (Example)...23 Appendix E: Guidelines for Calculating Service Hours...24 Appendix E 1: Volunteer Hours Coordinator Duties and Responsibilities...26 Appendix E 2: Using the Online Service Report Systems...27 Appendix E 3: Generating Reports (Hours Coordinator) using Online Service Report System...29 Appendix F: Directions for Submitting State Dues...30 Appendix G: Directions for Ordering Stars and Badges...31 Appendix H: Guidelines for Updating Membership Spreadsheet...32 Appendix I: Guidelines for Master Gardener Search For Excellence

3 WELCOME What do I need to do? Welcome to the Alabama Master Gardener Program. This Local Association Handbook is intended to help you understand the procedures necessary to conduct business within your association and as a guide in setting up new organizations. It describes relationships between the local associations, AMGA (Alabama Master Gardener Association), and ACES (Alabama Cooperative Extension Service). There are examples of how to conduct meetings, duties and responsibilities for officers, and suggested committee chairs and committees. Appendix C provides guidelines on establishing association bylaws. You may use the AMGA Bylaws as a guide for writing local association bylaws; this should be tailored to your unique situation. Each association should have a member appointed or elected (depending on your bylaws) to the State Advisory Council (see p. 7). This person is a critical communication link between your local MG Association and AMGA. The Advisory Council functions in identifying problem areas or areas that need clarifying, as well as offering solutions and advising the Board and the Extension system as to whether the Program is responsive to the needs of the Master Gardeners. The State Advisory Council meets quarterly in Clanton, Alabama. The awards section (p )) describes the various awards that recognize exceptional Master Gardeners. Each association should appoint someone as the Volunteer Hours Coordinator (Appendix E 1). This person can assists and encourages local members to log their hours via the Online Service Report System (Appendix E 2), due by December 31st of each calendar year. This person should also maintain cumulative hours of each association member, (see Appendix E 3), and organize Reach for the Stars awards (p. 16) to recognize its deserving members. Appendix G describes the procedure for ordering stars and badges, based on cumulative hours. Appendix E is a guide for defining and calculating service hours and CEUs. This gives specific guidelines for determining if an activity can be counted toward Master Gardener Service or CEU hours. In addition, the Handbook will assist members who serve your local organization in leadership positions to better understand their duties and responsibilities, especially those with a responsibility of submitting reports to AMGA, such as awards, dues and individual membership status. Appendix F provides directions for submitting State Dues, to be paid by each association by December 31st of each calendar year. Appendix H is the guideline for updating the membership spreadsheet and is due to the data base manager by December 31stof each calendar year. You may want to use this Handbook format as you create your own Local Association Handbook. Please read it carefully and ask any questions you may have. Your comments and ideas are the best sources for improving this Handbook and should be sent to the AMGA Communications Chairperson. This Handbook is available to all members on the AMGA website. Updated 2011, Approved by AMGA Board of Directors on this date June 7,

4 The Mission Statement of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems (Aces) with respect to the MG Program is as follows: The Alabama Master Gardener Program is an educational program provided and administered by the County offices of ACES. It is a program to train and certify individuals who, in turn, volunteer their expertise and services in support of the Cooperative Extension effort related to the horticultural sciences. The State Master Gardener Program Coordinator is an employee of Auburn University with responsibilities for administering the program throughout the state. The state coordinator serves as a cog in the wheel, to facilitate all facets of the MG program and to make sure all components or legs of the stool are working together. The structure forming the four legs of the stool to provide balance to the MG Program is: 1. State MG Program Coordinator 2. Extension Agents (coordinating MG Programs) 3. Alabama Master Gardeners Association (AMGA) Board of Directors 4. Local MG association leadership When all four components of the Alabama MG Program work together with mutual respect for the others roles and functions, a balance is achieved that allows the MG Program to function successfully and fulfill the mission and objectives of the program. An organizational flow chart explains the relationships and the chain of command for AMGA and ACES. The solid lines display the chain of command and the broken lines display coordination and liaison between the two entities. AMGA is autonomous from ACES. As such, its responsibilities are to work closely with ACES and the local agents, but AMGA does not report to ACES as part of the chain of command. All of these work together to create the volunteers who serve in local communities across the state. The State MG Program Coordinator established an Alabama Master Gardener Steering Committee in The Steering Committee is a state Extension Program Committee created to provide direction and recommendations relating to the overall organization and implementation of the Alabama Master Gardener Program. The State Master Gardener Program Coordinator appoints members. Details and objective for the Alabama Master Gardener Steering Committee are attached. Attached: 1. Organizational Flow Chart 2. Details and Objectives of the Alabama Master Gardener Steering Committee 4

