Master Gardener
Program Manual
Statewide Policies and Procedures for
Program Coordinators and Volunteer Leaders
Chapters 1-2
Table of Contents
Rooted in Research, Growing Through Service
The Washington State University Master Gardener Program is a nationally and internationally acclaimed volunteer program that is modeled throughout the United States and in other countries around the world. WSU is proud to have been the founder of this highly respected program in 1973 that is paramount to the land-grant university mission throughout the United States. Washington State University Extension Master Gardener Program engages university-trained volunteers to empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, unbiased, and research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education.
This handbook contains formal state-wide policies for WSU Extension faculty, staff, and volunteers. In addition, you will find information about the WSU Master Gardener Program’s vision, mission, and values. A short description of WSU Extension and the structure it provides for the WSU Master Gardener Program is also included.
WSU Master Gardener volunteers are the face and voice of WSU Extension in communities across Washington State. WSU faculty and staff value the time, effort, and knowledge they so readily give to help WSU Extension serve its land-grant mission. We recognize we would not have the ability to reach as many residents without WSU Master Gardener volunteers. I am honored and privileged to work with the dedicated volunteers, staff, and faculty who are part of this exemplary program.
Jennifer Marquis
Statewide Master Gardener Program Leader
WSU Extension
400 Washington St.
Wenatchee, WA 98801
509-667-6540
jgmarquis@wsu.edu
CHAPTER 1: Washington State University Extension
Extension is for Everyone! With 39 county offices and one tribal office across the state, WSU Extension is the front door to the University. Extension builds the capacity of individuals, organizations, businesses, and communities, empowering them to find solutions for local issues and to improve their quality of life. Extension collaborates with communities to create a culture of life-long learning and is recognized for its accessible, learner-centered, relevant, high-quality, unbiased educational programs.
The mission of WSU Extension is to engage people, organizations, and communities to advance knowledge, economic well-being, and quality of life by fostering inquiry, learning, and the application of research.
Extension’s close relationships within communities allow us to deliver personalized education that challenges and inspires individuals to achieve their highest goals. As part of WSU, we:
- Work in partnership with communities to identify issues that university research and knowledge bases can address.
- Provide unbiased, research-based information that gives people the knowledge to improve their health and livelihoods.
- Deliver educational programs that are adapted to the critical needs in the community.
- Enable community members to come to WSU directly with their issues.
- Leverage human and capital resources through partnerships in order to act on critical issues.
Statewide Leadership
Leadership for the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program is provided by a team of WSU faculty and staff. The statewide WSU Master Gardener Program Leader is responsible for developing and leading the team and for providing overall direction to local program coordinators and volunteers from a statewide perspective.
Local County Leadership
Local county program coordinators are responsible for leading and managing county-specific WSU Master Gardener programs. In general, WSU Extension offices supervise and support Master Gardener volunteers in various ways, depending on available resources. In some cases, the Statewide Program Leader supervises local program coordinators. One or more of the following may provide leadership for local WSU Master Gardener programs:
- County Extension Director—overall leadership for the office, in addition to maintaining a strong relationship with county government, budget development, civil rights, a county advisory system, and supervision of support staff and program staff;
- County Extension Faculty—leadership for educational program(s) and supervision of the county staff and volunteers related to each program;
- Local Program Coordinator—coordination and management of a specific program and its volunteers. The title “program coordinator” is used to mean anyone who coordinates a local Master Gardener (MG) program. All faculty, staff, or volunteers charged with program leadership may be referred to as program coordinators.
Local County Advisory Committees
Master Gardener program coordinators should implement program advisory teams/committees comprised of a cross section of WSU Master Gardener Program volunteers who represent a variety of programs and projects and who have skill sets in organizational planning, program development and evaluation to support strategic planning, decision making, and program and project selection. The purpose of an advisory team is to assist the local program coordinator in determining and prioritizing the current needs of internal and external stakeholders as they relate to the WSU Master Gardener Program vision and mission, and to align educational needs with fund development opportunities and with foundation support.
Supporting Organizations
Volunteers in some counties have formed organizations called foundations or associations to work in partnership with the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program. For more information about Master Gardener organizations that partner with the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program, refer to Chapter 6: Master Gardener Foundations.
- Washington State University;
- County government, as determined by county commissioners and council members;
- The United States Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA);
- Grants and contracts from both the public and private sectors;
- Fees for service; and
- Donor gifts and bequests.
