Volunteer Eligibility
- United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e., green card holder)
- Must be at least five years old
- Completes eligible service within a 12-month period (for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and over a lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)
Eligible Service:
- Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefiting others
- Service through National service programs that provide a stipend (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) may count towards the Lifetime Achievement Award*, but not for the annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards)
- Travel stipends, transit/parking passes, membership passes, expense reimbursements, and other nominal volunteer support do not impact service eligibility
Eligible Service does not include:
- Donating funds
- Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
- Religious instruction
- Conducting worship service
- Proselytizing
- Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
- Serving only family members
Hours Required to Earn Awards in Each Age Group
| Age Group |
Bronze |
Silver |
Gold |
| Kids (5–10 years old) |
26–49 hours |
50–74 hours |
75+ hours |
| Teens (11–15) |
50–74 hours |
75–99 hours |
100+ hours |
| Young Adults (16–25) |
100–174 hours |
175–249 hours |
250+ hours |
| Adults (26+) |
100–249 hours |
250–499 hours |
500+ hours |