Community Service Reports are still available for this program year through the National Dashboard. All reports for National must be turned in by July 1. (Make sure the date for the quarter that you are reporting for is correct.)

 

Community Service reporting will start July 1st for the 2024-25 membership year on the National Dashboard. Remember Community service is done outside your Post.

 

 

Definition of Community Service Community Service as defined by the National Community Service Trust Act "encompasses any human act serving the common good; in the interest of the community.” Elsewhere, community service is further defined as "a service that is performed for the benefit of the public or its institutions.”

 

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. subscribes to the above but adds that, for the purposes of volunteer recognition, VFW community service must be performed by and as a representative of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and must be performed for an organization outside the VFW and its Auxiliaries and must be verified by an authorized representative of that organization. As it is the intent of VFW community service to impact a broad spectrum of the local community.

 

In addition, efforts performed for the benefit of the Post or Auxiliary’s benefit should not be considered as community service. An example of this kind of effort would be maintenance, upkeep or beautification of the Post home, cooking or serving a meal for a Post fund raiser, or working on bingo night. Additionally, efforts that are part of the normal requirements of a Post or Auxiliary would not be considered community service.

 

Examples of this would be flying the American Flag, POW Flag, conducting Flag retirement programs, placing flags on graves, building memorials, bingo, Post dinners, Buddy Poppy drives, or anything that only benefits the Post. A particularly controversial area in VFW community service is service to one’s church. Generally, these efforts are not considered community service for two reasons: 1) they are not performed for the community at large; 2) they are part of an individual’s service to their faith and not to the VFW. The exception to this would be performing the same service for all the churches, etc. in a given community.

 

download the Community Service chairmen's manual