CHAPTER 2: Washington State University Extension
Master Gardener Program
The Master Gardener title was derived from Germany’s “gartenmeisters,” who were highly respected horticulturists in their communities. That is the legacy to which the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program aspires. The WSU Master Gardener Program started in 1973 when WSU Extension faculty in King and Pierce Counties saw an unmet need in the communities they were serving. To that end, faculty began training volunteers to become WSU Extension Master Gardeners. Little did they realize they would launch an entire “Master Gardener Movement” that would spread across the nation and overseas.
As a program coordinator or as a WSU Master Gardener volunteer leader, it is important to understand why people volunteer in order to engage and empower volunteers to do mission- and vision-achieving work. Generally speaking, there are three levels of motivation for volunteerism.
- Personal Drive: I volunteer because I’m going to get something I want out of it.
- Relational Drive: I volunteer because my friend asked me to.
- Belief Drive: I volunteer because I believe in the cause or the mission of the organization.
In the WSU Master Gardener Program, people volunteer because they want to learn more about home horticulture, they desire to participate with a group of people who have similar interests, and, ultimately, because they want to give back to their community on a topic they are passionate about.
Reasons for volunteering are directly linked to levels of commitment. For example, a volunteer just starting in the program is probably taking the training for self-serving reasons out of a personal drive to learn more about gardening. A certified volunteer who has been with the program for several years and routinely gives up personal time is doing so out of a belief in the mission or the cause. Volunteer commitment is a continuum and is relative to the reasons a person volunteers. Generally, a person volunteering for self-serving reasons is at a low level of commitment to the program; a person who volunteers for relational reasons is at a mid-level of commitment, and a person who volunteers because of a belief in the mission is at a high level of commitment.
Program coordinators and WSU Master Gardener Program volunteers have a responsibility to help people move through the continuum of commitment. To help them move through the continuum we must first meet their needs. We must maximize volunteer satisfaction, because satisfied volunteers are committed volunteers. When a person commits to an organization, they are engaged in the mission and go above and beyond the call of duty. Organizations with engaged and empowered volunteers are successful organizations.
That said, we must make expectations clear, trust volunteers to meet or exceed expectations, define goals, provide volunteers with tools they need to be successful, ensure all volunteers understand policies and procedures, communicate regularly, and, most importantly, give and receive feedback.
Volunteers begin our program with a passion to learn more; as program leaders, we need to channel that passion toward commitment by helping volunteers become competent and confident educators who empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, unbiased, research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education.
Our Slogan or Tagline
The WSU Extension Master Gardener Program slogan is “Volunteer Community Educators—cultivating plants, people, and communities since 1973.”
Our Strategic Vision
Highly recognized, diverse, and fully supported, WSU Master Gardener volunteers are the go-to resource for communities seeking research-based, unbiased, innovative solutions for their ever-changing horticulture and environmental stewardship needs.
Our Mission
Engaging university-trained volunteers to empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, unbiased, research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education.
Our Values
- We value personal and professional research and discovery because it encourages us to stay current about horticulture and environmental stewardship to meet the unique educational needs of our communities.
- We foster and benefit from an atmosphere of diversity and inclusivity because our differences inspire creative thinking and innovative solutions.
- We act with integrity because trust, truthfulness, and respect create a healthy and positive culture.
- We are committed to stewardship and sustainability, serving as ethical and responsible agents of our natural resources, human resources, and University resources.
- We collaborate because together we empower healthy and resilient communities.
- We are a dynamic and responsive program where knowledge inspires change.
WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers represent WSU Extension and the land-grant heritage it serves. As such, WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers address critical issues by meeting the diverse educational needs of Washington residents that align with our program vision, mission, and values. Faculty, staff, and volunteers should understand and be able to tell a compelling and impactful story about how educational offerings provided by the WSU Master Gardener Program meet local needs and address the following program priorities.
Horticulture Skills
The Master Gardener Program teaches research-based horticulture principles and practices for the development of healthy landscapes and to protect our natural resources.
Climate Change
Clean Water
Water Conservation
Soil Health
Pollinators
Local Food
Plant Biodiversity
Nearby Nature
Wildfire Preparedness
Throughout this site there are links to documents of various file types.
Please contact our Statewide Program Leader if you require this information in a different format.