Why Community Service?
Community service is an integral part of the Nevada Promise Scholarship experience; participating in community service and other forms of civic engagement has long proven to develop college students’ knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make a difference in their communities. Being civically engaged can contribute to students’ sense of purpose, academic success, and post-graduation career trajectory – all aspects of student development that the Nevada Promise Scholarship seeks to support.
What Counts as Community Service?
Community service is time contributed to a nonprofit or public service organization. The community should benefit from the work you do. Community service must be performed by the deadline immediately preceding the academic semester for which you wish to receive a Nevada Promise Scholarship Award.
Sample categories of eligible community service:
- Advocacy
- Arts, Culture & Sport
- Education
- Environmental Issues
- Health Services
- Vulnerable Populations
To satisfy the eligibility requirements for the Nevada Promise Scholarship, community service performed must not:
- Result in compensation, payment, or remuneration of any kind to the student.
- Directly benefit a member of the family of the applicant or student.
- Include paid or unpaid internships.
- Include donation of money or items as community service.
- Include participation in fund-raising events but may include volunteering to help administer the event.
- Include religious activities, like proselytization or persuasion.
- Include partisan activities.
Submission Deadlines
| Promise Status | Deadlines | Service Requirements | Timeframe of Completion |
|---|---|---|---|
Applicants (current high school seniors) | May 1 | 8 hours | May 1, 2024 – April 1, 2025 |
Recipients (current CSN students) | January 1 | 8 hours | April 1, 2024- January 1, 2025 |
May 1 | 8 hours | January 1, 2025 - April 1, 2025 |
Reminder: You must provide your CSN NSHE ID number when submitting completed community service hours.
Note: All community service submissions will be reviewed for compliance before crediting the hours to the student record. Students can contact the Nevada Promise Team to ensure their hours are compliant. Student can use this guide to help them select a service activity: Community Service Guide.
Community Service Reporting Instructions
To report Community Service hours, complete the Nevada Promise Community Service Form. Before submitting your hours, review the information above for community service eligibility requirements. Any applicant who knowingly submits false or misleading information is ineligible to receive the Nevada Promise Scholarship
| Reporting Task | Purpose | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation for Student Records | For use in verifying service hours, if needed. Note: If the organization provides an electronic method of tracking service hours, a signature or additional form of documentation is not needed. | Students must document their community service hours; in the event of an audit, you may be asked to provide copies of signed timesheets. If the volunteer site does not provide a way to track your service hours, print this template for your records: Nevada Promise Volunteer Timesheet. Note: To fill in the fields without having to sign in, download the form and open the document in Adobe Reader.
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| Nevada Promise Community Service Form Submission | For official submission of service hours for Nevada Promise requirements. | Report completed community service hours using the CSN Nevada Promise Scholarship Community Service Form on or before the deadline to receive credit.
It is your responsibility to maintain copies of all online submissions. Contact Us. |
Community Service Organizations & Opportunities
We have provided a list of local community organizations for students in our Volunteer Contact List below. Students are encouraged to explore these organizations and contact them directly to inquire about any available community service opportunities.
We have also provided some date-specific community service opportunities through our Events and Activities Calendar and students are encouraged to review these opportunities and sign up.
Events and Activities Calendar
Disclaimer: The inclusion of an organization in our web materials and on the attached documents does not indicate endorsement by CSN of the organization’s mission, practices, view, or information included in the organization’s linked websites. CSN cannot and does not assume any responsibility or liability for any conditions, hazards, or risks for any related personal injuries or property damage arising directly or indirectly from an individual’s participation in activities of these organizations.
If you have other community service opportunities not listed on our provided web materials, please contact us. These lists are not inclusive, you may volunteer at other organizations as long as they fit the criteria.
If you are interested in volunteering with one of these organizations please reach out to them directly. You can find more information by clicking on the link to each organization's website. You may volunteer with organizations that are not listed below as long as they follow the guidelines presented on this website.
Note: Many of the virtual organizations do not track your participation hours, rather the projects you completed. It will be your responsibility to track the amount of time you spend volunteering. We encourage you to take screenshots/pictures of the times you log in to these websites to volunteer should we request this documentation to verify your hours. In addition, you may not have a traditional supervisor as you would with in-person volunteering. In this case, you may add the Nevada Promise Team contact information in lieu of on-site supervisors. Email or call our office to arrange for virtual supervision.
| Organization Website/Contact | Description of Activity |
|---|---|
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas (Email is preferred -Contact Us link will send an email to the organization directly) | Cheer our families up with a colorfully decorated Caring Card! We love to include Caring Cards in the bags of goodies we give to families visiting our Family Room at Sunrise Children's Hospital, or attach them to bags of cookies for our families. Plus, we love to hand them out with cute toys we give to the children who visit the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. This activity is designed to be completed offsite. Just purchase a packet of 3x5 index cards, download our Caring Cards Decorating Guidelines, and begin to decorate! |
Opportunity Village (scroll to the bottom for Virtual Volunteer Opportunities) | Social Media Advocacy; Fundraising Campaigns; Research Opportunities; * Application is required prior to completing service hours. |
Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) Click on “How You Can Help Remotely” for more information. | Virtual activities include the E-Notes of Encouragement and NPHY Translators (document translation). *NPHY Translators must complete an interest form to get started. |
LibriVox | Read audiobooks for the Free Public Domain. *Must register an account on their forum to get started. |
Smithsonian Digital Transcription Volunteers | Volunteer to transcribe historic documents and collection records to facilitate research and excite learning. *Must sign up for a volunteer account to get started. |
Translators Without Borders | Opportunity for students fluent in at least one more language than their native language. Help translate important documents to increase accessibility around the world. *Application is required prior to completing service hours. |
Volunteer Match Must create an account prior to completing service hours. | |
Acquaint Must create an account to volunteer. | Intercultural Volunteering Embark on a transformative journey with Acquaint. As a volunteer, you can:
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