Keeping track of volunteer hours

[Sunshine State Sue]

Just how detailed do I need to be when keeping track of volunteer hours? Ds is volunteering as an assistant coach this summer. I have the practice & game schedule. I'd like to just write on it:

6 practices + 7 games = 13 hours - 3 missed + 1 extra = 11 hours total.

Then, I would stick it in a folder marked "volunteer"

 

But, do I need to specify the dates he missed and the dates he added extra hours? Surely that's more detail than anyone in their right mind would ever want to see?

 

Perhaps I have ds write up something on the back side stating his responsibilities as well?

 

Thanks for any BTDT advice. :)

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

My ISP has a form (Community Service Record) that has columns for:

Hours

Type of Work

Agency Worked For

Date Completed

Supervisor's Signature

Phone Number

 

At the bottom it has:

Total Hours

Date

Parent Signature

[FlockOfSillies]

my dds are in American Heritage Girls, and they itemize their service hours with the date (sometimes month and year, although actual day is best), a one-line description (Asst. Coach for XXXXXX Little League), and a box for the number of hours. We count them in quarter-hour increments at our house. ETA: Cheryl's post reminded me there is a box for leader/parent initials on the form too.

 

I mention this because we have had two girls in our troop submit their service records for the President's Volunteer Service Award, and the level of detail I just described was enough for them to receive the award from the government.

 

I think in your case I'd just list what he did, not what he didn't do. If you have the practice dates on your calendar, it's simple enough to put them in an Excel file, and set an average length of time for a practice or a game. If he puts in an extra half-hour or more on a certain day, you or he can record it.

 

I think when I was applying to college, I mentioned the things I did, and the overall span of time (Nov. 1989-Mar. 1990, for ex.), but I didn't quantify the volunteer work. Not sure what colleges are expecting now.

Edited July 6, 2010 by FlockOfSillies

[Sunshine State Sue]

Thanks, Ladies.

 

What's ISP?

My ISP

[In The Great White North]

What are you keeping track of them for? Does your state requires them?

 

None of the colleges ds applied to asked about hours at all.

[K-FL]

What are you keeping track of them for? Does your state requires them?

 

None of the colleges ds applied to asked about hours at all.

 

 

To qualify for the top Florida Bright Futures scholarship, dc have to prove 80 hrs of community service.

[FloridaLisa]

If you are keeping records for Bright Futures, you will need the hours documented on the organization's letterhead. I've found it is easiest to request a total of the hours and the job done on organization letterhead just after the volunteer job ends. Stick in the file folder and pull it out during dc's senior year. I also keep my own records for scholarships and college apps.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[Sunshine State Sue]

What are you keeping track of them for? Does your state requires them?

 

FL Bright Futures Scholarship.

 

If you are keeping records for Bright Futures, you will need the hours documented on the organization's letterhead. I've found it is easiest to request a total of the hours and the job done on organization letterhead just after the volunteer job ends. Stick in the file folder and pull it out during dc's senior year. I also keep my own records for scholarships and college apps.

 

HTH,

Lisa

Thanks, Lisa. But, ugh. I hate to ask someone else to provide this for me on the organization's letterhead. He's volunteering at a church that has a basketball league. I just know that all the volunteers who make this work have better things to do than finding letterhead and providing that letter.

 

Obviously, I haven't looked closely into Bright Futures yet.

 

Thanks for the heads up.

[FloridaLisa]

Thanks, Lisa. But, ugh. I hate to ask someone else to provide this for me on the organization's letterhead. He's volunteering at a church that has a basketball league. I just know that all the volunteers who make this work have better things to do than finding letterhead and providing that letter.

 

 

 

I hear you. But, really, I've found that most folks in charge of volunteers are very used to supplying these for their teen volunteers. :)

 

Lisa

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Thanks, Ladies.

 

What's ISP?

