The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center
Mayor's Award Information
PAGE UPDATED 7/30/25
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 Mayor’s Award. Starting in June of 2026, we will be raising that minimum back up to 60 hours. We will accept and honor hours submitted prior to this announced change.
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 with a certificate 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.)
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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 BY SEPTEMBER 1st 2025.
- 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
$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%
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
- Discount pricing for multiple awards
- Many Mayor’s Award and Commissioner’s Award winners are eligible for the President’s Volunteer Service Award
$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%
- 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 hannah@thevolunteercenter.org.
