Mayor’s Award Information – The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center

Mayor's Award Information

What You Need to Know

PAGE UPDATED 10/8/2024

The Award submission deadline has been extended to October 14!

COVID-19 Update

Due to continuing public health concerns and the challenges students may have completing their volunteer hours for the Mayor’s Award, we have reduced the required hours to 40.

About the Award

The Mayor’s Award gives Triangle area students the opportunity to learn and serve their community in a meaningful way. Students who complete the required number of volunteer hours at area nonprofits during summer break are recognized by the Mayor at a ceremony in the fall. Annually, our students serve more than 30,000 hours of community service throughout the Triangle Area through the Mayor’s Award!

Many Mayor’s Award recipients are also eligible to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award. (There is no extra cost for this.) Use the application link below to apply for multiple awards.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ALL AWARD INFORMATION BY SEPTEMBER 16.

Award Eligibility

Youth ages 12-18 may apply.
Awards are issued for hours served between the first day and last day of summer break.
Volunteer hours you complete before you register do count as long as the hours you served were during your summer break.
Hours MUST be completed at a nonprofit that is legally registered with the State of North Carolina and is listed with The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC). Click Here 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 payment of any kind can be received from the organization served.
Court-ordered community service does not count towards your total hours volunteered for the award.
If you complete enough hours, you will automatically receive the President’s Award at no extra cost (A separate timesheet must be submitted for the President’s Award).

Application Process

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 the 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:

Based on the email address you provide in the application form to receive notifications, you will receive a thank you notification after completing the form. This notification will have the link to the supervisors 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 thank you notification to your preferred email is an acknowledgement that we have received your application.
Once processing is compete for all students, we will email you with information on award ceremony and/or 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.
(Also, the center 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..)

$50 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%

Payment

Pay online here for Mayor’s Award

Payments can be made online or by check.
Paying by check, please make checks out to: The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC) With “Mayor’s Award” in the memo line. Mail To PO Box 3374, Durham, NC 27702.

Award Benefits

A personalized Mayor’s Award certificate of achievement
Opportunity to Enter essay Contest
Access to Scholarship List
Database for service-related opportunities
Letter of recommendation
Preferred acceptance into the Student Action Board
Customized volunteer opportunity listing
Discount pricing for multiple awards
Early registration access and discount for “Civic Engagement Leadership Institute” ($50 value)
Many Mayor’s Award and Commissioner’s Award winners are eligible for the President’s Volunteer Service Award

Financial Assistance
$50 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%
NO STUDENT WILL BE TURNED AWAY FOR INABILITY TO PAY.
The Volunteer Center believes strongly in supporting student volunteers. Financial Aid is available.

Essay Contest
As you are finishing up with volunteering, consider entering the Mayor’s 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 summer 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 October 14, 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 adrienne@tnvlc.onmicrosoft.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mayor's Award?

The Mayor’s Award program provides the opportunity for students to volunteer at one of our registered non-profits in the Triangle area during the summer months. Students giving 40 or more hours of service with positive evaluations are eligible to win the Mayor’s Award. Each year between 300-400 students apply for this program.

Who is eligible?

Students who are 12 (or turn 12 by June 1) to 18 years of age. Please note that some nonprofits have age minimums and may require an adult to be present if this minimum is not met. Generally there are fewer opportunities for students under age 14.

How do I find volunteer opportunities?

Our online volunteer matching database, HandsOnTriangle.org has hundreds of volunteer opportunities. You can also search “Mayor’s Award” on HandsOnTriangle.org to search for those that have been specifically identified (though any opportunity listed is eligible). Students can also contact nonprofits and select opportunities that may not be listed in HandsON. There are thousands of nonprofits throughout the Triangle providing students with plenty of ways to find an opportunity to volunteer.

Can I complete my hours at more than one organization, or do I have to do all hours at the same site?

You can serve at several different organizations, as long as your hours add up to the required minimum. You must maintain a timesheet and your supervisor will need to approve your hours and complete an evaluation form. Those documents are included in the Service Packet above.

What if I can’t find an opportunity that is still open?

We encourage students to take leadership in locating a volunteer opportunity. If you have contacted several agencies and they are unable to find a placement for you, consider creating an opportunity with another agency. It is common to have to contact numerous groups before finding a match. If you have contacted more than 5 agencies and cannot find a match, e-mail the names of the agencies that you have contacted, your name and age, city, and volunteer interests to adrienne@thevolunteercenter.org and we will assist you in locating an opportunity.

How do I know if the agency I want to volunteer with is registered?

Hours from any certified nonprofit will be recognized.

Click Here to see if an organization is registered with us.

If the nonprofit is not registered with us, please use this database to check if it is a certified 501c3 Nonprofit.

How will my hours be verified?

Based on the email address you provide in the application form to receive notifications, you will receive a thank you notification after completing the form. This notification will have the link to the supervisors evaluation form, please send it to each of your supervisors so they can complete and submit in a timely manner.

What is the deadline for completing my hours?

Your hours must be completed by the start of the first day of school. This varies between schools.

Questions?

Phone: 919-321-6943

Or email our Community Programs Manager.