It's just one of the options for homeschooling in CA. It's short for Independent Study Program. Basically it means that you are part of a program that has it's own private school affidavit. It can be associated with a private school and offer many services (support, classes, transcripts, etc) or it can be "place" you just file paperwork with every year. It's actually the old term but I keep forgetting the new on:lol: It changed after the big uproar in CA 2 years ago. I think it's PSP but can't remember exactly what it stands for, maybe Private School Program? I'd have to go to HSLDA's website to be sure.

 

We belong to a full service ISP (PSP) that is associated with a private Christian school. They each have their own affidavits but work together. ISP students can take classes (prorated) at the private school, participate in sports, choir, etc. They Community Service Record is one of their required forms (CA requires 50 community service hours).

[Sunshine State Sue]

It's just one of the options for homeschooling in CA. It's short for Independent Study Program. Basically it means that you are part of a program that has it's own private school affidavit.

Gotcha. We have something similar here in FL, but if I sign up under that, ds would not be able to play sports in the public school system, so we go it alone.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Gotcha. We have something similar here in FL, but if I sign up under that, ds would not be able to play sports in the public school system, so we go it alone.

I don't know if we could or not. My kids could do sports through the private school our ISP is associated with and choose not to so it's nothing I've looked into. My guys just aren't into sports, unless you count jousting (my oldest squires for a real joust that's part of the IJL - International Jousting League):lol:

[Tammyla]

Sue,

 

Donna Young has a volunteer form on her web site.

[Kareni]

My recollection is that the Common Application requires applicants to list volunteer time. So do a variety of other college applications and scholarship applications. I would keep a record of time volunteered at each organization as well as what duties your child performed.

 

(Also keep track of time spent working at a job and on extra-curricular activities.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Sunshine State Sue]

I've found that most folks in charge of volunteers are very used to supplying these for their teen volunteers. :)

 

Thanks, Lisa. That makes me feel better. I know ds is not the only teen volunteer there.

 

Donna Young has a volunteer form on her web site.

Thanks, Tammy. But, I'm not finding it. :confused:

[Heather in AL]

If you scroll down, it's under Extracurricular records. It's titled Volunteering and Community Service. I like it, as it's bare bones. :001_smile:

 

http://www.donnayoung.org/forms/planners/hischl.htm

[Sunshine State Sue]

If you scroll down, it's under Extracurricular records. It's titled Volunteering and Community Service. I like it, as it's bare bones. :001_smile:

 

http://www.donnayoung.org/forms/planners/hischl.htm

Thanks, Heather!

[Joan in GE]

The record question got me curious as I like the idea of some standardized form...

 

Here are a few samples found by searching "community service record sheet" or "....hours"

 

MAST Academy in FL (most complicated)

 

Stanford

 

Ottawa (has some interesting ineligible activities on second page)

 

Upper Canada (complicated)

 

Narragansett IB middle school program

 

uga.edu

 

Joan

[distancia]

Florida mom here.

 

MY daughter (17.5) did 125 hours of community service--over the course of a year--when she was back in public school and she received a full 1 credit for it. Among her "jobs": she was a classroom aid at the local elementary school; she was a tutor at the local Hispanic center (for adults)she was a critic and host for Saturday morning arts movies at the local artsy cinema; and she was receptionist at the local Animal Rescue League.

 

She kept track of all her work thus:

 

1) the elementary school required a log-in every time she entered through the front office. At the end of the school year they printed out a list of all her times on their letterhead, and the classroom teacher merely "signed" that is was accurate.

 

2, 3, and 4) My daughter had log sheets which she kept in a bubble-gum pink (easy to see) folder. The sheets were separate for each different job. There was a column for the date, hours worked, duties/responsiblities, and signature of supervisor. My D hated asking people to sign off every single time she was there; sometimes the superviosr was out, or in a meeting, etc...so finally what she did is just have the supervisor sign the top line of the log, draw an arrow all the way down the column to the last entry, and sign there. Then she would attach a business card to the log sheet. This worked fine for our county (Sarasota).

 

All of this supporting documentation was then turned in to our local agency (here it is a volunteer center) that coordinates the accruing of hours between the student and the school board.

Edited July 7, 2010 by distancia