Generation SERVE offers programming primarily designed to serve our local Austin community, including Travis and the surrounding counties (Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, and Hays).
Generation SERVE offers programming primarily designed to serve our local Austin community, including Travis and the surrounding counties (Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, and Hays).
Yes — while most Generation SERVE programs are designed for families living in the Austin area, some options are available for those outside the region.
Families who live outside of Austin can participate in selected virtual volunteer opportunities or SERVE at Home projects. However, it's important to carefully read the activity description before signing up. Some activities may require delivering a completed project or materials to a nonprofit partner in the Austin area, which may not be feasible for non-local participants.
In addition, certain special programs or leadership opportunities may have residency requirements, so be sure to check all eligibility details listed in the program description.
Children can start volunteering with Generation SERVE as young as age 3 when accompanied by a parent or caregiver. We offer a wide range of age-appropriate volunteer opportunities designed for kids from early childhood through the teen years.
Each activity lists a specific age requirement in the description. Families are responsible for ensuring that each participant meets the listed age criteria before submitting an RSVP.
Our programs are designed to grow with your child, helping youth build a lifelong commitment to service at every stage of development.
We set age requirements based on the safety, skill level, and expectations of each activity. Even if your child is mature, they must meet the listed minimum age to participate.
Please see our ““Household Registration Guide””
"Do I need to register my whole family if only my child or teen is volunteering for service hours?
Yes, we require family registration to ensure all participants are covered by our policies and understand our guidelines. This requirement helps us maintain a safe, inclusive environment for everyone."
We use birthdates to ensure your child is placed in the right age group for programming and safety. It also helps us track participation milestones and eligibility for teen programs.
If an activity is full, we suggest checking back frequently—spots frequently open up a few days prior to each activity as family’s plans change between the time they RSVPd and the reminder email we send 3 days ahead. You can also consider a Family Sponsorship. Family Sponsors receive early access to the calendar prior to the general public as a benefit of their support.
We take photos during our service activities to have a photo catalog of our service. We may use some of the photos to promote our programs in Generation SERVE digital and print materials, for public relations, and to help demonstrate our organization's impact on the Austin community.
When you complete our release/waiver to participate in our activities, you are asked for permission to take photos of your family; however, if you prefer to not be photographed at an activity, please let your Activity Leader know.
If you can’t make it, please cancel your registration as early as possible. This allows us to open the spot to another family and helps our nonprofit partners plan accordingly.
No, all participants must RSVP in advance. Volunteers not on the roster cannot be accommodated due to partner requirements and planning needs.
No, all participants must RSVP in advance. Our nonprofit partners rely on accurate headcounts, and unregistered attendees may be turned away to ensure a safe and organized experience.
Registered friends or relatives may attend activities that they have RSVPd for in advance. If you have a special circumstance to consider, email contact@generationserve.org at least 48-72 hours in advance of the activity, so that we may attempt to assist your family if possible.
Some partner organizations require their own waivers, forms, or background checks for legal, liability, or insurance reasons. You’ll be notified in advance if extra steps are needed.
There is no fee to volunteer. However, we do encourage donations to help support our non-profit’s programming and expand access to youth and families across Central Texas.
Yes, many schools and organizations accept service hours completed through Generation SERVE. Families can access those records through their volunteer account dashboard View our QUICKSTART GUIDE.
No. We ask that each individual family sign up for activities on their own. This way we have a better understanding of who will be attending each activity, and we can plan volunteer tasks accordingly. Additionally, individual family sign-ups allow us to communicate important details of the activity and send email reminders directly to the participating families.
If you would like to arrange a group, contact development@generationserve.org or check out our Group Resource Guide.
Login to your Dashboard, click “View Calendar,” filter activities, and use the “Details/RSVP” button to sign up. Be sure to follow the RSVP guidelines for the specific activity based on the program, format, and age requirements online in the activity description. Consult our Quick Start Guide for more details.
This is likely happening because our calendar is not yet open to you. Our calendar for the upcoming month opens to the public on the 20th of the prior month, with family sponsors getting staggered early access the week before. For example, the calendar events for April will open for March 20th and so on.