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6 ALABAMA MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM STEERING COMMITTEE The State Master Gardener Program Coordinator formed the Alabama Master Gardener Program Steering Committee in The Steering Committee is a state Extension program committee created to include representation by all facets of the Alabama Master Gardener Program. It is made up of five Extension Agents (who are local Master Gardener Program coordinators), four or five certified Master Gardeners who have served as volunteers and been active in their local MG programs, one or two state Extension Specialists who have worked with the MG Program, and the State Master Gardener Program Coordinator who serves as a facilitator of this committee. The Alabama Master Gardener Program Steering Committee is charged with the following tasks: Establish program policies. Define relationships between ACES, Master Gardener volunteers, AMGA, and local Master Gardener groups and/or associations. Work with the State MG Program Coordinator to identify and develop new program information and materials and revise existing program information as needed. Set goals, objectives and action plans for meeting goals for the Alabama Master Gardener Program. Evaluate and give oversight to the growth and development of the Alabama Master Gardener Program as we seek to accomplish its mission and purpose relative to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Master Gardener volunteers, communities and individual Alabamians. Members should be interested in and committed to doing the work required of this committee and should be able to attend the necessary meetings. Positions require a two- year term of service with members rotating off in alternate years. If you are interested in serving, please let the State Master Gardener Program Coordinator know of your interest. The Steering Committee has generally met on a quarterly basis at the Alabama Power Building in Clanton, AL (just off I-65, exit 205), or it may meet on an as-needed basis to be determined by the State Coordinator. 6

7 AMGA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS The Alabama Master Gardener Program was a vision of Mary Lou McNabb who relocated with her husband, Bob, to Huntsville, Alabama, from New York in Mary Lou was active in the Master Gardener program in New York, and, in 1981, she asked Madison County (Huntsville) Extension agent Gary Murray if he could help get a Master Gardener Program started in Alabama. As they say, the rest is history... In 1993, Master Gardeners established the Alabama Master Gardeners Association, Inc. (AMGA), as a 501 (c)(5) non-profit educational organization to enhance and support the work of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System s Master Gardener Program and to provide ongoing opportunities for Master Gardeners to expand their knowledge of and interest in horticulture and related subject areas. In 2006, AMGA received designation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. Today, there are more than 30 active local Master Gardener groups and associations throughout Alabama that share a common goal of meeting and sharing information about Master Gardener volunteer service opportunities, common interests in making the community a better place to live, and learning more about their passion... gardening. (Please refer to the bylaws (Appendix D) for AMGA s Objectives. Information Taken from the Articles of Incorporation: AMGA is governed by officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer) and a sevenmember Board of Directors. Both officers and members of the board are elected by the general membership at the annual meeting and conference. Officers are elected for a two-year term, and members of the board are elected for three-year terms. No more than two members, excluding the Association President and Vice President, from any one local association may be elected to the board. The State Master Gardener Program Coordinator (from Auburn) serves as Advisor to the AMGA Board of Directors. The board meetings are scheduled on a quarterly basis. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President and may be held at any time and on notice as the board may determine. AMGA and Advisory Council s Relationship with Local Associations: AMGA s role is to provide overall leadership for Master Gardeners in the State of Alabama through the local associations. This includes providing policies and procedures necessary for efficient operation of the associations. AMGA s responsibilities also include providing educational opportunities through conferences, workshops, field trips and other appropriate programs. Foremost is the responsibility to provide a clear line of communication between AMGA and the local associations. In 1996, AMGA established the State Advisory Council (AC). Each local association should have a representative that serves and attends quarterly AC meetings, thereby establishing that critical communication link between AMGA and local associations. Details regarding the Advisory Council are contained in a separate section of this handbook. 7

8 CONDUCTING LOCAL ASSOCIATION MEETINGS (Suggested Format) Robert s Rules of Order provides a very detailed outline of the procedures to follow when conducting meetings (both board and general membership). It is important to follow these rules to conduct an orderly and efficient meeting. History has shown that long meetings tend to accomplish very little and may result in loss of member participation. If an item is being discussed and it does not seem that a resolution can be reached, perhaps table it for a later meeting or assign action items to appropriate committees to study/research further and report at the next meeting. It is suggested that you become very familiar with Robert s Rules of Order. An example of an agenda follows: Call meeting to order AGENDA (Date, time and location) Reading of the Minutes (Ask for approval of the minutes as read or as corrected if there are changes.) Treasurer s Report (It is important that a financial report be given at each board and general membership meeting to keep the membership informed.) Report from local MG Extension Agent Committee Reports (Please list each of your committees and the committee chair as well as a phone number this is beneficial if members have questions following the meeting.) Even if the committee chairperson does not have a report that month, give them an opportunity to be recognized. Project Reports (Please list each of your projects and the project leaders as well as a phone number this is beneficial if members have questions following the meeting.) Even if the project leader does not have a report that month, give them an opportunity to be recognized. State Advisory Council Representative Report (Council meets on a quarterly basis) Old Business (any outstanding action items from previous meetings) New Business (members may have some suggestions or ideas for new projects that could be brought to the membership s attention at this point and perhaps discussed later.) Adjournment (If you have a Program and a Speaker, this could come at the beginning of the meeting or you could plan a short break between the meeting and the Program/Speaker.) 8

