It’s a new day for the Georgia MGEV program! Very soon, MGEVs will be able to enter their volunteer hours online via our new record keeping system, MGLOG. In a recent article in The Volunteer Vine (check here if you haven’t read it), I shared some of the benefits of adopting a system like this and showed you what it looked like.
I have been working with Agents and Program Assistants since January to introduce the system to them and show them what it will do. I’d like to tell you that it has been an easy walk in the park on a day as lovely as today. It was indeed a walk in the park, and we paused a time or two to fix a few bumps along the way, adjust a few things, making the system even better.
As with all new things, there are folks who don’t like change. It made me think back to my days in Virginia as State Coordinator when I started using email to send program updates to Agents. Ha! That was when an Extension office might have one computer and maybe someone knew how to use it, never mind receive email, let alone attachments! We have certainly come a long way. Now, we’re asking each other “Do you do Facebook?” “Do you have a blog?” And no, I don’t use Instagram or Twitter or whatever else is coming along! (not yet, anyway!)
Change can be hard to embrace, especially when you are busy. Think of this like a new plant in your garden — it’s a pain to have to water it every day until it takes hold, but isn’t it worth it? Aren’t there so many positive results of installing the new addition and nurturing it, watching it grow and bloom?
Some MGEVs have had a chance to work alongside Agents or Program Assistants during the training sessions I conducted via webinar. I am encouraged comments shared with me:
- “I must say that yesterday I had some MGEVs sit in on the training with me (my second time), and they were very impressed with 1) the apparent ease of operation and 2)the reports that can be generated with the data. Good job! “
- “Awesome”
- “What a fantastic thing this recordkeeping system is!!”
There will come a day, and I bet that day is very soon, when we look at each other and say, “why didn’t we do this sooner?!” I hope you’ll take part in nurturing this new addition to our garden! Check back frequently for more information!
— Sheri