The activity may now be full now, already past, or filtered out based on your search criteria. Double-check your filters or check back later.
Go to “Manage RSVP Records” in your Dashboard, click the activity title, then click “Cancel RSVP” at the bottom of the page. Consult our Quick Start Guide for more details.
Login and click “All RSVP Records” under Volunteer Activities. This shows all RSVPs (past, future, and canceled) since March 2024 for the logged in user only. If one household has multiple users with accounts, the RSVP records are under the login that made the RSVP.
After RSVPing, check your confirmation email for calendar integration links (Google, Outlook, etc.).
Being a responsible volunteer family means showing up on time, staying for the full activity, following instructions from nonprofit partners, and modeling respectful behavior for children. It also includes canceling ahead of time if you can’t attend, so others may take your place to fulfill our obligation to our community partners..
At least one adult and one child from your family must RSVP and attend together for all activities in our family volunteering program. Generation SERVE activities are designed for children to volunteer with the support and supervision of their caregiver.
Yes, as long as the caregiver is at least 18 years old and actively supervising the child. They must also be listed on your family’s account and have agreed to our volunteer policies. Please email contact@generationserve.org at least 48-72 hours in advance of the activity, so that we can facilitate the needed additions or changes to your household.
No, all activities in our family volunteering program require at least one adult member of the household to attend these activities; therefore, they may not act as the supervising adult for younger siblings during Generation SERVE activities. Teens 13 and older can attend designated Teen Service Days independently, however.
If an adult household member isn’t registered, the RSVP will be canceled if caught in advance. If discovered after the activity, any service hours will be removed. Please double-check that your RSVPs for all Family Volunteering Program activities include an adult.
Follow the directions in the confirmation email for the specific SERVE at Home activity you completed and use our SERVE at Home form to verify your timely participation.
These submissions are processed manually by staff members, and once your participation is processed and approved, the service hours for the activity will be recorded in your Volunteer History. Please allow up to 2-3 weeks for the hours to appear on your account.
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.
Here are a few tips to help guide your photo submissions:
- Relevance: Ensure that the photo directly relates to the SERVE at Home activity in question.
- Action-oriented: Capture moments that showcase you actively participating in the activity, whether it's crafting, organizing, or any other form of service.
- Date and Time: If possible, include a timestamp or date in the photo to provide additional context.
These submissions are processed manually by staff members, and once your participation is processed and approved, the service hours for the activity will be recorded in your Volunteer History. We process submissions in the order submitted, and often expect over 350 submissions per month. Please be patient with us as we process the data as efficiently as we can and allow at least 2-3 weeks for SERVE at Home hours to appear on your account.
Also note, 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 21 days to see them.
The SERVE at Home Activity Submission Form is set up to automatically send a confirmation email after each form is submitted. After successful submission, you will receive an email with the subject line: "SERVE At Home Activity Completion" with your submitted responses included in the message.
If you don’t see these emails right away, please check your Spam, Junk, or Promotions folders. You can also search your inbox using the subject lines above. These auto-confirmation emails help our small team track and process submissions efficiently while keeping your family's volunteer hours organized.
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 .
Each volunteer is meant to RSVP and receive credit for a specific activity on the calendar only once per month. This ensures fairness and provides opportunities for more families to engage in these meaningful activities.
We base hours on the average time each activity would take the average Generation SERVE family and don’t adjust these hours unless there are unusual extenuating circumstances
In some cases yes, but not via the SERVE at Home activity format.
You may receive credit for independent volunteer work not listed on the Generation SERVE calendar if it meets our PVSA program eligibility requirements and is verified by an outside organization. See our PVSA page for full details.
Only teens ages 13-18 who are a part of a registered Generation SERVE household can RSVP for Teen Service Days.
Parents / guardians should not stay for the service activity, but drop-off teens at the start of the activity and pick them up after it ends.
Registered friends or relatives may attend activities that they have RSVPd for in advance. If you have a special circumstance to consider, email contact@generationserve.org at least 48-72 hours in advance of the activity, so that we may attempt to assist your family if possible.
Most organizations accept a printed volunteer history from your Generation SERVE dashboard, which appears on official letterhead. Click here for instructions on how to access your volunteer history.
