Court Mandated Community Service

Students in bright vests working in the mountains
Ƶ the Boulder Municipal Court Program

The Volunteer Resource Center is proud to partner with the Boulder Municipal Court to serve as a resource for Ƶ students who are sanctioned to complete court-mandated volunteer hours.  

Our program provides students with support and information to successfully complete their hours independently. Students are expected to take initiative in getting their hours verified and approved. Once the student has completed this process, proof of completion will be submitted to the court.  

Requirements and guidelines for this program will be explained during a mandatory, hour-long orientation. This orientation counts as one hour of community service, unless otherwise noted. It provides students with our service philosophy, information about where they can volunteer, tips to connect with organizations, and the process for submitting proof of completed hours. Our goal is to empower students with the skills and knowledge they need to engage in meaningful direct service while contributing positively to their community.  

Orientation Outline 

Orientations are offered once a week during the fall and spring semesters and must be scheduled directly with our team during the summer months. 

By the end of the orientation, you will understand:  

  • How to document and verify service hours within the . 
  • How to be an effective volunteer and engage in meaningful community service. 
  • How to connect with volunteer opportunities on and off campus. 
  • An overview of programs and services provided by the Volunteer Resource Center. 
  • Tools and support for time management and personal planning. 
  • Additional support resources and referrals. 

Important Reminders 

  • Students must attend an orientation before volunteering. This ensures that they are meeting the specific requirements of our program. 
  • Attendees will be charged $25 through the Bursar’s Office for the facilitation of their community service orientation. 
  • Contact our office for approval if you want to volunteer with an organization that does not have 501(c)(3) status or is not listed on ƵServes as a volunteer opportunity.  
  • Per the VRC’s agreement with the Boulder Municipal Court, volunteering at the following organizations will not count towards court mandated service hours: 
    • Pre-arranged volunteering through a sorority or fraternity. 
    • Goodwill. 
    • Program Council. 
    • Pay for service hours opportunities, including Logan Social Services. 
  • Hours must be verified by an event supervisor. They cannot be verified by family, friends, or non-supervisory peers.  
  • Students are ultimately responsible for following instructions and completing all requirements properly. The Volunteer Resource Center can only provide information and support students navigating this process.  
  • Students must log in to ƵServes with their Ƶ Boulder login credentials. Any hours recorded under a different profile will not be counted toward court-mandated community service hours.  

Add and Verify Service Hours  

You will use ƵServes to track your hours, also known as adding an impact. Follow these instructions to ensure your hours are recorded properly: 

  • Log in to ƵServes and navigate to the homepage.  
  • Click the “Add Impact” button. You may also select your profile icon and click “Add Impact” in the dropdown menu. 
  • Search for and select the organization for which you want to add an impact. 
    • If the organization you volunteered for is not listed on ƵServes, click the "Can’t Find It?" button. 
    • You’ll then be prompted to manually add the organization’s name, along with the contact details of the person responsible for verifying your hours. Let this person know they will receive an email to verify your volunteer hours once you’ve submitted your impact. 
  • Then, you will complete the impact form by filling in the following sections: 
    • Listed Event or Volunteer Opportunity: Please select the volunteer opportunity that you registered for through ƵServes if applicable.  
    • Course Engagement: You will select “No.”  
    • Impact Type and Measurement: Fill in the number of hours you volunteered.  
      • If you worked for multiple days with one organization, you may click “Add Timesheet.” 
    • Ƶ Your Experience: Although not required, we appreciate when you share insights or meaning from your service experience. 
    • *Sharing and Privacy Settings*: You MUST share your impact form with the “Boulder Municipal Program (BMC)” group. This step is incredibly important—it ensures the Volunteer Resource Center can access your transcript and send it to the court. 

Please add a new impact when you volunteer with a new organization.  

If you would like a visual guide on how to add your impact, visit the support page. 

Group Orientation and Process Guidelines  

Group orientations cannot be scheduled through the orientation portal on ƵServes. Instead, they are available upon request. Email us at volunteer@colorado.edu to schedule. 

Orientations are required to be held on campus. Once an orientation is scheduled, our team will reserve a room, preferably in the UMC. 

Every member of your group, or as many as possible, must be in attendance to ensure that everyone is aware of the guidelines and procedures. This guideline helps us accurately record group hours.  

Group orientations count as one hour toward the group’s total hours, regardless of the number of attendees. 

We expect groups to record their hours (add impacts) differently than individuals who go through this process.  

  • Members of the group who attended orientation should be the ONLY people adding impacts.  
  • When adding impacts, each individual will follow the same instructions. However, instead of sharing their impact with the “Boulder Municipal Court Program (BMC)” group, they should share it with their designated group page (e.g., fraternity page). 

For individual students, we charge $25 for the orientation directly to their student account. However, we recognize that it is not entirely fair to student organizations with an extensive number of members. Therefore, we have determined to set the fee for student organizations over 10 members at $150. This fee can be paid via check and made out to “Ƶ Boulder Volunteer Resource Center.” 

Additional Information 

Summer Orientation Sessions Available Upon Request 

Orientations are available upon request during the summer months. To sign up for an orientation, , choose “sign-in via Colorado” and then message us directly to schedule your orientation.