Guadalupe County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
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VMS

Volunteer Management System

To access the VMS system, please go to: https://vms.texasmg.org/sec_Login. For easy future access, bookmark the page or place a link on your desktop or phone!

Certified Master Gardeners: Please remember, in order to retain your certification you need to log a minimum of 20 volunteer hours and 10 continuing education hours in VMS (this change was announced in early 2024, and became effective as of 01/01/2025).  The purpose of this change was to align all states into a common standard. Please note that the local Extension Agents can increase this number but not reduce it. FYI, many of the surrounding counties require much more in terms of Volunteer & CE time as well as other requirements and commitments, so if you are thinking about moving to a different county MG organization I suggest you look into their requirements before doing so before you make your final decision.

Interns require a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service to be completed within one year of class completion, and they must enter their volunteer (and continuing education hours) in VMS.

If you need assistance or have any issues with VMS (or with EVS), please contact David Koepp at DHKoepp.GCMG@gmail.com

Did you know you could access VMS from your smartphone? Yes, the screen is smaller than a computer screen, but it presents on the phone a bit differently. I don’t find it smaller or harder to use and you still enter your time via VMS in a web browser the same way as from a computer. My preference is to enter my time on my phone as I find it more convenient to do so as well.

UPDATED VMS Project Name Listing went into effect on 09/24/2025:  Click here to download a Quick Reference Guide on the newly renamed and sorted Active Projects List.  This QR reference will show all the choices now available as well as where to now claim your time if the project name you used to use has been removed.  If this QRG doesn’t answer your questions, please reach out to me either via email or phone David Koepp at DHKoepp.GCMG@gmail.com or 210-263-3624 and I’ll be happy to help you.

Click here to see a list of  =–>Tips and Tricks for VMS  <–=

We recommend entering your hours into VMS if not the same day as the task, then at least weekly! But worst case, Please log all of your hours by or before the last day of the month in order for them to be counted properly.

The timely input of your volunteer (and CE hours) is critical to our organization’s funding; thus, we can’t stress enough the importance of your timely input of your hours.

  1. Reporting in VMS is imperative to the continuance of the Extension Master Gardener (EMG) program which relies upon State and Federal funding.
  2. Reporting shows the community and our stakeholders the impact of our volunteer services provided.
  3. Just to clarify for anyone who may think our monthly bank balance is in good shape and their VMS hours don’t matter, you are mistaken.  Our bank balance is our operating budget money, the financial funding we get from the State & Federal level is not something you see on a balance sheet each month.
  4. This State & Federal funding gives us the facilities and office space for our training classes, meetings and presentations, the audio & video equipment we utilize, the network and internet access, our website, it pays for the electricity to keep the lights on, the phones, computers, and many other things.
  5. You might be thinking well I’m just donating those hours and I’m not going to bother reporting them, and while that is nice sentiment, it is actually hurting the organization financially. So please, input the hours worked or spent on CE in a given month (by the last day of the given month at the very latest).
The following guidelines apply for reporting hours:
a. Report volunteer and CE hours in increments of 15 minutes, rounded up.
*For example, report 15 minutes as .25, 30 minutes as .50, 45 minutes as .75 and one hour as 1.00. You can record partial hours such as .50, whole hours such as 2.00 or a combination of whole and partial hours such as 1.75.
b. Describe the volunteer activity you performed or the CE activity you attended and report any contact demographics (Population Served) in VMS, if applicable.
*Provide enough detail to allow the Membership Director to determine what project was involved and have a general idea of what work was accomplished and/or the name of the CE event that was attended.
*If you are taking or monitoring a class – show it as Continuing Education Hours
*If you are teaching the class – show it as Volunteer Hours and complete the “Population Served” profile at the bottom of the screen regarding the number of people and classification of the people in attendance.
*If you are working at a project site and/or doing public outreach, complete the “Population Served” profile at the bottom of the add hours screen regarding the number of people and classification of the people with whom you had face-t0-face contact with during your volunteer / outreach time.
c. Members may report travel time to and from a volunteer or CE event* in their reported hours. Members report ALL travel time as “Volunteer Hours” in VMS.
*For example, if the volunteer travels for 30 minutes to and from to attend a one-hour CE event, the volunteer reports 0.5 hours Volunteer time and one (1) hour as CE.
*Please note – Even though business may be discussed at GCMG Socials, Socials are not considered business meetings and volunteer hours/travel time may not be reported for attendance (nor counted towards your certification/recertification requirements).
*Miles Driven – If possible, please input the number of miles you drove to and from an education event, or to and from your volunteer project site. If you are not sure of the number of miles driven, please estimate as closely as possible. The driver of the vehicle is the only person reporting miles driven; passengers do not report any mileage.

Leave of Absence

If you cannot satisfy your Certification or Recertification requirements, you may request a Leave of Absence (LOA). An LOA is for a specified length of time which must be reviewed by the Board of Directors and approved by the Extension Agent. Request and approval must occur prior to the absence. There may be requirements to return to active service. If a volunteer does not return to service on the agreed date and has not asked for an extension (and received approval) for the LOA, then they should be marked Inactive. After 1 year they should be moved to Released or Retired.

Training Guides to Print or Download 

VMS Starting Guide for MG’s

Training Videos

What can VMS do for you?  Recorded May 10, 2022 (TXMG Conference)

    • Why Reporting Matters
    • VMS Views – Individual, County, State
    • Reports – Detailed vs. Generalized
    • ROI
    • FAQ’s

Extension Volunteer Standards (EVS) – Required education and Background check process everyone must complete every three years.

All who encounter the Texas Master Gardener program and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service must be treated in a manner that is not only respectful, but also safe. GCMG volunteers must adhere to the agency’s background screening process, which is administered through the agency’s Extension Volunteer Standards (EVS) office. More details of this program can be found in the MG Management Guide (https://txmg.org/administration/management-guide).

To access the EVS system, please go to: https://evs.tamu.edu

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension provides equal opportunities in its programs and employment to all persons, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Texas A&M University system, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts Cooperating.

Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for effective participation in the program should contact the County Extension Office at least one week prior to the program or event to request mobility, hearing, visual or other assistance.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is implied.