Volunteer Service Hours are defined as work performed to support and promote the mission and objectives of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The work should increase members’ knowledge and skills and be educational in nature. The County Extension Agent/ Master Gardener Coordinator and Comal Master Gardeners Executive Board must approve projects in advance for volunteer hours.
Attendance at the General Membership meetings qualify for one (1) Volunteer Hour and should be recorded in the Volunteer Managements System under appropriate category.
The Executive Board occasionally might approve a special project on a one-time basis. The approval must be obtained before work starts on the project. An Application for Non-Approved Projects can be located here. Master Gardeners should promptly report all worked Volunteer Hours online in the Volunteer Management System.
Time spent writing articles, preparing hand-outs or Power Point presentations for Educational Programs qualifies for Volunteer Hours and should be promptly recorded in the Volunteer Management System.
For most volunteer activities, travel time is NOT allowable as volunteer service hours. Thus, driving to serve volunteer hours in a CMG garden, driving to attend a CMG general membership meeting, driving to attend a committee meeting, driving to work at the Ask-A-Master-Gardener office, driving to assist the AgriLife office by answering phones, etc., are examples of travel time that are NOT allowable as volunteer hours.
Some volunteer projects inherently have travel time incorporated in them as part of the performance of that duty. This travel time can be counted as volunteer service hours. Examples of incorporated travel time include driving time to pick up/deliver mulch or soil for a CMG garden, driving to deliver produce from the CMG Demonstration Garden to a food bank, driving to businesses to request donations for CMG events, driving to order/pick up CMG financed items, driving to State Director or other meetings on CMG business, driving to drop off flyers or posters for publicity, etc.
Master Gardeners shall promptly report all worked Volunteer Hours online in the Volunteer Management System.