9 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES General: The Officers of the local Master Gardener s Association should consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Past President. The remainder of the Board of Directors (as stated in your association bylaws) will usually be selected from the persons filling the various Committee Chairs shown in the next section. Terms for officers and committee chairs will be as described in local association bylaws. Suggested terms are for two years. Duties of the Officers: President Preside at all board meetings and general membership meetings. Preside over the operation of the association in accordance with the bylaws. Ensure that bylaws reflect the way the association operates. Approve meeting agenda. Possess a working knowledge of Roberts Rules of Order and conduct meetings in accordance with those rules. Provide an article for each newsletter the association publishes. Appoint committee Chairpersons. Vice President Perform the duties of the President if the President is absent or unable to perform their assigned duties. Coordinate appropriate recognition of outgoing President Perform other duties as assigned by the President. Serve on Programs and Projects Committee. Secretary Possess a working knowledge of Robert s Rules of Order and local association bylaws. Serve as custodian of all official records for the association. Obtain a suitable location for association meetings. Notify all members of the association of the date, time, place and program (if any) of regular and special meetings. Record the proceedings of the meetings to include members present and members absent. Draft copies of the minutes will be distributed to the board for comment as directed by the President. Final copies will be distributed to the association members (normally by ) 5 9

10 working days before the meeting. Prepare a draft agenda for approval by the President 10 working days before a regularly scheduled membership meeting. Distribute approved agenda to association members 5 working days before a regularly scheduled meeting. Publish annually a directory of members to include address, mailing address, and telephone number. Notify AMGA Data Base Manager of changes in officers and directors. Perform other duties as assigned by the President Treasurer Serve on Finance Committee Cause an audit of financial records annually at a time as stated in the association bylaws and when a change of Treasurer occurs. This audit may be conducted by a committee of two persons who are not Officers or Directors. Prepare an annual budget for presentation to the association at the annual meeting. Ensure that there are at least three persons in the association that are authorized to have access to the financial accounts. Issue a notice to membership 30 days prior to the date membership fees become due. Provide a report of who has paid their annual dues to the Membership Chairperson. Collect and Remit annual membership dues to AMGA secretary along with a list of paying members. (See APPENDIX F) Provide a financial report to the association as required by association bylaws. Reimburse association members for costs incurred according to the association bylaws. Perform other duties as assigned by the President State Advisory Council Representative Selected by the local master gardener association. Attend State Advisory Council meetings. If you cannot attend ensure that an officer or local representative attends the meeting. Solicit input from association members on issues that may be of interest to the advisory council. Serve or identify persons to serve on AMGA s standing and special committees. Serve as liaison between AMGA, local association & ACES 10

11 COMMITTEE CHAIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Duties of Committee Chairpersons The committees shown below may or may not be filled depending on the size and needs of your association. There are several functions listed below that must be performed. If no committee is appointed, those necessary functions (italicized) will need to be assigned to the appropriate association officer. Sub committees may be formed in each area as needed. Chair for Communications Responsible for disseminating information about the association and the AMGA program through media outlets. Provides news releases to local media outlets. Coordinates with the assistant chair for the Web site if association has a website. Serve as Web Master for association web site. Ensure all information on the web site is timely. Arrange for hosting of web site and coordinate with the Treasurer for the cost of the web site. Serve as editor of the newsletter. Arrange for publishing of newsletter and coordinate with the Treasurer for any costs association with the newsletter. (Due to the cost of printing it is recommended that newsletter be distributed via .) Obtain input from the association members on articles of interest for the newsletter. Participate in on going communication with sponsoring ACES agent during intern classes. Chair for Membership Maintain an up to date record of dues paying members. Work with local association board to encourage retention of interns for membership. Submit Membership information to AMGA Membership Database Manager using the template provided by AMGA (See APPENDIX H) Coordinate with Treasurer on membership paid status. Contact association members who have failed to meet the volunteer hour requirement as prescribed by AMGA. Contact members who fail to renew their membership. Serve as volunteer hour coordinator. (See APPENDIX E 1) Ensure that association members are aware of the on line volunteer hour record system. Provide members with instructions about on line reporting. (See APPENDIX E 2) Access local association database and provide a report of Volunteer and CEU hours to the Board of Directors upon request. 11

