Using the Volunteer Management System (VMS)

The Volunteer Management System (VMS)

As a State sponsored organization, all Chapter members, including you, are required to faithfully, punctually and with integrity log their training attendance and volunteer service hours. This is accomplished using the Volunteer Management System (VMS).

When you signed up to initiate your criminal background check, you created a username and password for accessing VMS. Save your access credentials here so you have them for future reference.

If you forget your password, click the “Forgot your password?” link. If you don’t know your VMS username, email Lisa Travis at LisaT@bptmn.org for help.

Access VMS at https://txmn.org/bptmn/vhat/ by clicking the “Log Volunteer Hours” button:

Categories of Time in VMS

You will enter three categories of time in VMS during your time as a Texas Master Naturalist:

1. Initial Training Hours – Attendance at a class or field trip offered as part of the Chapter’s initial training program. The Class Website bptmnclass.net will tell you exactly what to log for each class and field trip.

2. Volunteer service hours (VS or VH) – Time spent on Chapter-approved volunteer service opportunities within the community or on Chapter business. Do include your travel time in the total hours you log.

3. Advanced training hours (AT) – Attendance at a Chapter-approved advanced training event. Do NOT include your travel time.

Entering Class Attendance

To receve your certificate of completion at the conclusion of your training program, you must have all your class attendance logged into VMS. Please try to do this as soon as possible after each class. (If you forget, your Guide will be asked to remind you!) Follow these steps to log your attendance after each class:

1. In your Internet browser go to the Chapter website at www.bptmn.org and enter the “VHAT & VMS Information” page. This page has lots of useful information about the VMS system and logging hours, so be sure to use it as a reference.

2. Click the large “Log Volunteer Hours” button.

3. Enter your VMS credentials to log in. If you forget your password, click the “Forgot your password?” link. If you forget your username, contact Lisa Travis at lisat@bptmn.org for help.

4. When presented with the following screen, select “Report Your Service.”

5. To record attendance at a class, enter only four pieces of information (see red arrows) and leave the rest blank.

a. Select the appropriate class session number from the dropdown box. For instance, select “Init Training Class 01.” (Refer to the “Class Schedule” section of this handbook for class numbers.)

b. Enter the date you attended class in the date field.

c. Check the class website for the number of hours to enter in the “Hours” field.

d. In the “Describe your service” field, type the topic covered in the class session and speaker name. (Refer to the “Class Schedule” section of this handbook.)

6. Skip over any remaining fields.

7. Click the OK button at the bottom of the form.

Entering Field Trip Attendance

To receive your certificate for completing training, you must have attended THREE field trips and logged them into VMS. The process is similar to logging class attendance.

1. Log into VMS as you would for logging class attendance. Listed below the training classes, you’ll see

Init Training Field Trip (A)

Init Training Field Trip (B)

Init Training Field Trip (C)

The first Field Trip you attend, no matter which one it is, will be entered as Init Training Field Trip (A) . The second one will be listed as Init Training Field Trip (B). The third one will be listed as Init Training Field Trip (C).

1. Enter the date you attended the field trip in the DATE field.

2. In the hours field, check the Class Website to find out how many hours credit you receive for each field trip, as this will vary.

3. SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT “WORKING FIELD TRIPS” We are offering the opportunity for some “extended” field trips this year, which will add some hours of volunteer work before or after the instructional part of the field trip. For these “WORKING FIELD TRIPS,” you will typically enter 2 hours for Initial Training, Field Trip, and the additional hours you spend working will be entered as VH.

Don’t worry if this sounds confusing now! We’ll be talking more about it in class and you’ll get specifics on your class website for each field trip.

Entering Volunteer Service Hours (VS or VH)

As trainees, you can begin getting credit for volunteering as soon as you have attended your first training. For most of you, your first training will be the Meet and Greet on February 2. You will learn about several volunteer opportunities available to you right away, and we encourage you to begin volunteering as soon as possible. For some of you, that may even be February 3!

To receive credit for volunteer service, the activity must be approved by the Chapter in advance, and you must enter those hours promptly. You can find listings for pre-approved volunteer opportunities on the chapter calendar or in VMS. For other activities, check with your guide to see whether the volunteer opportunity has already been approved. If it hasn’t, your guide can help you with the process of submitting it for approval. You may also email the Chapter’s current VH/AT Director, Heather Fell, at vhat@bptmn.org. For new volunteer opportunities, be sure to start the process as far in advance as possible.

Important! All Texas Master Naturalists are required to enter their volunteer service hours and advanced training hours within 45 days. You will not receive credit if you enter them after that time. This is a STATE rule and there are no exceptions.

1. Select the appropriate opportunity from the list, for instance, “Holifield: Animal Care.”

2. Specify the date of your service.

3. Enter the number of hours, to the quarter hour, you spent volunteering PLUS your travel time. For example, if you spent 3 hours and 15 minutes caring for the animals, and your drive time was 30 minutes round trip, you’ll add the .5 to your 3.25, and enter 3.75.

4. In the “Describe your service” field, add a short, relevant description of your activity.

5. Optional: In the “total number of miles” field, enter your round-trip mileage. Logging your mileage is strictly for your own records and is not used by the State.

6. The remaining fields are not required, but if you have relevant information, you may go ahead and enter it.

7. Click the OK button at the bottom of the form.

Entering Advanced Training Attendance (AT)

To receive credit for attending an advanced training event, it must be approved by the Chapter in advance. Check with your Guide to see whether the AT opportunity you’re interested in has been approved. If it hasn’t, you may be able to get it approved if there is enough time. Ask your Guide for help or email the Chapter’s VH/AT Director at vhat@bptmn.org. Be sure to start the process as far in advance as possible.

To enter AT hours:

1. Select the appropriate opportunity from the list. For instance, “AT: BPTMN: Other Pre-approved Training.”

2. Specify the date of the event.

3. Enter the number of hours, to the quarter hour, you spent in session. IMPORTANT: You do NOT include drive time for Advanced Training hours. You also do not include lunch breaks, unless they are working lunches.

4. In the “Describe your service” field, name the sponsor of the event, the speaker or host’s name, and a succinct description of the topic(s) covered.

5. The remaining fields are not relevant for AT.

6. Click the OK button at the bottom of the form.

Notes:

• You can claim 1 hour of AT for attending a scheduled presentation given at a Chapter meeting. Select “AT: BPTMN Chapter Monthly Meeting Only” when logging your attendance. In the description field, note the name of the speaker and their topic.

• You can claim AT for attending Field Trips. Select “AT: BPTMN: Other Pre-Approved Training” when logging your attendance. In the description field, note the field trip location. (Example: Field Trip to Park Hill Prairie.)

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