Keeping Track:Service Learning and Community Service Hours

Erin Gaertner

West Virginia Campus Compact

Why is it important to track hours? Hours need to be verified for awards

(Presidential Service Award) or for court order restitution (community service).

To create a SL/community service resume for students

To report impact of service for school administration, grants, public officials, press releases

Creates a baseline for measurements of increased participation and sustainability

For the Campus Compact National survey

Things to consider when choosing a program to track hours…

Things to consider...

What do we need? How will we use it?

Will it be used for service learning or community service?

How many functions will it need to perform besides counting hours?

Will it be used campus wide? How many students?

How many administrators will need access?

Are service sites willing to participate?

Who will be responsible for program use and operation?

Other benefits All aspects of volunteer management Post and find volunteer opportunities Can be used by service sites Generate data Keep a volunteer pool for upcoming projects

and trips Information is stored safely and easily

accessible A way for VISTAs to implement a positive and

sustainable entity on their campus

Using a Paid Service If a higher level of customization is needed, is

there money available to subscribe to a more advanced service?

Where will this money come from? How much can your school or department

afford? How long will that money be guaranteed for? Many offer free trials, sign up!

Implementing Use

Before After

Is this something your campus needs?

How can it be useful? Who will be responsible

for training, use, instruction and maintenance?

How will it be paid for? What is the plan to

ensure that the service will actually be used?

Make reporting hours using the service mandatory and make sure this requirement is clear

Provide training on how to sign in and enter hours

Create FAQs to help students as well as utilizing the system’s help desk

Evaluate and report failures or successes of hours reported

Services available Volgistics http://www.volgistics.

com/ Paid

Service Learning Pro http://www.servicelea

rningpro.com/ Paid

Sweat Monkey http://www.sweatmo

nkey.org/ Free

Volunteer West Virginia

http://www.volunteerwv.org/

Free

OrgSync http://www.orgsync.c

om/ Paid

My Service Log http://www.myservic

elog.com/ Paid

Ebase http://www.ebase.org

/home Free

Volunteer Spot http://www.volunteer

spot.com/ Free, accepts

donations from larger organizations

Volunteer Matters http://www.volunteer

matters.com/index.html

Paid

Example How did Shepherd University decide they

needed this service and what factors led to their choice? How is it working for them so far?