The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center
Commissioners' Award Information
PAGE UPDATED
8/20/2025
During the height of the pandemic, we lowered the required amount of hours to 40 due to continuing public health concerns and the challenges students may have had in completing their volunteer hours for the Commissioners’ Award. Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, we will be raising that minimum back up to 60 hours. We will accept and honor hours submitted prior to this announced change.
The Commissioners’ Award program recognizes the hard work of students who volunteer 60+ hours during the school year.
Many Commissioners’ Award and Mayor’s Award recipients are also eligible to receive the President’s Award at no extra cost.
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Important Update on the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)
AmeriCorps has announced a temporary pause of the President’s Volunteer Service Award program, effective May 27, 2025. During this pause, no new award will be accepted.
At this time, AmeriCorps has not provided a date for when the program will resume. We will share updates with you as soon as we receive more information.
Please note: We will continue to recognize student volunteers through the Mayor’s Award and the Commissioner’s Award to students during this period. You can access this through the Application button above.
Thank you for your continued service and commitment to your community.
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Use the application link below to apply for multiple awards.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ALL AWARD INFORMATION IS September 15th, 2025.
- Students age 12 – 18 (must be 12 by June 1)
- 60+ hours of volunteer hours served between the first and last day of your school’s academic year. Dates will vary based on your school’s academic calendar.
- Hours MUST be completed at a Triangle nonprofit that is registered with the TNVLC. Visit HandsOnTriangle.org to see if an organization is registered with us. If the nonprofit is not registered with us, please use this link to check if an organization is a Charitable organization (they do not need to be CSL Exempt).
- Awards are issued for volunteer service only. No paid or court-ordered community service counts toward your total hours volunteered for the award.
You will need the following information to complete the application.
- Payment must be made prior to completing the application. (Pay Here)
- You will need your application fee payment receipt to complete the application
- Information on all volunteer service hours before starting this application i.e. name of agency/agencies, hours completed, name of supervisor
- The online application has multiple pages. The student has the option to complete a page at a time and click “save and complete later”. Students MUST complete all questions on a single page to use this option. If this option is selected, the system will send an email to the student with a link to continue and complete the remainder of the application.
Other important things to keep in mind:
- Once you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation. This email will have the link to the supervisor evaluation form. Please send it to each of your supervisors so they can complete and submit in a timely manner.
- Please be patient with us as we receive and process all application and evaluation forms. We will email you ONLY if we are missing any information or evaluation form.
- Please DO NOT email us to ask if we have received your application. The email confirmation is an acknowledgement that we have received your application.
- Once processing is compete for all students, we will email you with information about an award ceremony and/or award pick up.
Register by clicking on “Apply Now” below.
VERY IMPORTANT!
Be sure to always keep a copy of all your volunteer timesheet hours! If these are lost in the mail or are not received in email, you will need a copy to verify your hours. TNVLC does not retain volunteer time sheets from year-to year. If you need these for other purposes you will need to keep a copy for your own records.
- $45 fee
- If your student is registering for both the Mayor’s Award and the Commissioners’ Award, there is a special package pricing of $75 for both saving you over 15%
- A Personalized Commissioners’ Award certificate of achievement
- Opportunity to enter essay contest
- Preferred acceptance into the Student Action Board
- Discount pricing for multiple awards
- Early registration access for our Civic Engagement Leadership Institute ($50 value)
Payment
- Payments can be made online or by check.
- If paying by check, please make checks out to: The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC) with “Commissioners’ Award” In The Memo Line. Mail To PO Box 3374, Durham, NC 27702.
Financial Assistance
- $45 fee
- If your student is registering for both the Mayor’s Award and the Commissioners’ Award, there is a special package pricing of $75 for both saving you over 15%
- TNVLC believes strongly in supporting student volunteers. Financial Aid is available. No student will be turned away due to inability to pay.
- Please note: Mailing of the certificate is not included in the original certificate fee. If you would like it mailed, an additional $10 mailing fee applies.
Essay Contest
As you are finishing up with volunteering, consider entering the Commissioners’ Award essay contest. The theme is the benefits of volunteering, and/or why it is important to be active in your community. The essay should be 3-5 pages double spaced, with a font no larger than 12 point. Give your essay an original title. Use your school year experience, other volunteering, and your own ideas to talk about the importance of volunteering. The winning essay will be posted on our website. The deadline for the essay is September 15th, so you may turn it in with your application, or you may turn it in early. If you choose to e-mail your essay, send it to Hannah@thevolunteercenter.org.
