Service Hours

Track community service and service hours for rank advancement.

Why Track Service Hours

Service hours are required for many ranks, particularly Star, Life, and Eagle. The system helps you:

• Record individual service activities
• Track cumulative hours per scout
• Verify service requirements are met
• Generate reports for rank advancement

Recording Service Hours

Navigate to Admin Dashboard → Service Hours and click Create.

Service Entry Fields

• Scout - Who performed the service
• Date of Service - When it occurred
• Hours - Total hours worked (can be decimal, e.g., 2.5)
• Organization - Who benefited (food bank, church, etc.)
• Description - What was done
• Category - Type of service (environmental, community, religious, etc.)

Group Service Projects

When several scouts serve at the same project, don't enter them one at a time. Create the project as an event and let attendance do the work:

1. Create the project as an event in Admin Dashboard → Events → Calendar
2. Expand the Achievements section and turn on This event includes service hours
3. Enter Service hours earned - the hours each attendee receives (0.5 to 24, in half-hour steps)
4. Optionally set a Service project title; if you leave it blank, the event title is used
5. Save the event, then record attendance after the project
6. Every scout you mark as Attended gets a service hour entry automatically, dated to the event and linked to it

One entry per scout is created, so a project with twenty scouts takes one setup instead of twenty. If you later change someone's attendance away from "Attended," their entry for that event is removed again.

See the Events & Activities section for the full walkthrough of event achievements.

Viewing Service Reports

View service hours from multiple perspectives:

By Scout

Open a member's profile to see:

• Total service hours
• List of all service activities
• Hours by category
• Recent service projects

Troop-Wide

In Admin Dashboard → Service Hours:

• Filter by date range
• Filter by scout
• Filter by category
• Sort by hours, date, or organization
• Export to spreadsheet for reporting

Service Requirements by Rank

Different ranks have different service requirements:

Acceptable Service Activities

Service should benefit others without payment. Examples:

✓ Acceptable

• Food bank sorting and distribution
• Trail maintenance in public parks
• Helping at community events
• Tutoring or mentoring younger students
• Assisting at religious services
• Environmental cleanup projects
• Helping elderly neighbors with yard work

✗ Not Acceptable

• Work for which payment is received
• Duties normally expected (e.g., household chores)
• Helping family members with routine tasks
• Fund-raising for personal benefit

Editing Service Hours

If hours need correction:

1. Find the entry in Service Hours list
2. Click to edit
3. Update hours, description, or date as needed
4. Add a note explaining the correction if significant

Verification & Documentation

While not required in the system, maintain external documentation:

• Have scouts keep service hour logs
• Obtain signatures from organization representatives
• Take photos of projects when appropriate
• Keep records for boards of review

Best Practices

• Record service hours within a week of completion
• Be specific in descriptions
• Track hours accurately - don't inflate
• Encourage scouts to seek diverse service opportunities
• Review totals before boards of review
• Remind scouts of requirements when advancing