Presidential Volunteer Service Award – FAQ
Asha-Jyothi is now certifying organization for President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). Please see more details in this post
FAQ on President’s Volunteer Service Award:
What is President’s Volunteer Service Award?
In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.
The PVSA has continued under each administration, honoring the volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our nation.
Led by the Corporation for National and Community Service and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Certifying Organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers. (Reproduced from https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/about)
Who is eligible to receive the award?
Award Level and age groups:
| Age Group | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
| Kids (5-10) | 26-49 | 50-74 | 75+ |
| Teens (11-15) | 50-74 | 75-99 | 100+ |
| Young Adults (16-25) | 100-174 | 175-249 | 250+ |
See link below for more information on eligibility criteria https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/eligibility
What kind of service is not eligible ?
- Political lobbying
- Religious instructions
- Conducting worship service
- Proselytizing
- Serving only family members
- Court Ordered community Service
Who issues the certificate?
Asha-Jyothi, as the certifying organization, recommends volunteer name to the program administrator (Corporation for National and Community Service) upon the volunteer having logged the required services hours for each award category.
Does an awardee have to pay for the cost of award package?
No. Asha-Jyothi will pay for the cost of award package it chooses to have issued to the awardee.
Can I choose to receive the type of award package – certificate, medallion, pin, and/or coin?
Asha-Jyothi reserves the right to select the type of award package. It will be based on consistent set of guidelines to be established complying with the program recommendations.
Where can I track my hours and tally remaining hours left to volunteer for the award?
Asha-Jyothi currently uses time management tool, Journyz (www.journyz.com), to log volunteer hours. Volunteers should upload proof of volunteering work within two weeks of completion. Also since the tool is not intuitive, we also recommend that you maintain a excel spreadsheet with date of service, detailed description, hours, purpose of the work, supporting material/pictures. The information on the tool shall be accessible for audit by program administrator, when required.
Is the Lifetime achievement award for all the years that I have been volunteering?
The minimum eligible age of volunteer to qualify for award is 5 years and above. The volunteer hours will count to the lifetime goal besides the yearly goal for different award tiers (Bronze, Silver, and Gold). The life time goal is 4000+ hours. At this time, the PVSA program administrator has not made it available for award.
How many times is one eligible to receive the award?
There is no limit to the number of times to receive the award for a volunteer. Each award is a recognition of eligible service hours accumulated within a continuous 12-month period.
When does the 12-month period start?
The certifying organization selects and maintains the start date of 12-month period consistently. The date will be applicable for volunteers who seek to have eligible service hours recognized by Asha-Jyothi. The start date is chosen as September 1st. This is in view of date of approval of Asha-Jyothi as the certifying organization on August 28th 2020.
Can I volunteer at another organization and have AJ certify those hours towards PVSA?
Yes, Asha-Jyothi will honor hours from another organization on the condition that the other organization is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and 50% of the total hours are are served for Asha-Jyothi causes/campaigns
How to track hours and what is the process for verification of volunteer hours at Asha-Jyothi and other organization that will be used towards PVSA?
Volunteers applying for PVSA must use Journyz.com to get hours validated by the respective AJ Chapter lead . For hours from a different organization that will be applied towards the PVSA award, volunteer should post hours and proof of work on the app and also contact details of the other organization. At a minimum, the designated administrator at the other organization has to vouch in writing that they received the volunteer hours for their organization along dates of service, and details of service performed.