Membership

Membership Eligibility

Those who have successfully completed training as Master Gardeners in Wisconsin or another state are eligible to become members of the Madison Area Master Gardeners Association (MAMGA). Most of our members have completed their training with the Dane County Master Gardener program. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, please visit the UW Extension web site for details

Retaining certification as a Master Gardener is recommended, but is not required for MAMGA membership.

MAMGA members are also eligible to join WIMGA (Wisconsin Master Gardeners Association). MAMGA collects the dues for WIMGA membership (see below). For more information about WIMGA, go to www.wimga.org

Questions?  Please email info@mamgawi.org.

  MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

MAMGA provides many benefits to its members on an annual basis.

  • Discounts at area nurseries and retailers

    Check the list on our web page before shopping, since discounts vary

  • Free admission to MAMGA sponsored programs and events and educational programs

  • Garden tours

  • Service and community education opportunities

  • Fellowship and social events View the 2022 programs here . The 2023 programs will be announced in December 2022.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AND DUES

  • MAMGA membership dues are $25 for one year

  • MAMGA membership renewals are due by January 1 for the following calendar year

  • New members may join MAMGA at any time during the year, if they are transferring or as soon as they are certified as Master Gardeners in Wisconsin.

  • You may renew or apply for new membership online with a credit card. If you prefer to mail a check, print out the mail-in form and follow the instructions

  • If you include an optional Wisconsin Master Gardener Association (WIMGA) membership, MAMGA will forward this $5 annual membership dues to WIMGA

  • Membership cards will be mailed in January to those who renew on time by December 31st. After December 31st, membership cards will be mailed as payment is received

  • Please email info@mamgawi.org if your contact information changes during the year so that our emails and mailings reach you.

REPORTING YOUR MASTER GARDENER HOURS - new system

Moving forward, WI Master Gardener Volunteer hours are to be reported online in UW-Extension's new reporting system. All information for this new reporting system is available online via UW-Extension.

Specific instructions for WI Master Gardener online hours reporting

Begin by creating your account. Be sure to record your chosen username and password for future use.
See the "First Time Users: Activate Your Account" box

Once your account is created, log into the reporting system using your username and password. Click the green tab Online Reporting System: Report Hours. Log off using the EXIT button at the top right when you are done. The form automatically sorts the entries according to date and totals the number of hours. Note that there is an opportunity to report the number of interactions with members of the public. If you don't have this information, just leave it blank.

There are instructional videos you can watch which count as 0.6 hour of continuing education. A Frequently Asked Questions section is also available to help you. If you have trouble getting into the system, please reach out to Lisa Johnson at johnson.lisa@countyofdane.com, ask a fellow MGV who has successfully used the system, or ask for help via email to wimastergardener@extension.wisc.edu.

Message from Lisa Johnson:

I suggest bookmarking the site so you have an easier time accessing it in the future. Also, when entering hours, if you want to group together activities for which you do the same work at multiple times (like for instance, working in the Teaching Garden's Rain Garden once a week), you can bundle the dates by month(for example for May, June, etc.) so you don't need to report each day—lots easier that way! It's nice to have a monthly breakout so we can track statistics by month, but not critical if you have already bundled it further. If you are having any technical issues, send an email explaining the problem, preferably with a screen shot to Richard "RJ" Jacob, Developer/Administrator at the Wisconsin MG Online Reporting System, rjjacobdesign@gmail.com . He should be able to assist you. He's a nice guy, as well as a techno wizard.

 Begin recording any volunteer or educational hours from January 1-December 31.
Hours must be reported by NOON on December 31.

Volunteer Interest Form

Interested in getting more involved, meeting fellow master gardeners, learning new skills, or putting existing skills to good use? MAMGA runs on the energy and creativity of its volunteers. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, complete our Volunteer Interest Form and send it to us at:

MAMGA
P.O. Box 259318
Madison, WI 53525-9318

MAMGA, WIMGA, and UW Extension are separate organizations that function together to benefit Master Gardeners in south-central Wisconsin. Photo: UKGardenPhotos, Creative Commons.

MAMGA, WIMGA, and UW Extension are separate organizations that function together to benefit Master Gardeners in south-central Wisconsin. Photo: UKGardenPhotos, Creative Commons.

Understanding MAMGA & WIMGA

MAMGA, the Madison Area Master Gardeners Association, is a local non-profit organization of persons who have completed the basic Master Gardener training course, or are current students. MAMGA members may or may not also be currently certified Master Gardener Volunteers (see below).  MAMGA exists to provide education, service, and fellowship opportunities for its members. Membership costs $25 per calendar year. MAMGA members receive discounts at many local nurseries, participate in educational programs and garden tours throughout the year, have many opportunities to volunteer and hold social events.

WIMGA, the Wisconsin Master Gardeners Association, is a state-wide non-profit organization of persons who have completed the basic Master Gardener course, or are current students. Most MAMGA members also choose to join WIMGA, but doing so is not required. WIMGA membership costs $5 per year. WIMGA members receive a monthly newsletter.  WIMGA also hosts a statewide Master Gardener conference each year.

*Certified Master Gardener Volunteers  have completed the basic Master Gardener training course and have satisfied annual volunteer service, continuing education requirements, and other requirements as determined by the Dane Co/UW Extension program.  Annual reporting of volunteer hours and continuing education credits is required. Certified MGVs get the monthly, electronic-only Volunteer Vibe and other informational communications from the state MG Program Office.  There is no cost to be certified as a Master Gardener Volunteer. Certified Master Gardener Volunteers assist gardeners through the local UW-Extension Office by serving as plant health advisors, answering hotline calls, tending the Teaching Garden, and performing various other activities that support the UW-Extension Horticulture Program in the community. Certified Master Gardener Volunteers also conduct gardening outreach and service at public spaces and qualified non-profit organizations.  Although most Certified Master Gardener Volunteers choose to join MAMGA and/or WIMGA, it is not a requirement to maintain annual certification. For more information about Master Gardener Volunteer certification, see our FAQs page .