Master Gardeners Program Tracks Annual Requirements

The Weber County Master Gardeners program is run by the Utah State University (USU) Extension in Weber County, Utah. The Master Gardener program is a 14 week course that provides extensive horticultural training to students who are interested in learning more about gardening and want to serve their community.

Helen Muntz is the Horticulture Agent for the USU Extension in Weber County. “We train volunteers in everything horticulture…and then they become volunteers for our public garden, the Ogden Botanical Gardens,” she says.

Helen works alongside Neda Salcedo, the Staff Assistant for Horticulture and Agriculture, to manage the county’s Master Gardener volunteer program. “I help behind the scenes,” Neda says. “I help keep track of Master Gardener hours, make sure they turn in their assignments, and post any volunteer opportunities on the calendar.”

In addition to helping out in the Ogden Botanical Gardens, Weber County Master Gardeners volunteer at several events throughout the year. These include regular plant diagnostic clinics, group garden tours, and community classes, among others. “One popular event that we use a lot of volunteer help with is Earth Day Birthday, and it’s an event at our public garden where we bring in community booths, kids activities, food trucks, and share a lot of extension information,” Helen says. “The county fair is also a big one.”

Tracking Required Hours with Milestones

In order to become certified Master Gardeners, volunteers must complete a training program and 40 hours of community service. To maintain their Master Gardener status, they must complete an additional 20 volunteer hours each year. Helen and Neda use the Track it Forward milestones feature to keep track of requirements and awards.

“We use milestones, so it’s been easy to keep track of hours,” Helen says. “Once they hit 250, for example, they get a plaque and a special award.” Multiple milestones can be set up to reset after a certain amount of time or track hours across all time, allowing volunteers to accumulate hours toward awards.

Prior to using Track it Forward, Neda was keeping track of hours using Google Docs and Excel sheets. “It was time consuming,” she says. “I like how [Track it Forward] cuts down the time, and everything’s in one spot. You can run a report for whatever you need and it’s very user-friendly.”

Streamlining Events and Increasing Transparency

In addition to Track it Forward milestones and reports, Helen and Neda make use of the event calendar and email reminders. They can quickly and easily add events to the calendar, collect RSVPs, and send and receive notifications. “I find it really user-friendly when an event comes up and I can just add it right to the calendar,” Helen says. “I also like the feature where I get an email when someone signs up, so I don’t have to always log in but I know who is going to be at what [event].” Helen has also used the event calendar to create shifts for larger events, and each shift has a maximum number of volunteers so admins and volunteers alike can see which shifts are full.

“I like that [Track it Forward] sends out reminders for events,” Neda says. “I also like that you have the option to print the sign-up sheet for the event.” The event calendar feature allows for admins to set up automated reminders to volunteers who have signed up for the event. For the day of the event, admins can print out a roster of who has signed up, or they can use the digital sign-in sheet on the mobile app to mark volunteers as attended.

In addition to streamlining hours tracking, events, and reports, Track it Forward has helped increase transparency for the Weber County Master Gardeners program. “When we were using Google Docs, people would email me to ask ‘where am I at with my hours?’,” Neda says. “Now they’re able to see where they’re at and they have all the information…so that’s an awesome part of it as well.” Volunteers can log into Track it Forward and view their total hours, progress toward milestones, and past timesheets. “It’s really user-friendly,” Neda says. “I love the program!”

"It's really user-friendly. I love the program!"

The Weber County Master Gardeners program is dedicated to training Master Gardener volunteers, maintaining the Ogden Botanical Gardens, and hosting community events designed to inform the public about gardening. They’ve successfully implemented Track it Forward as a tool to help manage the volunteer program, all while saving valuable time. “It’s definitely worth the money,” Helen says.