If your school uses an automated verification system (like GivePulse or 2xVOL), use contact@generationserve.org and 512.358.6943 as the primary contact. This ensures the request reaches the first available staff member and avoids delays from staff absences.
Please note: We cannot verify SERVE at Home hours until your submissions have been processed and appear in your account. Be sure to wait for confirmation before requesting verification.
Most organizations accept a printed volunteer history from your Generation SERVE dashboard, which appears on official letterhead. Click here for instructions on how to access your volunteer history.
We are happy to provide a signature as needed for documentation of community service hours with Generation SERVE if that extra level of verification is expected of him/her at school or by other organizations. We will sign up to two requested forms per year without a processing fee, so be sure to request signatures strategically. Please allow 5-7 days for us to complete any needed forms, and send those documents to contact@generationserve.org.
Yes! All hours spent in service to our organization count towards your total service hours. The two totals are kept separate, however. You can access your hours reports via your Dashboard: volunteer hours under “View Volunteer History” and activity leader and co-leader hours under “My Past Activities” on your Activity Leader and Co-Leader portal.
We expect our trained activity leaders and co-leaders to remain active in our organization, and hope that each leader would lead or co-lead once a month throughout the year. However, we understand that some months are busier than others, so we expect our teen activity leaders and co-leaders lead or co-lead at least once every six weeks to remain active in our system.
Any local teen ages 13-18 who is passionate about volunteering and wants to dedicate a significant portion of their extra curricular time to the Generation SERVE organization can apply for TAB membership.
While previous volunteer experience with Generation SERVE is not a strict prerequisite to apply, we highly suggest applicants spend a significant amount of time volunteering with our organization and/or consider training to become a teen activity leader or co-leader before applying for TAB membership.
The TAB service year follows the school year with the application window opening in late May and closing in early August. The application review process and group interviews take place in August, with the first official TAB meeting of the year taking place in September.
The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) consists of around 30 members made up of returning and new members each year. The number of open spots for new members for each year varies depending on the number of returning members.
TAB represents the senior level of teen leadership opportunities for our program, therefore, it receives a high-level of interest from community-minded teen leaders in Austin. For example, in 2024 the TAB program received 42 applications to fill 12 available spots.
Teen Advisory Board (TAB) members need to be able to commit to at least 6 hours of service each month for various meetings and duties. This commitment includes monitoring communications via email and other methods consistently for information outside of meetings.
Current Teen Advisory Board (TAB) members are provided with the link to reapply for the upcoming school year at the April general meeting, and that application is due by June 1st to reserve a spot.
Yes, your child can qualify for the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) if they meet the respective PVSA qualifications while meeting all other Generation SERVE PVSA program deadlines and eligibility requirements. Deadline extensions and policy exceptions cannot be made due to joining our organization later in the service year, however.
Generation SERVE applies for the PVSA on behalf of youth volunteers aged 19 and younger who live in our local Austin service area, including Travis and the surrounding counties (Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, and Hays). If you're located outside the Austin area, you will need to find another PVSA certifying organization that serves your local community.
Youth should be counted in the age group they are in for the majority of the service year (June 1 to May 31). Therefore, the halfway point is November 29.
Our PVSA service year runs from June 1 to May 31 to align with the academic calendar of our youth volunteers. Hours must be completed within this timeframe to count toward the current PVSA service year, with any outside hours submitted according to quarterly deadlines.
Unfortunately, we cannot modify our service year to fit individual needs. However, you may be able to find another certifying organization that works for you.
We do not ask our volunteers to apply for the PVSA. Instead, Generation SERVE concludes each service year by compiling a list of all eligible volunteers in good standing. If your child meets the eligibility requirements detailed on this page and has the qualifying hours in our system, no additional application is necessary.
You can check your volunteer history using your dashboard in your Volunteer Account. Attendance is taken at in-person Generation SERVE activities, and hours should appear within 48 hours. For SERVE at Home activities, please use the SERVE at Home form provided in the confirmation email and allow up to 2–3 weeks for processing.