12 Notify association members who have failed to achieve the volunteer hours as required by AMGA Provide names of association members who have achieved the various thresholds for Reaching for the Stars awards. (See APPENDIX G) Become fully aware of the various AMGA awards and the requirements for the awards. (See Awards section of this Handbook) Solicit nomination for awards from association members. Establish an Award Review Committee consisting of 3 members to review the awards recommendations. Prepare the nomination package for local nominees and submit it to AMGA and encourage one local project be nominated for the Search for Excellence Award and submit to ACES. Chair for Finance (these duties, except for audit, will be performed by the Treasurer if a chair for finance is not appointed) Cause an audit of financial records annually at a time as stated in the association bylaws and when a change of Treasurer occurs. A committee of two persons who are not officers or board members may conduct this audit. Coordinate with the President to obtain committee members to conduct an audit as required by the Bylaws. Present report of audit results to the association officers for review and subsequent forwarding to the association membership. Develop ideas and plans for fund raising. Make recommendations to the officers and board for fund raising events. Coordinate all fund raising efforts. Chair for Programs and Projects In coordination with the Board of Directors determine the number and types of programs needed Schedule speakers for programs to include a follow up a week before the meeting. Arrange for audio visual aids needed for the program. Introduce the speaker or provide biographical information to the president if he/she will do the introduction. Send a thank you letter after the event to the speaker Keep association members aware of workshops, seminars, and regional workshops that may be of interest to the membership. Maintain the historical records for the association. 12

13 Maintain a scrapbook documenting significant events in the association. Develop and maintain a list of persons in the association who are willing to speak if requests for speakers are received and the subject they are expert in Responds to request for speakers and make it known that speakers are available. Identify and report on opportunities to promote the Master Gardener program to the community. Maintain project request forms used by the association Receive completed project forms and present them to the Board of Directors and the local sponsoring ACES agent for approval. Ensure that an association member is designated as the point of contact for each project that is approved Ensure that all association members are afforded an opportunity to participate in projects. Update ACES coordinator/agent of new projects Maintain a record of completed projects In coordination with the Board of Directors, select one project annually that has made a significant difference in the community and write a story about it for the annual ACES Report and for submission to local and/or state newsletters. 13

14 AWARDS AMGA has developed a number of awards to recognize exceptional volunteer service in support of the Master Gardener goals. These include awards for non-master gardeners and master gardeners: Non-Master Gardeners: The Gary Murray Outstanding Service and Dedication Award Master Gardeners: The Mary Lou McNabb Alabama Master Gardener of the Year Award* The Jean Lee Lifetime Hours Award* Top Hours for the Year Award* Reach for the Stars Program Outstanding Newsletter Award *Award recipients are ineligible to receive the same award in the future. Each of the awards is explained in detail in this section. Awards are presented at the annual meeting and conference, except for the Reach for the Stars Program. The Gold, Platinum, and Lifetime Badges and Star Advanced Awards earned through the Reach for the Stars Program are ordered through the AMGA Awards Chair and presented during the business session at the annual meeting and conference. Gold, silver, and bronze stars are ordered through the AMGA Awards Chair and presented by the local associations. (See Appendix G.) The gold, silver and bronze stars are paid for by the local association. The Gold, Platinum and Lifetime Badges as well as the Star Advanced Awards are paid for by AMGA. The AMGA Awards Committee Chair will select experienced state members to review nominations and choose the most qualified candidates. THE GARY MURRAY OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND DEDICATION AWARD The Gary Murray Outstanding Service and Dedication Award is presented annually by the Alabama Master Gardener Association. This award honors NON-MASTER GARDENERS who have contributed to the Master Gardener Program in an OUTSTANDING WAY. Each association can select one nominee for this award. Although typically given to an Extension Agent or specialist, it may be given to an Individual that meets the criteria. The criteria for this nomination include: Outstanding service, leadership and dedication in providing superior educational programs to Master Gardeners; Teaching Master Gardeners classes; Speaking at Conferences; Other support and special services to Master Gardeners to support our mission. A detailed resume must be prepared addressing all specified criteria. The narrative should be typed in 12-point type and should NOT exceed two pages in length. No photographs, newspaper articles, etc will be accepted. *NOTE: If none of the nominees meet the stated standards, the award will not be presented. 14

