Why Master Gardeners Stop Volunteering: Lack of Time

Meyer, Mary Hockenberry

doi:10.21273/horttech.14.3.0437

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Typically, 300 Master Gardener interns are trained each year while at the same time 300 previously active Master Gardeners exit the program. Meyer (2004) stated that more than a quarter of Master Gardeners in the Minnesota program left due to dislike or disappointment with the program, or failure to acquire enough horticulture education. Haynes and Trexler (2003) found that organizations must be cognizant of the quality and scope of training programs to ensure that the training meets volunteers' needs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Master Gardeners associate with the program for two main reasons: to increase horticultural knowledge and to help their community (Schrock et al, 2000b). Disappointment with the program and insufficient horticulture education have been cited as reasons for not continuing with the program (Meyer, 2004). Coordinating horticultural education with the interests of volunteers is important in increasing retention.…”

Section: T He Master Gardener Program Was Launched In Washingtonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Motivation and Retention of Iowa Master Gardeners

Takle¹,

Haynes²,

Schrock³

2016

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Recruitment and training of new volunteers is necessary to grow a Master Gardener organization, but retention of current individuals has advantages. Aligning reasons for volunteering with recruitment and continuing education topics with the interests of volunteers is essential in a successful recruitment and retention plan. The objectives of this study were to determine the motivations for volunteering in the Iowa Master Gardener program and to identify popular continuing education topics, preferred delivery methods, and social media usage among this audience. Learning about gardening and horticulture was the most important reason Iowa Master Gardeners volunteer with the program. In addition, altruism is important to these volunteers, but they do not recognize the full impact their projects have on their local community. They have a strong interest in learning about native plants and sustainable horticultural practices. The most preferred delivery methods were live presentations and workshops. Video presentations and webinars were generally less preferred. Respondents used certain social media sites, such as Facebook and Pinterest, some or a lot. Although this study was limited to Iowa Master Gardeners, results regarding motivation factors align closely with previous studies. We speculate that the results for advanced training topics, delivery methods, and social media usage would similarly align for Master Gardener programs across the country.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: T He Master Gardener Program Was Launched In Washingtonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivation and Retention of Iowa Master Gardeners

Takle¹,

Haynes²,

Schrock³

2016

hortte

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“…A large number of volunteers remain active in the program for many years because they perceive many personal benefits of the program, including the personal value of the horticultural knowledge gained through the program, the perception of prestige, and the flexibility in the volunteer service activities conducted and completed (Meyer, 2007;Schrock et al, 2000;Takle et al, 2016). However, retention of participants is a concern within the MG program because many members do not remain active (Meyer, 2004;Stouse and Marr, 1992;Takle et al, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

Self-efficacy Is a Valuable Predictor of Extension Master Gardeners’ Likelihood to Continue Volunteering in the Program

Gall

Lerner

Orvis

2020

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In the United States, more than 80 million households participate in some type of gardening activity, including lawn care, vegetable gardening, and flower gardening. This considerable interest in gardening has led to the demand for accurate information about horticultural topics, trends, and research. One credible source for this information is the Extension Master Gardener (MG) Program, of which volunteering is a foundational component. Descriptive characteristics of Purdue Master Gardener (PMG) and PMG interns, characteristics of program participation, and volunteer behaviors were measured through an online survey questionnaire. Demographics, attitudes, self-efficacy, participation in the PMG program, and prior volunteering experience were measured and relationships between predictive variables and total volunteer hours were explored. Overall, the data revealed participants (N = 673) had strong positive attitudes about volunteering. Participants also reported having increased self-efficacy through participation in the MG program, and attitudes and self-efficacy were highly correlated. Based on the results and theoretical framework, a model was developed that can be used to predict volunteering behaviors within MG programs. The predictive model for volunteering behavior revealed that the number of years as an MG and the participant’s level of self-efficacy were good predictors of the total number of volunteer hours.

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Motivation and retention of Iowa’s Master Gardener volunteers

Takle

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Retention of participants in volunteer organizations has been shown to be not only a challenge, but also a great benefit to the organization. Rising costs of training and continuing education make each interaction valuable from both perspectives. Volunteer opportunities are abundant but must be meaningful and engaging for the participants in order to keep them involved. Using electronic survey software, Iowa Master Gardeners were asked to respond to a series of questions investigating 1) the current demographics of the population, 2) reasons volunteers associate with the Master Gardener program, and 3) the continuing education topics and delivery methods most preferred by Iowa Master Gardeners.

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Why Master Gardeners Stop Volunteering: Lack of Time

Cited by 3 publications

References 8 publications

Motivation and Retention of Iowa Master Gardeners

Motivation and Retention of Iowa Master Gardeners

Self-efficacy Is a Valuable Predictor of Extension Master Gardeners’ Likelihood to Continue Volunteering in the Program

Motivation and retention of Iowa’s Master Gardener volunteers

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