A free alternative while the PVSA is paused
- Free forever
- No account
- Supervisor signs by link
- Verify page + QR code
- Print or save as PDF
AmeriCorps paused the President's Volunteer Service Award on 27 May 2025. The Goodtally Service Honor uses the same bronze, silver and gold hour levels and is free: no fee, no pin to buy.
The PVSA pause was announced by AmeriCorps and is shown on presidentialserviceawards.gov. Replacement awards run by other groups charge per award (for example $40 for one award package, Oct 2026).
The Goodtally Service Honor is our own recognition. It is not the PVSA, not a government award, and does not claim to be.
The Goodtally Service Honor
Free bronze, silver and gold levels for hours your supervisors confirmed in the last 12 months. The hour levels match the ones the President's Volunteer Service Award used before it was paused, so they mean the same thing to a reader. It is our own recognition, not a government award.
| Age group | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kids (5-10) | 26+ h | 50+ h | 75+ h |
| Teens (11-15) | 50+ h | 75+ h | 100+ h |
| Young adults (16-25) | 100+ h | 175+ h | 250+ h |
| Adults (26+) | 100+ h | 250+ h | 500+ h |
Also recorded: every hour step (1, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500) and 4,000 lifetime hours.
Two ways to earn it
How it works
- 1
Log your hours
Date, organization, what you did and how long. Nothing to install and no account: your record lives behind a private link only you hold.
- 2
Your supervisor confirms
Send them a sign-off link by text, email or a QR code on your phone. They confirm each entry, correct the hours, or decline. It takes about a minute.
- 3
Show the proof
Turn on your verify page. A school, scholarship or employer scans the QR code and sees who confirmed which hours, and when.
Paper form, spreadsheet, or Goodtally
| Paper form | Spreadsheet or AI template | Goodtally | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervisor confirms | In person, if you catch them | No | By link, from anywhere |
| Anyone can check it | No | No | Verify page + QR code |
| Shows edits after signing | No | No | Yes, per-entry fingerprint |
| Totals and milestones | You add them up | Formulas | Automatic, with dates |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free |
Questions
Is the Goodtally Service Honor the same as the PVSA?
No. It uses the same hour levels by age so the numbers mean the same thing, but it is our own free recognition, not a presidential or government award.
Which hours count?
Hours your supervisor confirmed, with service dates in the last 12 months. Self-reported hours are shown separately and never count toward the honor.
Is Goodtally really free?
Yes, every feature, for everyone, with no ads and no paid tier. Goodtally is run on a not-for-profit basis: it exists to make volunteer hours count, and it never sells data.
Does my school have to sign up?
No. You start a record yourself and your supervisor confirms with a link. Nobody needs an account. Schools can still ask for their own form; your verify page and printout back it up.
How do I know a confirmation is real?
Each confirmed entry shows the supervisor's name, role and organization, the date they confirmed, whether they signed on a different device from the volunteer's, and a fingerprint that changes if the entry is edited. Goodtally does not check anyone's identity, and the record says so.
What if I lose my private link?
Your link is saved in this browser. Copy it somewhere safe as well: Goodtally keeps no email or password, so a lost link cannot be recovered.
Who can use it?
Anyone 13 or older. Younger children can volunteer with a parent, who keeps the record in their own name.