Fees & Billing

Standard fees for Level 1 training are established by the MG Program Office.

The standard fee is now $40 per person, regardless of whether the training is being done locally or through the MG Program Office.

The standard fee includes:

  • The MGV training manual, available only through the MG Program Office, and shipping costs. A 3-ring binder is NOT included.
  • Background check processing
  • Award certificates (upon request once participants have completed the volunteer service requirements)
  • One year WIMGA membership

Facilitators also have access to:

The fee for participants sharing manuals is $40 for first participant, $20 for second participant.

Additional costs

  • The Handbook for WI Gardeners is NOT included in the standard fee and should be ordered directly from The Learning Store. This is optional! Facilitators can choose to purchase a copy for each student and include that cost in their local per person fee, or just have a few available for the students to use during in-class activities and thereby greatly reduce the overall program cost.
  • A 3" D-ring binder (for Training Manual) is not included in the standard fee and can be provided by the facilitator or participant.
  • Any distance education charges (if applicable) should be added to the per person fee locally.
  • The county can add a local fee to cover costs for room rental, copying charges*, refreshments, volunteer recognition, name badges, and other necessary MG program expenses (including overhead costs), but should NOT be used for general revenue generation. Participants are paying for the materials and expenses, and their education is “free” in exchange for the volunteer service. Additional resources can be offered to students on an optional basis, but fees should cover actual cost. The purchase of additional resources should not be used as a fund raising mechanism.
  • The possibility of a scholarship for limited resource individuals is encouraged, but must be funded locally. Training and material fees should be managed through an Extension account (NOT a MGA account or personal accounts). Membership dues and funds generated by a MG Association should be managed by association officers.
  • The collection of a deposit (to be refunded if volunteer hours are completed) is not prohibited, but also not encouraged. Charging a small amount belittles the value of 24 hours of volunteer service to the program and provides little incentive to volunteer in order to get it back, whereas higher amounts will likely prohibit lower income people from participating in the program.

Payment & Billing

Payments by students are given to the site facilitator (UW Extension agent, MG volunteer, or other designee). About three to six weeks into the program, a bill will be sent to the facilitator. Checks should be made out to “Master Gardener Program” and sent to the MG Program Office (Mike Maddox, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706). Payments are due upon receipt of the bill.

*At $0.10 per page, the cost per student for all additional handouts (workbooks for 12 sessions as suggested on the MG website, plus exam and a few other handouts) is $16.

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