Get Certified for the President’s Volunteer Service Award

Founded in 2003 by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) aims to recognize just how vital volunteers are in our communities. We’re pleased to announce that UPchieve volunteers are eligible to receive this amazing award!

How Does the PVSA Work?

While created by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the awards program is led by AmeriCorps and managed through a partnership with Points of Light, which is the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to volunteering.

The goal of the award is to honor people across America who choose to dedicate their time to others through their volunteer work. Individuals, families, and organizations are all eligible for the award, so you can apply for the award for yourself, or as part of a group.

There are three levels to the PVSA (Bronze, Gold and Silver), as well as a Lifetime Achievement award.

Students looking towards applying for college can spruce up their college resumes by applying for the PVSA, but it can also look great on regular resumes too!

PVSA Requirements

Any citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States over the age of 5 can be eligible for the annual award if they complete a certain number of volunteer hours within a 12-month period. The Lifetime Achievement Award looks at a volunteer’s hours-served to date over the course of a lifetime instead of one twelve-month period.

Volunteer hours must be unpaid, meaning that stipend work through organizations like Peace Corps or AmeriCorps might be eligible for the lifetime awards, but not the annual awards.

Requirements for the number of hours served vary by age.

How to Earn a PVSA as a Volunteer Tutor with UPchieve

We aim to make earning a PVSA as a volunteer tutor as easy as possible. That’s why you just need to fill out this quick form to get your hours submitted to the PSVA!

Please note that due to the national recognition of this award, we are only able to count active tutoring hours and hours for certifications. Elapsed availability will NOT be counted for the PVSA. Once you’ve submitted your request you can expect to receive the award within 4 to 6 weeks.

If you want to put your hour accomplishments down on a resume or college application ahead of our submission, please do so! We will verify the hours you have done!

Final Thoughts on the President’s Volunteer Service Award

We all know volunteering is a great way to give back to your community, and we know that plenty of volunteers give their time without any expectation of a reward. However, becoming a certifying organization for the PVSA is just one more way we can show how much we appreciate you, our dedicated UPchieve volunteers!

Not currently an UPchieve volunteer? Sign up to get started now!