If you have any questions about how to use volgistics or your volunteer hours, pleaseor call Carlie: x217 Using Volgistics Master Composter Responsibilites Volunteer Opportunities CREATING YOUR VOLUNTEER ACCOUNT ON VOLGISTICS Carlie accepts your application and sends you anwith your password and login. You will not be able to log in until I accept your application. So, if you do this on Friday night, you wont get accepted until the next time I log onto Volgistics probably on Monday. LOGGING ONTO VOLGISTICS AND SIGNING UP FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES HOW TO UN- REGISTER FROM AN EVENT HOW TO LOG AND CHECK YOUR COMPLETED HOURS ON VOLGISTICS To receive Master Composter certification and your Master Composter badge, you are REQUIRED to complete 30 hours of community service with the Solana Center during your first year as a Master Composter. Ten hours of community service are required every subsequent year to remain an active Master Composter. Also, keep in mind, your volunteer hours must be with the Solana Center. So, if you teach your neighbor how to compost, that will not count towards your thirty hours. If you give a presentation to your childs Girl Scout group, that will not count towards your thirty hours. If you do a composting workshop at a garden center (that was not coordinated by the Solana Center), that will not count towards your thirty hours. The event must be approved through the Solana Center to count towards your 30 hours. When does your year start? The final day of class April 13th. So please complete your hours by April 13 th, 2011. Volunteer Opportunities with the Solana Center Rotline Volunteer: The Rotline is a telephone number that residents call in order to get answers to their composting questions. Solana Center staff collect the messages throughout the day and then willor call you with the Rotline callers question and contact information. Skill level: Beginner to advanced, depending on the question. How it works Solana Center staff willor call you with the Rotline question and caller information. Call the person back within 24 hours and log a brief description of what was discussed and if the issue was resolved.or call the Solana Center staff with your description. This is especially important if you feel the issue wasnt resolved or if were unable to contact the caller. Workshop Assistant: A Workshop Assistant is responsible for making sure the workshop runs smoothly. Different workshop instructors have different needs during the workshops and will assign necessary duties to the volunteer. Being a workshop assistant is a great way to gain experience to become a workshop instructor. Skill level: Beginner to intermediate Tasks Involved Assist workshop instructors with set up and ensure that all workshop attendees have signed in on the registration sheet. Assist instructors with materials and demonstrations during the workshop. Make sure every attendee completes an evaluation form. Answer questions after the workshop and assist with take down and clean up. Demonstration Site Volunteer: The Solana Center hosts a number of demonstration sites throughout San Diego County. These sites are used as composting learning centers for the public and offer basic composting information and examples of active compost bins. It is very important these bins are kept in pristine condition to attract visitors to composting. Skill level: Beginner to advanced. Tasks involved Maintain a compost demonstration site available to the public. Add materials to the bins and turn bins regularly. Ensure demonstration site and bins are visitor friendly. Collaborate with demonstration site staff about local materials to add, location, tools, etc. Log demonstration site status and maintenance. Booth Volunteer: Throughout the year the Solana Center hosts booths at a number of events. The purpose of these booths is to get the word out about composting, serve as a composting resource, and promote the Solana Center Compost Program. Skill level: Beginner to advanced. Tasks involved Review volunteer information before attending the event. Answer composting questions and direct visitors to literature of their interest. Promote Solana Center workshops, bin sales, Rotline, school programs, etc. Maintain the booths original layout and make sure the booth is clean and organized. Contact Solana Center staff when supplies are low. School Worm Bin Volunteer The Solana Center assists a number of schools in Encinitas and San Diego with school worm bin programs. Large worm bins are located on school grounds and are used for educational purposes as well as a way to recycle lunch materials and add to school gardens. Some schools need little assistance from the Solana Center whereas others lack participation from teachers and parents and require a Master Composter to help manage the program. Skill level: Intermediate to advanced. Tasks involved