15 NOMINATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AWARDS COMMITTEE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31ST OF THE AWARD YEAR, BOTH ELECTRONICALLY AND BY USPS. THE MARY LOU MCNABB ALABAMA MASTER GARDENER OF THE YEAR AWARD Each local association can nominate a member for this award. An Extension agent may nominate a Master Gardener, if a Master Gardener association is not located in his/her area. A detailed resume must be prepared addressing all the points for consideration. This narrative should be typed in 12-point type and should not exceed two pages in length. No photographs or scrapbooks will be accepted. Accomplishments should be pertinent to gardening and should not include personal history or family. The year-by-year volunteer hours may be listed on a separate sheet. Minimum qualifications: 100 hours per year are required in volunteer service. Documentation, preferably in the Alabama Master Gardener Volunteer Service Reporting System, is required (failure to report hours will result in an automatic disqualification). Current regular membership in the Alabama Master Gardeners Association and a local Master Gardener group (if available). Areas to be considered: Leadership in a local project; multiple projects will enhance nominee s resume. Attendance at local and state association meetings. Service as an officer in local and/or state associations and Advisory Council. Presentation of programs to the public about Master Gardeners or on one of the areas covered in training. Promotion of the image of the Master Gardener Program. Involvement in volunteer service activities that are supportive of the mission and purpose of the Alabama Master Gardener Program. The Mary Lou McNabb winner will be allowed to choose to attend either the International onference or the Regional Conference within a 2-year period (following selection) and will be reimbursed for expenses up to $1,000. All requests must be made in writing and accompanied by receipts. A Lifetime Membership in the Alabama Master Gardeners Association will be awarded to the Mary Lou McNabb recipient. NOMINATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AWARDS COMMITTEE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31ST OF THE AWARD YEAR, BOTH ELECTRONICALLY AND BY USPS. 15

16 THE JEAN LEE LIFETIME HOURS AWARD The Lifetime Hours Award was introduced in 2002, and it was renamed The Jean Lee Lifetime Hours Award by the Board of Directors in March Each local MG Extension Agent is requested to submit the name of the MG volunteer, who, based on the Agent's records, has reported the most volunteer hours since they completed the Master Gardener Class and became a certified Master Gardener. Beginning in 2005, each recipient of the award will be given a Lifetime Membership in AMGA. NOMINATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AWARDS COMMITTEE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31 OF THE AWARD YEAR TOP HOURS FOR THE YEAR AWARD The Top Hours for the Year Award was introduced in The Volunteer Hours Coordinator should give the local extension agent the name of the individual that has reported the most volunteer hours for the year preceding the AMGA Conference. Each local MG Extension Agent is then requested to submit the name of the MG volunteer. NOMINATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AWARDS COMMITTEE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31 OF THE AWARD YEAR OUTSTANDING NEWSLETTER AWARD The Outstanding Newsletter Award was introduced in 2011, to honor the local association judged to have the best newsletter in the state. In 2014, the AMGA Board voted to revise this award into two (2) categories: the first category is for associations with up to sixty (60) AMGA members; the second will be for associations with sixty-one (61) and above AMGA members. A check in the amount of $100 is awarded from AMGA to the winning association in each catagory. The newsletters are evaluated in several criteria including but not limited to: News/Public Relations stories Lists/Calendars of events Photographs of activities Monthly columns Announcements Contact information Attractiveness Imagination Color/Art Two specific issues (months to be named by the Awards Committee in the Winter issue of Garden Pathways) are to be sent to the Awards Committee Chair. It will be imperative that issues submitted list the number of members in the association, the name and the month of the issue. The two specific issues for judging must be sent both electronically and by 16

17 USPS. Additionally, newsletters that have won previously now can be re-submitted for judging after a three year period has elapsed. NOMINATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AWARDS COMMITTEE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31ST OF THE AWARD YEAR, BOTH ELECTRONICALLY AND BY USPS. REACH FOR THE STARS WHAT IS THE PROGRAM? Reach for the Stars is a volunteer service recognition program approved by the State Master Gardener Board of Directors in February 1999, based on the Reach for the Stars Program in effect in Baldwin County at that time. Participation in the Reach for the Stars Program is an option for each local association and all are encouraged to participate. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE? The purpose of the Program is two- fold: 1. To recognize Master Gardeners who have assisted Extension in educating and improving their communities. 2. To encourage Master Gardeners to keep records and report volunteer hours as requested by ACES. Recorded hours are utilized in justifying the resources expended by ACES to educate and train Master Gardeners. HOW DO YOU PARTICIPATE? The only hours that will count toward the Reach for the Stars program are those earned while the MG is a member in good standing of AMGA. HOW DO YOU REPORT HOURS? Master Gardeners will follow the Volunteer Hours Policies/Guidelines established by the Steering Committee in recording volunteer hours. (Appendix E) WHAT IS THE REPORTING PERIOD? This program is effective retroactive to the inception of the Master Gardener Program in Hours earned should comply with the Volunteer Hours Policies (Appendix E). The annual reporting period will be January 1 December 31. Star and badge requirements will be submitted to the AMGA Awards Chair by January 31. WHAT ARE THE CATEGORIES OF RECOGNITION? Requirements for earning stars and badges are as follows: Bronze Star hours Silver Star hours Gold Star hours Gold Name Badges 1,000 1,999 hours Platinum Badges 2,000 3,999 hours Stars Advanced Awards: Silver Star Pin with ruby colored gemstone 4,000 5,999 hours Silver Star Pin with emerald colored gemstone 6,000 7,999 hours 17

