Membership

Membership in the Manitoba Master Gardener Association (MMGA) will be made up of persons who have paid their annual membership fees and fulfill the requirements of one or more of the following categories:

Member in Good Standing
Certified Master Gardener (MG) who fulfills the required number of volunteer hours per year (20) and maintains their educational upgrade status (4 hours per year). A Master Gardener who has received certification in another province or state, but has relocated to Manitoba, must provide proof of certification, volunteer records, and educational upgrade records. Members in Good Standing have voting privileges.
Inactive/Sabbatical Member
A member may request a one-year sabbatical if circumstances prevent them from fulfilling the requirements to maintain membership in good standing. After the one-year period, the member must decide if they can return to membership in good standing or request Emeritus status. Annual fees must be paid to maintain status. Inactive/Sabbatical Members have no voting privileges.
Member Emeritus
Master Gardeners who have been active members for at least 10 years, but can no longer fulfill all requirements to maintain active status. Members Emeritus must pay annual fees and have non-voting status.
Intern Member
Master Gardener Intern who is actively pursuing the requirements needed for certification. Interns are granted a two-year complimentary membership in the MMGA. Non-voting status.
Honorary Lifetime Member
This status may be conferred by the Board of Directors on a Master Gardener who has provided outstanding service to the MMGA over a number of years, and who is a long-term member of at least 12 years. There will be no membership dues or annual volunteer hours required to be in good standing. Honorary Lifetime Members have voting privileges.

Membership in the MMGA ceases if annual fees are not paid in a timely manner, or volunteer and education hours are not maintained according to acceptable criteria and submitted on an annual basis, or the member submits their written resignation.

Reactivation of former members – If membership has lapsed, a former member wishing reinstatement must pay the membership fee and supply the pro-rated volunteer hours.

Interns

If you are interested in taking the Master Gardener Training Program through the University of Saskatchewan please go to the MG Program tab on this website. Once you decide to register in the program and register in the Manitoba Master Gardener Online Training Program course you will automatically receive an invitation to join the MMGA. The membership will be complimentary and is for two years. This course is also required for certification in the Manitoba program.

Master Gardeners

Membership fees are renewed annually starting around the end of December. Membership fees are currently $25 for one year, $45 for two years and $65 for three years. Renewals are due by February 28. You will receive an email from the Membership Director asking you to renew only if your membership has run out. There will be instructions on how to pay (by cheque or e-transfer). Please see the LOGIN page on the MEMBER LOGIN tab on this website for the same instructions. If you do not receive a request to renew, your membership has probably not run out.

A reminder to submit your volunteer and education hours will also be emailed at the same time. The deadline for submitting the hours is also February 28. If you have problems using Volunteer Impact to submit volunteer and education hours please contact  (membership@mgmanitoba.com). There are two training videos for Volunteer Impact (VI) on the website, found on the LOGIN page. Links are below:

VOLUNTEER IMPACT PHASE 1 TRAINING

VOLUNTEER IMPACT PHASE 2 TRAINING 

The Membership Director also approves the annual volunteer and education hours. When entering your volunteer and education hours please be clear about what you are doing and what organization you are volunteering for. Provide the full name of the organization. Education sessions must be at least one hour and be clear on what the education topic is. It is difficult to approve what is not understandable. Please refer to the MMGA Handbook, available in the right margin of the LOGIN page on the MEMBER LOGIN tab on this website for more information.

PLEASE contact the Membership Director at membership@mgmanitoba.com if your address or email changes or if you have questions about any of the above.