Maintain a large worm bin at a school in San Diego or Encinitas. Visit the school on a regular basis to check on worms and log bin status. Give vermicomposting demonstrations to classes as needed. Collaborate with teachers and SCEI staff about bin needs and compost program ideas. Be available to answer questions from teachers, students, or parents about vermicomposting. Newsletter Author The Composter is a quarterly newsletter sent viato inform the public about composting topics and upcoming events and workshops. Authors collaborate with the Solana Center about article ideas and complete the article for the newsletter. Skill level: Beginner to advanced. Tasks involved Prepare an article about composting for the Solana Centers quarterly newsletter. Cite any references used. Include graphics or photos to complement the article. Submit articles to Solana Center staff before newsletter deadline. Advertising Volunteer In order to promote our free composting workshops, the Solana Center distributes flyers on community message boards, at libraries, coffee shops, businesses, etc. When a workshop is scheduled in your area, the Solana Center will notify you and give you the necessary materials to distribute. Skill level: Beginner to advanced. Tasks involved Contact the Solana Center for materials needed. Distribute flyers at locations in your area. Keep a log of the locations you distribute materials and submit it to Solana Center staff. If you have experience with graphic design and are interested in creating flyers please contact the Solana Center. Volunteer Opportunities to look forward to: Workshop instructor Presentation instructor Master Composter Course Assistant/Instructor These volunteer opportunities require that youve completed your thirty hours, have assisted with at least 2 workshops, and have co-instructed at least 1 workshop. Current Volunteer Opportunities available: Thursday, April 8 th 3-5pm at the Solana Center Solana Center Garden and Demo Site Party! Sunday, April 18 th Multiple shifts throughout the day Earthfair at Balboa Park Demonstration Sites: Solana Center (Encinitas) Demonstration Site Volunteer Summers Past Farms (El Cajon) Demonstration Site Volunteer San Dieguito Academy (Encinitas) Demonstration Site Volunteer Composter Newsletter Volunteer The Solana Center only has funding for composting workshops, presentations, and events in certain areas. Although we love that at times you are spreading the composting gospel to areas that do not fund us, we have definite reasons why we cannot support Master Composters going rogue. The City of San Diego funds this course with the belief that you will be giving back to the community by volunteering in the City of San Diego in the future. It is a lot more difficult to get future funding from cities, counties, organizations, businesses, etc if they feel they can get the same service for free. i.e. Carlie Peck is a Master Composter and will do workshops for free so why should we fund a composting program in our city? I get the comment a lot: Theyre volunteers, theyre free. NOT TRUE! It takes staff time and SCEI resources to coordinate events and volunteers. Although we may be sending volunteers to events and workshops it takes a great deal of preparation to confirm logistics, send outs to volunteers, create and prepare displays and literature, etc. There is no such thing as a free event. You are out in the public as Solana Center Master Composters. If anything were ever to happen at an event where you were representing yourself as a Master Composter, the liability could very possibly fall on our shoulders. Our current funding can be affected. We are very grateful for the funding we currently have which allows us to do a great deal of outreach and education throughout the County. The funding has certain requirements as to how many events, presentations, workshops, etc we must do. Every task we do must be pre-approved by the municipality sponsoring the project. If they get wind that unapproved events are being done for free by Master Composters, it is not good news for the Solana Center. Now, with all that said, it doesnt mean that you cant do outreach in the community. You are a Master Composter and we hope that you became one to help increase composting knowledge in the community. I dont want you to think that you cannot help setup composting at your childs school or you cant teach your neighbor how to compost. We just ask that you please tell us where you are and what youre doing. And also understand that your volunteer work will not necessarily count towards your 30 hours. So, yes, that does mean that some of these hours can possibly be applied to your 30 hours. This is decided on a case to case basis and will never be approved after the fact. Also, it is possible we could have funding for whatever project youre working on. Youll never know, if you dont tell us what youre doing.