18 Silver Star Pin with diamond colored gemstone 8,000 9,999 hours New Badge with lifetime membership in AMGA 10,000 + hours HOW ARE STARS/BADGES OBTAINED? Local associations: Volunteer Hours Coordinator accesses the recorder profile for your association (Appendix E 3). ). Based on each member s lifetime hours submit the Order Form with funds to the AMGA Awards Committee Chair (See Appendix G of Local Association Handbook). AMGA members (non local association/group member): Submit the Order Form (with County Agent Signature for verification) and funds to the AMGA Awards Committee Chair. Costs of the stars are $3.00 each and paid for by local associations or individuals. Presentation of the stars will be at the discretion of the local associations. As Master Gardeners move up the ladder, the stars may be exchanged at the local level, thereby recycling in order to lower expenses to local associations. The Gold, Platinum, and Lifetime badges and the Star Advanced Awards will be provided by AMGA and presented to recipients at the annual business meeting. WHERE ARE THE STARS DISPLAYED? The stars are attached to the Master Gardener s name badge by drilling a hole through the badge in the upper right hand corner. The stud is then inserted and the clip attached on the back. The Reach for the Stars order form may be viewed or downloaded to your computer from the AMGA web site, MASTER GARDENER SEARCH FOR EXCELLENCE GUIDELINES (adapted for Alabama from the IMGC guidelines) Search for Excellence is the recognition program of Master Gardener volunteer work throughout the United States and Canada. It was developed by the International Master Gardener Conference Committee. Search for Excellence has seven categories in which Master Gardeners can demonstrate their outstanding contributions to their communities. All SFE applications must show that significant learning took place, whether by the Master Gardeners or the general public they were involved with. (See Appendix I for specific guidelines). 18

19 ACES AMGA Annual Business Meeting Annual Dues Certified Master Gardeners Local Association APPENDIX A Glossary of Terms: Alabama Cooperative Extension System Alabama Master Gardeners Association, Inc. In accordance with the Articles of Incorporation, AMGA must hold an annual business meeting to elect officers and conduct business of the Association. This is held in conjunction with the AMGA Annual Conference. Dues are paid at the State level (AMGA) as well as the local level (local associations) on an annual basis. Individuals who have completed the classroom training and have completed and reported to the Local MG Program Coordinator, the initial 50 hours of volunteer service A group of Master Gardeners within a County or multiple Counties that form an association to support the Regional Extension Agent and Extension Service within that area. Local MG Program Coordinator The Extension Agent who has responsibility of conducting Master Gardener training classes in their specific area and serves as an advisor to the local associations in that area. Master Gardener Interns Individuals who are participating in the Master Gardener volunteer training and certification. Master Gardener Program An ACES committee created to evaluate and give oversight to the Steering Committee growth and development of the Master Gardener Program Provisional Members Extension Agent State Association State Master Gardener Program Coordinator t New local Master Gardener association members who have completed the classroom training and are pursuing the completion of the 50 hours of initial volunteer service May include a Regional or County Agent who services a specific area of the State that may cover several counties AMGA An employee of ACES who is responsible for the administration of the Master Gardener Program statewide. 19

20 Appendix B Local and AMGA References List your local association officers, committee chairs and agents as appropriate for your organization, including mailing and addresses and phone numbers. This will need to be updated as it changes locally. List the AMGA Officers and Board Members including mailing and addresses and phone numbers. This can be obtained at the AMGA website: This will need to be updated annually following the State AMGA Conference. 20

