Participation in the volunteer program has a two-fold purpose:

Your presence demonstrates care for your students by engagement and involvement in helping to nurture the Prep community.  You model our mission by living in service to others.

Volunteering helps to offset the costs of services and goods that would otherwise come out of our budget. Tens of thousands of dollars are saved every year with the thousands of hours our volunteers donate to Gonzaga Prep.

All families with students enrolled are encouraged to volunteer 20 hours* each academic year.

• Volunteer program is for enrolled students only.
• Hours are accumulated July 1 to June 30. (Prep's fiscal year).
• Submitted hours must come from a Gonzaga Prep event. Volunteering that does not involve Gonzaga Prep does not count. (i.e. in the greater Spokane community) 
• Serving as a team manager does not earn volunteer hours.
• Students are not permitted to volunteer at 21-and-older events.
• Cash donations to athletics programs do not receive volunteer hours.
• Students volunteering for Adelphia, Knights of the Leash, Food Drive, Search, or Christian Service are independent commitments and do not count toward the family commitment.
• Student work done during a JUG does not count toward the family commitment.
• Extra hours do not carry over to the next year.

With the exception of retreat food donations and bulk mailings, all volunteer opportunities for Advancement events will be listed through Signup Genius. It's not necessary to create a login to sign up to volunteer for an event. 

 

When you select an event or opportunity, the link will take you directly to a signup where you choose a slot and will be asked to provide basic information including name, address (for thank yous!) and your oldest enrolled student's name (for tracking total family hours).

 

Links to signups will be added to the full list on the volunteer opportunities page OR you can check the most current signups. We will highlight new opportunities in the full list and communicate them with you periodically via email.

 

Other sports teams and clubs have volunteer opportunities that also qualify as hours including team dinners, game clock, sports concessions, and more.

 

If you go the extra step and choose to create a Signup Genius account, you will also be able to find open opportunities by searching for "[email protected]" in the search box. 

 

There's a way to volunteer for just about any way you roll, whether it's event setup/cleanup, selling concessions, gift card donations, bulk mailings, and more. We're grateful for whatever ways you get involved, and encourage you to choose an area that may be outside your comfort zone. You'll meet new people, become more involved in the Prep community, and set a terrific example for your student.

Ways to serve

 

• Hospitality/welcome
• Mailings/office work
• School and fundraising events
• Athletics/concessions
• Annual fund/corporate companions
• Retreat food donations
• Committees

How to submit hours

Use this form link to enter your volunteer hours. Please be sure to include your oldest student’s name so that the hours can be added to the correct account for your family.

How to check hours

PLEASE NOTE: Volunteer hours are typically entered into Skyward within 1-2 weeks except around major Advancement Department events. Please check back for your totals periodically.

To check your cumulative volunteer hours, log into Skyward, go to your oldest student's dashboard page and choose the Student Info tab. Look for "Community Service" below the graduation year for total hours. Click here to see a screen shot. Hours listed are your family's total, counted from July through June each year. 

• You receive credit for the number of hours worked, and at minimum the number noted on the signup.
• Late night clean-up crews receive credit for double hours.
• Gift card donation value is 1 volunteer hour for every $10 of card donated. For Crab Feed gift card wall, minimum value should be $25. Cards for other purposes must be a minimum value of $10. When donating, please send us an email with the amount and type of card to ensure you get credit.
• Food donations:  Everything store bought earns 1 hour for every $10 spent. Home-baked goods receive 1 hour for every 2 dozen donated.
• Hour value of items for miscellaneous activities will be noted in the signup slot in Signup Genius.
• A simple meal donated for a student/chaperone meeting of about 20 people earns the equivalent of 5 hours.
• Food donations that are roughly a 1-hour equivalent: 1 dozen granola bars, 2 dozen cookies, 10 lbs of apples/oranges, 2 dozen juice containers

Do I have to create a SignupGenius account?

No! The signup for each event will ask for the necessary contact information. Your information used solely for volunteer communication. 

How are my hours for an event earned?

There are a number of ways including events, food donations, gift cards and more.  

Look for volunteer opportunities in our list that will update as we approach new events and activities that need volunteer help. If you have other hours not listed among the volunteer opportunities that you think should be counted, contact us!

Read about what counts for what here.

How do I submit my volunteer hours?

Submit your volunteer hours for ALL events and retreat food donations via THIS FORM. For gift cards, please note the amount and type.

Where do I check my family's earned hours?

Log into your Skyward account, click on "student info" and find the "community service" line.

 

How long does it take for volunteer hours to post?

Because hours don't feed into Skyward automatically, we will be updating them every 1-2 weeks. Don't be alarmed if your hours don't show up immediately after an event or donation, we'll get them in.

I still have questions. Who can I contact?

We want your volunteer experience to be fulfilling. If you have a question or feedback, please contact us at [email protected].