Happy New Year! (for Master Gardeners)

Nov. 1 is the first day of the Master Gardener year and November signals the beginning of our membership renewal season.

This year, in an attempt to make renewing as comfortable as possible for all potential JCMGA members, we are planning to offer three different ways to renew. You can choose whichever works best for you. You will also notice that this year we will only request one JCMGA contact information/interest/expertise form with your dues payment. Since Erika Szonntag, our Master Gardener Coordinator, already has access to the necessary computer program DocuSign, Erika will contact you about signing the two required OSU forms: the Conditions of Volunteer Service and the Code of Conduct.

For those who delight in using their computer for purchases, this year we will have an entirely online renewal option. You will be able to complete the JCMGA form online and pay the $25 membership dues through PayPal. The only downside to this is that PayPal charges us about $0.75 for each transaction. However, the Board has recently approved our participation in the PayPal donation program, in which the complete amount of any donation comes directly to JCMGA; this may help offset the PayPal loss.

A second option will be to print out the JCMGA form and mail or bring it and a check to the Extension Office as we have done in the past. (Cash is also accepted if you bring, rather than mail, the form.  If you choose to do this, you only need to copy the single renewal page that you fill out. You do not need to print and return the direction page.)

Finally, paper renewal forms will be sent to potential JCMGA-ers who do not have access to email. In addition, others who need to have a paper copy sent to them will be able to request one on the informational membership renewal Mailchimp they will receive towards the middle of the month.

The 2021 dues are $25. Life Members who have contributed so much to JCMGA and 2020 students, many of whom will be completing their MG training and volunteering in 2021, do not have to pay membership dues. However, if a Life Member or 2020 student is planning to volunteer in 2021, it would be helpful to complete and submit the JCMGA contact information/interest/expertise form so we know your areas of interest/expertise. This form also helps the Membership Secretary verify that the contact information she has is correct, so please be sure to complete and the return the form, especially if your contact information has changed or you plan to volunteer.

So, open the champagne and let’s celebrate a new Master Gardener year!