SERVE at Home Activity Format

Meaningful service opportunities your family completes together, creating community impact from the comfort of home.

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Flexible Family Volunteering to Fit Your Busy Schedule

SERVE at Home (SAH) activities offer families a flexible way to support their community together, no matter your schedule. Designed to fit easily into your day-to-day life, these projects can be completed on a flexible timeline and from the comfort of home.

Selecting a SERVE at Home Activity

Each SERVE at Home activity description includes clear instructions and details, a list of required materials, and any delivery or mailing steps needed to support our nonprofit partners. Most projects require your family to provide supplies and handle drop-off or shipment of completed items. Be sure to read the activity description carefully before RSVPing to choose an activity that fits your family’s availability and interests.

These projects are part of our Family Volunteering Program and are designed to be completed by at least one adult and one child from the same household. Families are asked to work side-by-side, reinforcing our mission of shared service and teamwork.

To quickly find these opportunities, use the “Format” filter on the Activity Calendar and select “SERVE at Home.”

See Our Calendar

Important Guidelines

One RSVP per volunteer per SERVE at Home activity. Multiple RSVPs for the same project will be canceled.
Service hours are standardized based on the average time required to complete each activity. We do not grant additional hours unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Timely submissions matter. Submissions received more than seven days past the date listed on the calendar date listing will not be eligible for credit.

Deadlines to Know

There are two main types of SERVE at Home activities, each with different timelines:

Flexible Deadline Activities
Most SAH opportunities can be completed any time during the calendar month they’re listed. Submit your completion form within 7 days of finishing the project.
Firm Deadline Activities
Some projects are tied to partner needs, holidays, or events and will include a specific due date in the activity description. Follow the delivery and submission timeline outlined there to ensure your family’s work supports our partners on time.

SERVE at Home Completion & Service Hour Credit

To receive service hour credit for a SERVE at Home activity, follow these steps:

RSVP to the activity through your Volunteer Account so we know your family is completing the project.
Complete the activity together as a family. Take photos of your family in action—these replace on-site attendance and help us verify participation.
Submit your SERVE at Home Form using the link in your confirmation email. Include all requested information and your photos.
Allow 2–3 weeks for processing. Our staff manually enters service hours in the order they’re received. Thank you for your patience!

Submissions that are incomplete or not received within the specified timeframe will result in your RSVP being canceled and hours not being granted.

Hear From Generation SERVE Youth & Families

Volunteering is a good thing for all families to do. It’s important to help others live a better life.

-11 year old Generation SERVE volunteer

[After volunteering together], we now have conversations regularly about helping those in need. He includes being a volunteer when he describes himself in school projects. Volunteering is now a part of who he is.

-Volunteer Parent

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our FAQ for important information on completing SERVE at Home activities successfully and getting volunteer credit.

High volume due to lots of awesome volunteers, and small staff making the magic happen… If you need expedited submission processing or a signed report faster than our normal time frame, you may request to pay an expedited service fee of $15 via contact@generationserve.org. This extra service is subject to availability. Please note that the team members processing these requests work during business hours only and may not be able to accommodate all requests.
Hours are entered manually by our staff and processed in the order submitted, so please be patient with us as we process the data as efficiently as we can.

Please allow at least 2-3 weeks for SERVE at Home hours to appear on your account. The service hours will appear on your account after the date the activity is listed on the calendar, so if you submit them in a very early window, you may wait longer than 2-3 weeks to see them.
The photos you submit should clearly demonstrate your engagement in the specified SERVE at Home activity. The purpose of the photo verification is to celebrate your efforts and showcase the meaningful contributions you are making. Different photos should be taken for each activity completed- photos cannot be reused. Here are a few tips to help guide your photo submissions:
1. Relevance: Ensure that the photo directly relates to the SERVE at Home activity in question.
2. Action-oriented: Capture moments that showcase you actively participating in the activity, whether it's crafting, organizing, or any other form of service.
3. Date and Time: If possible, include a timestamp or date in the photo to provide additional context.
Some SERVE at Home opportunities have specific due dates included in the posting, and the submission of those hours should follow those instructions to ensure we fulfill the nonprofit partner's needs in a timely manner.

All other SERVE at Home hours should be completed within the month of the calendar listing. Follow the directions in the confirmation email for the specific SERVE at Home for submission and use our SERVE at Home form.