You can use the Volunteer History section of your dashboard in your Volunteer Account to print or save a record of hours served to suit your needs (for instructions, see here).
If your needs are more specific or require a signature, we will gladly provide up to two comprehensive reports per year for each child without charge. Please allow 5-7 days for us to complete any needed forms, and send those documents to contact@generationserve.org.
Unfortunately, there is no centralized directory to search for PVSA Certifying Organizations.
AmeriCorps and Points of Light recommend reaching out directly to the organization where your troop volunteers most often to ask if they are a registered Certifying Organization. Many nonprofits, schools, and places of worship hold that status, even if they don’t widely advertise it.
Yes. Generation SERVE accepts outside service hours for PVSA consideration as long as the service meets the award’s eligibility criteria. You must submit these hours through our PVSA Outside Hours Submission Form for verification and review according to the listed deadlines and policies.
To verify outside service hours, you must upload official documentation from the service organization when submitting the PVSA Outside Hours Submission Form. This document must be legible, complete, and include the following details:
- Volunteer’s full name
- Name of the service organization
- Full name and contact information of a representative who can confirm the hours
- Dates and total number of hours served
- A brief description of the volunteer work performed
All five elements are required for approval. Incomplete or ineligible submissions cannot be accepted. Photos of your child volunteering or verification from a family member are not accepted forms of documentation.
Eligible service hours must meet the standards set forth by the program administrators, which outlines unpaid and voluntary community service performed on behalf of a community organization. Among its many guidelines, the program forbids the inclusion of service hours given for monetary or in-kind donations, religious instruction or proselytizing, service solely benefitting family members or certified by relatives, and canvassing for particular political candidates. Visit the full PVSA website for more details.
Outside service hours should be submitted quarterly to be considered for the PVSA.
- June-August outside hours should be submitted by September 14th.
- September-November outside hours should be submitted by December 14th.
- December-February outside hours should be submitted by March 14th.
- March-May outside hours should be submitted by June 14th.
Please see the full information on the page above for more details.
We’re unable to make individual exceptions due to the volume of submissions and time needed to process awards. Please submit all hours within the quarterly deadlines.
The PVSA Outside Hours Submission Form is set up to automatically send a confirmation email after each form is submitted. After successful submission, you will receive an email with the subject line: "PVSA Outside Hours Submission Received" with a summary of the information you provided included in the message.
If you don’t see these emails right away, please check your Spam, Junk, or Promotions folders. You can also search your inbox using the subject lines above. These auto-confirmation emails help our small team track and process submissions efficiently while keeping your family's volunteer hours organized.
Most likely, the hours are still being verified and are still being processed in the order they were received. Many times we are waiting on the service organization representative to answer our confirmation email or phone call, or we are experiencing a high volume of submissions. As these verifications are completed manually, we kindly ask volunteers to allow 2–3 weeks for processing before reaching out to check on the status.
No, this is against PVSA rules.
We cannot review or process any Outside Hours submissions via email given the large number of volunteer families we support and the commitment we've made to the Points of Light Foundation and AmeriCorps to maintain organized, accurate, and timely volunteer records.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for our trained staff members process and verify eligibility of your submission after it is entered. You should receive an auto-receipt of your submission via email for your records.
For detailed instructions on how SERVE at Home hours are tracked and submitted for PVSA consideration, please visit our SERVE at Home information page.
We ask that you use pvsa@generationserve.org for any PVSA program questions that are not answered here.
All of our funding comes from donations provided by individuals, families, foundations, and businesses that care about our mission. We do not receive funding from the nonprofit organizations that we support with our volunteer activities. View our financials page to learn more about where our funds come from.
If you are aware of a funding opportunity that might be a good fit for us, let us know! Please contact us at development@generationserve.org.
There are several options for donating directly to us. Gifts can be made online or by mail.
Often, contributions can also be made through employer charitable giving campaigns. Check with your company to see if they have a match program so you can double your impact!
We also host fundraising events throughout the year, such as Amplify Austin, a city-wide, 24-hour day of giving. Participating in these special events is another way you can support our mission.
Yes! Please view our AmazonSmile wish list for items that would be helpful in offsetting our program costs.
