What Is The Presidential Volunteer Service Award

The President's Volunteer Service Award is the nation's premier volunteer awards program, encouraging United States citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of the United States through presidential recognition to live a life of service.

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) is an official certifying organization for The President's Volunteer Service Award.

We have created new guidelines for submitting PVSA timesheets. This new process utilizes the GivePulse platform. Please see below for the tutorial on how to use this new platform for submitting and verifying your hours. As always if you have any questions please email us at utcce@austin.utexas.edu

Additionally, the President's Volunteer Service Award recipients are recognized during our annual Tower Awards ceremony recognizing students, faculty, staff and community partners committed to service within the UT Austin community.

Your recognition inspires others to take positive action to change the world!

Learn more at http://www.presidentialserviceaward.gov

FAQ's:

1. What are the award criteria?

Any individual, family or group that meets the program's criteria can receive Presidential recognition for volunteer hours served over a 12-month period or over the course of a lifetime. Criteria for recognition are:

Recipients must be United States citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of the United States.
Awards are issued for service hours served within a 12-month time period or over the course of a lifetime.
Awards are issued for volunteer service only. Additional levels of participation with the organization, i.e. charitable support, are not a factor considered for the award.
Court-ordered community service does not qualify for the award.
Awards are issued by approved Certifying Organizations. The Center for Community Engagement is an approved Certifying Organization.
Service must be with an organization that is legally established in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or one of the territories.
The Center for Community Engagement can verify volunteer hours for the previous year beginning in April until April of the current year. The CCE recognizes students during their annual Tower Awards ceremony which takes place in May each year.

2. How many hours do I need to qualify for each award category?

*Families and Group: Two or more people, with each member contributing at least 25 hours toward the total.

3. May I apply service hours that I completed as part of an AmeriCorps program or received a stipend?

Volunteer hours must be non-paid hours.* (If volunteer is being paid a stipend hours served are not eligible.)
*AmeriCorps participants are allowed to apply the hours served during their stipend year towards the lifetime achievement award following your active year.

4. How does CCE verify my hours?

The PVSA website no longer allows an individual to make an account to log their own hours.
You will have 12 months from the date of your first entry to complete your hours (If your first hour log starts April 2013 you have until April 1, 2014 to submit hours for your particular recognition, i.e. Gold, Silver, or Bronze Award.

Starting Fall 2020, CCE will be utilizing the GivePulse platform to submit timesheets and verify hours. Learn more about this new process below:

PVSA Hour Verification Process 2020

Go to UTVolunteers.org
Sign in/sign up using Eid/login information
Click drop down arrow on "Hi, (your name)"
Click Add Impact
Search the Nonprofit/organization name and click on the correct one
1. If you are unable to find the organization name use the steps in the next section
Click blue "Add Impact" button on the right side of the page
Click "Add Timesheet"
Fill in all the relevant information
Scroll all the way down: make sure to share that information with The University of Texas at Austin
Click the green "Add Timesheet" button
1. It should then take you to another page that lists all the information you input
2. At the top of the page you will see "pending verification"
3. Once the hours are verified, it will turn to a green checkmark that says "verified.
Once it is verified, email us at utcce@austin.utexas.edu so that we can place the award.

If you are unable to find the organization name:

Click on the blue "Can't find it?" button
Click on "Add Timesheet"
Fill in all the relevant information
Scroll all the way down: make sure to share that information with The University of Texas at Austin
Click the green "Add Timesheet" button
1. It should then take you to another page that lists all the information you input
2. At the top of the page you will see "pending verification"
3. Once the hours are verified, it will turn to a green checkmark that says "verified".
Once it is verified, email us at utcce@austin.utexas.edu so that we can place the award.

5. Can I receive an award every year?

Yes, an individual may receive an award every year but must follow all the requirements as described above including submission of documentation.
You may also consider receiving the Lifetime award which requires 4,000 hours to be contributed towards the award.

6. How does my student group apply for the PVSA group award?

The student group president/leader may also apply by going through the same process outlined above on GivePulse.
- Instead of creating individual member accounts, create an organization GivePulse account to input timesheets and receive verification.
Group members should only submit an individual form if they would like to be recognized for individual efforts including hours they contributed to their student group.
Contact the CCE if you have any other questions at utcce@austin.utexas.edu

7. Do I have to be a UT student to apply?

No, anyone can apply for the PVSA. UT students have their service hours certified by the CCE.
If you are not a UT student, hours can be certified by us if your service was done locally (within Travis county.)
If you are not a UT student and hours were not done locally, you will need to find a local organization that can certify your hours.