21 Appendix C Preparation of Association Bylaws It is strongly recommended that each Association prepare bylaws as appropriate to their stated purpose and their size. The bylaws are the basic set of rules that guide the operation of the association. What follows is a list of some of the things that you probably want to include in your bylaws with a brief explanation of why the item should be included. You may want to refer the AMGA bylaws for ideas on what to include. A copy of the AMGA bylaws is on the AMGA web site. 1. The Name of your Association. This is the official name you will use. You may want to include the geographical location of your association as a means to easily identifyyourself to other. 2. The purpose of your organization. What is it you intend to accomplish? 3. Define who is eligible for membership in the association. As a minimum you should fine Regular and Provisional (Intern Master Gardeners) members. You may also want to include Honorary, Lifetime and Associate memberships. In this section you also need to state who pays dues and how dues are determined such as Annual dues will be established by the Board of Directors at the Annual meeting. 4. State who the officers will be. Generally you should have a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Past President. These five officers along with possibly other will make up the Board of Directors. You should also define the terms for the officers. 5. Meetings. State the frequency of your meetings and the notification procedures for meetings, the eligibility to vote at a meeting, and what constitutes a quorum. You should also state whether proxy voting is permitted. 6. Board of Directors (BOD). In this article you define who will be on the Board of Directors. For newly formed small associations you may only have the officers serving as the BOD. As you grow you may add other persons to the BOD such as Membership, Programs, and Projects. 7. Committees. Suggest this be kept vey general. If you start listing individual committees you will need to amend your bylaws as you grow and add new committees. If you plan to have standing committees such as Programs, Projects, Finance, Fund Raising, Nominating, etc. you should provide a brief description of the duties. It is suggested that you also allow the President to appoint persons to the committees. 8. Advisory Council. You should include a short statement of how the Advisory Council representative is selected. The person most likely would be appointed by the President. 9. Finances. You need to define the fiscal year for your association and the frequency of audit of the financial records along with who will do the audit. Suggest the audit be done by 3 members appointed by the president who are not currently serving on the BOD. 10. Include a short statement about the Extension Advisor who normally serves as an exofficio member of the BOD. 11. The parliamentary authority should be stated. This is normally Robert s Rules of Order so long as they are not inconsistent with your bylaws. 12. Amendments. You need to define how amendments will be handled. This is usually done by 21

22 stating the number of voting members needed (usually by a majority vote of the members present) to approve an amendment and how much notice is given to the membership that an amendment will be changed. 13. Bylaws Review. Suggest you have a section that states how often the bylaws will be reviewed by the BOD. An annual review will ensure that your bylaws are kept current. 14. You may want to include a Miscellaneous section that talks about remuneration of members, discrimination prevention and other items that don t fit into one of the categories above. 22

23 APPENDIX D INSERT SAMPLE FLOW CHART 23

24 APPENDIX E GUIDELINES FOR CALCULATING SERVICE HOURS Volunteering as a Master Gardener, you represent the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. As a representative, your goal is to help people improve their quality of life by sharing research based, non biased information. This is done through Extension programs or through your own creative endeavors. All volunteer service must be accepted or approved by the Local Master Gardener Coordinator. Using the on line service report ( ) makes annual reports easier to accomplish. A tutorial for using this system is found by clicking the Volunteer Area link. Four guidelines for validating volunteer work: Will it benefit the community? Is it associated with a non commercial group? Is it related to gardening, the environment, or an Extension program? Are you helping people learn? If you can answer yes to these four questions, then the activity meets the mission of the Master Gardener program and you should count it in your annual service report. Hours should be done through a variety of activities. You more effectively represent the program and its mission when considering a variety of audiences to interact with during activities. Examples: All documented hours relate to business meetings, or all hours relate to writing a single article in the quarterly newsletter, or all hours are in an annual bed at the botanic garden these are one sided and perhaps miss the mission of the MG Program. The following are examples for activities that count toward Master Gardener service hours: Intern Master Gardener Volunteers Any activity accepted or approved by the Local MG Coordinator counts as volunteer hours. An Extension agent may request some of the Intern s time be done on a specific project or type of volunteer service. Interns are required to participate in and report a minimum of 50 volunteer hours to accomplish certification (2009 new requirement). Attendance at extramural educational meetings counts as volunteer hours. Travel time to and from a volunteer activity counts toward volunteer hours. Participation in Alabama Master Gardener association meetings (local and/or state) counts as volunteer hours Drive time to monthly MG association meetings ONLY counts when you are involved with a committee or have a specific responsibility at the meeting Interns do not need CEUs. They are in the training classes this year. Certified Master Gardener Volunteers Any activity accepted or approved by the Local MG Coordinator counts as volunteer hours. To encourage Certified MG s to stay active in the program, we request that they 24

