Factors Influencing Volunteering in the Master Gardener Program

Abstract

Limited budgets and downsizing have threatened the delivery of technological and educational information by the cooperative extension service. As such trends continue, volunteers become more important. Background factors, influence of specific individuals, attitudes toward the value of the program, and personal benefits received influence a person's decision to become a Master Gardener volunteer. In this study, individuals who were older than 50 and had children and parents who were former volunteers in an extension program were more likely to become Master Gardener volunteers, as were individuals who felt that the Master Gardener program benefited the community and themselves. Specific individuals, such as garden club members, other Master Gardeners, a neighbor, or persons holding leadership positions in the community, might also influence an individual's decision to volunteer.