25 report half the volunteer hours required of Intern MG s. This is a minimum of 25 volunteer hours. Time spent in Master Gardener Association business meetings counts as volunteer hours. Drive time to monthly MG association meetings ONLY counts when you are involved with a committee or have a specific responsibility at the meeting. Travel time to and from ALL other educational or volunteer activities counts as volunteer time. Time spent listening to an educational speaker or topic should be counted as CEUs Certificates stating the number of CEUs are strongly recommended when organizing such events. Otherwise, a description of the location, speaker, topic presented, and amount of time can be included in the service report. Labor in your garden or someone else s in preparation for a program is volunteer time. Hours accumulated from one year to the next are called Lifetime Hours. The initial 50 hours earned upon certification are included in the Lifetime Hours total. Using Volunteer Hours for Awards Credit for volunteer time dedication, CEU hours and Volunteer hours should be combined for a gross total of volunteer time for the year (example: in 2009, Susie accomplished 20 CEU s and 180 volunteer hours for a total of 200 volunteer hours). This guideline should begin with hours earned in Guidelines from IRS Drive time: All drive time counts for any and all activities if using these numbers in an itemized IRS tax deduction. Mileage expense for volunteers, as defined by the IRS, is deducted as a direct expense OR at the mileage rate. Mileage is a deduction for the vehicle on the owner s itemized tax form (see IRS publication 526) Defining CEU's These guidelines will help you decide if an activity should count toward CEU's: Does the activity have a specific learning objective? Is the speaker at the activity a recognized authority in the subject presented? If you answer yes to these two questions, then count the activity toward your CEU's. If you are still in doubt, ask an Extension agent. You should also count CEU time spent researching a subject in preparation for teaching/presenting that subject to an audience. Count CEU s by the number of hours you are present in the activity (example: you attend the Fall AMGA CEU workshop; there are three speakers giving a total of 3.5 hours of program; this equals 3.5 CEU s). 25

26 APPENDIX E 1 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES VOLUNTEER HOURS COORDINATOR A critical element in the Master Gardener Program is the recording and reporting of volunteer hours within the local association. It is important that an individual be appointed to develop a plan to encourage members to report volunteer hours; be familiar with the on-line report and assist local association members, in reporting hours, if necessary. The Master Gardener Volunteer Hours reporting period is January 1 through December 31. The Volunteer Hours Coordinator will: Outline a plan for members to record and report their volunteer hours. Communicate to the members the guidelines regarding calculating volunteer hours. These guidelines are contained on the following page for your reference. Report on volunteer hours at the monthly meetings. Ensure that members, without Internet access, have copies of the Alabama Master Gardener Volunteer Service Report Book (ANR-985). Record hours of these members online via the Volunteer Service Report. Obtain local association recorder username and password from the administrator of the ACES Volunteer Service Report (contact information listed at area). As recorder, you will need to enter the individual master gardener s name in the description section; as the system only allows you to record hours for the association and not individual members. Therefore, you must record the individual s name in the description section for each entry. Provide a consolidated association report to the local MG Extension Agent by December 31. The Extension Agent is required to submit his/her report to the State MG Program Coordinator. Access online, the cumulative records of individual members volunteer service hours. Coordinate with the local treasurer to order appropriate stars (if participating in the Reach for the Stars Program) to be presented locally and to order gold or platinum badges to be presented at the annual state conference. Order form needs to be signed by an extension agent. Coordinate with the local MG Extension Agent to ensure that candidates for the Top Hours of the Year and the Jean Lee Lifetime Hours Awards are submitted to the AMGA Awards Committee Chairperson by January 31 of the award year. 26

27 New Users APPENDIX E 2 USING THE ONLINE SERVICE REPORT SYSTEM Go to Click Service Report Select Sign Up Here in the User Info Box Fill out the information, creating your username and password (write down this information for easy reference) MGCODE can be obtained from your Local MG Coordinator Reporting Activities/ Hours Worked Log in with username and password Click Activities in the Content box on the left hand side of the page. Select Add an Activity tab Enter information for volunteer hours Click Submit box (if finished) or Submit and Add Another (if you have more activities to enter) Repeat until your activity hours are complete Retrieving Your Activity Report Select Activities from the Content box on the left hand side of the page From here, you may download your activities by year to Excel, or view your activities in the system Editing your Activities If you need to delete or edit an activity entry, from the main page select Activities in the content box Next, select View my Activities The left hand column of the activities table is labeled Options and there are 3 buttons. The middle button is the edit button. Select this to change information (time, location, category, etc) about the activity The third button is the delete button. Select this button to delete the activity from your record. Forgotten Password On the sign in page, click Forgot Password? Enter your e mail address You will be sent a new password to your e mail address This password is TEMPORARY and must be reset within 24 hours 27

28 Resetting Password Log in using the new, temporary password sent to your e mail account Click My Profile in the Content Box Select the [edit] tab beside My User Information Check the Reset Password? box Enter and verify your new password From this page you may also update your contact information 28

29 APPENDIX E 3 GENERATING REPORTS USING THE ONLINE SERVICE REPORT SYSTEM In order to generate reports, your county must have a recorder profile. The Volunteer Hours Coordinator is the local association recorder. View activity totals for the entire county, for individual users, and the break down by category Log in with recorder user name and password Select Activities from the Content box on the left hand side of the page Click View annual report by county Select the appropriate year from the drop down box at the top and click Get Statistics View Lifetime Hours by User 29