MEMBERS ONLY: Click Here to download Volunteer Verification Form
(needed only if you are volunteering outside of events organized by Reboot Future)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
We are seeking high-quality, professional, collaborative, service minded high school students whose goal is to give back to the community through the spirit of volunteering. Based on our past experiences, students and parents (in particular), who are solely interested in awards, medals, and certifications tend to be a very poor fit for the mission of Reboot Future. As such, we will not offer membership to those students or will revoke membership at any time during the year.
PLEASE READ THE FAQs BELOW AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AGREEMENT
How do I contact Reboot Future?
You may contact us at volunteer@rebootfuture.org
Who can be a member of Reboot Future?
High School students from Troy, MI and immediate surrounding school districts.
We are seeking no more than 10 student volunteers during any year.
Our year runs from Aug 1 to Jul 31.
We accept members until Jul 31 for the following year. For example, the deadline to become a member for 8/1/2024 to 7/31/25 is Jul 31, 2024.
How do you select the students to be a member of Reboot Future?
We require students and their parents/guardians to read and understand the FAQs, and the Terms and Conditions Agreement before sending us an email expressng interest to join. Students may be asked to explain in writing why they wish to join Reboot Future. We reserve the right to offer/decline/revoke membership to students. This is done to ensure we are providing volunteering opportunties only to those students who are service minded.
What is Reboot Future?
Reboot Future is a privately held 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a sole focus of providing high school students as many opportunities as possible to volunteer at several organizations that have a constant need for volunteers.
Is there a fee to join Reboot Future?
There is no membership fee.
Where is Reboot Future located?
We are based in Troy, MI.
Is Reboot Future affiliated with any schools?
No. Reboot Future is a privately held non-profit organization and has no affiliation to any schools. Reboot Future is a non-profit organization under the purview of State and Federal guidelines regarding non-profit organizations. We are not a school club or any form of public entity or entitlement.
Do you allow only students from Troy, MI to join as members?
We do not restrict membership. We welcome students from the adjoining communities to join Reboot Future as members. However, since all our events are at locations within driving distance from Troy, MI, it becomes impractical for a student from another region or State to join Reboot Future.
On what dates/days do volunteering events occur?
There are no specific dates/days. We coordinate with other organizations throughout the year and arrange mutually convenient dates. We then communicate the information to the volunteers via a private WhatsApp group.
Is there a minimum or maximum number of events that I need to sign up?
YES. Volunteers must commit to volunteer at all events organized by Reboot Future. Volunteers who miss the committment will be removed from Reboot Future. For more details, please read the Terms and Conditions Agreement.
Can my parents/guardians volunteer at the events?
If the event has no capacity limits and if the organization where you volunteer has no objections, then yes, parents are welcome to join the volunteers.
Are the volunteering events held indoors or outdoors?
Both. It depends on the event. Some are indoors and some are outdoors.
How do I travel to the volunteering event?
Your parents or guardians are 100% responsible to drop-off and pick you up on time to and from the event site.
What kind of activity is involved when I volunteer?
Our volunteers participate in a wide variety of events that include, but not limited to, cleaning invasive plant species, organizing food packages, cleaning warehouses, organizing packages, monitoring event stations, laying mulch, tutoring, coaching, gift wrapping, writing get-well cards, fund-raising, and much more. All activities are appropriate for high school students.
I signed up for a 3-hour event. However, we were done within an hour. How many hours did I earn as credit?
In this particular example, you would have earned 1 hour of volunteer credit. The number of hours of credit awarded is based on actual hours and not planned hours.
Will I receive volunteering hour credit for the driving time to and from the event?
No. You will receive credit for the actual work done by you at the event from the time you check-in to the time you leave the event. We do however provide a "tardy" allowance of 10 minutes. For example, if the event starts at 1 pm and you arrive anytime up to 1:10 pm, you will receive credit from 1 pm. Beyond that 10 minutes, the actual check-in time is what will count for volunteer hour credit.
Is there a dress code while volunteering?
If the sponsoring organizations do not spell out specific dress codes (Ex: long pants, long sleeves), then check the weather and the nature of activity and dress appropriately. Regardless of the requirements, please remember that you are representing Reboot Future and therefore appropriate clothing and conduct is expected.
How do I earn volunteer hours?
When you volunteer at an event organized by Reboot Future, the actual hours that you volunteered at the event site is counted. Reboot Future maintains the records. For both Reboot Future, and PVSA, hours are counted from Aug 1st through Jul 31st and then the hours will reset to zero and start fresh the next academic year.
Who is eligible to earn PVSA hours/awards?
All our volunteer members who are US citizens or Legal Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders) are eligible to earn PVSA hours and awards. This requirement does not apply to earn hours/awards from Reboot Future.
Who is eligible to earn Reboot Future hours/awards?
All volunteer members are eligible to earn hours and awards from Reboot Future.
How do I earn awards?
Awards and recognitions are available for volunteers who have completed certain milestones within each annual period of Aug 1 to Jul 31. This is true for both PVSA and Reboot Future recognitions despite the fact that Reboot Future hours do not expire while PVSA hours expire every Jul 31st (and resets to zero on Aug 1 of each year). PVSA requirements are much higher and are based on age groups. Please note that it takes a number of months to earn even a small number of volunteering hours. For example most of our volunteers hover between 10 and 50 hours a year, while PVSA requires a minimum of 50 hours per year for a bronze award for younger teens (older teens need 100+ hours each year to win a bronze).
If I participate in meetings, will those count as volunteer hours?
No, time spent in meetings do not count towards volunteer hours.
Will I receive volunteer hour credit for creating flyers, posting on social media, etc.?
No.
Will the hours I volunteered before I joined Reboot Future count?
No.
I volunteer on behalf of other organizations. Will Reboot Future count those hours even if they are not organized by Reboot Future?
If the other organization awards credit for the hours you volunteered on their behalf, then no, Reboot Future will not credit those hours. You will receive credit only if you volunteer on behalf of Reboot Future. In any case, you must verify with us before you volunteer so that we can determine whether or not we will credit you hours.
Can I find volunteering opportunities by myself (outside of Reboot Future), and will I receive credit?
See previous question.
Can I recommend new volunteering opportunities?
Absolutely. We have several volunteers who have helped us find new organizations to volunteer at.
What are the rules regarding counting hours towards PVSA awards?
Hours earned by the volunteers are counted towards PVSA as well. However, many volunteers also volunteer for other organizations that count the hours towards PVSA. Therefore, a volunteer CANNOT use the same activity/events for both participating organizations and attempt to earn PVSA award from both the volunteering organizations. We conduct due diligence and if we discover that the same hours are used at another organization that also confers PVSA award, we will revoke the membership of the student.
How do I submit the hours I earn?
If the event is organized by Reboot Future, we automatically verify your attendance with the event organizers and award you the hour credit. If the event is not organized by Reboot Future, we require you to fill out a Verification Form that will allow us to verify through due diligence. Once we verify, we will credit the hours.
What happens if I am unable to attend an event that I signed up for?
Unless it is a genuine emergency, we require all volunteers to commit to all the events organized by Reboot Future. Failure to do so will result in losing membership with Reboot Future. Please remember if a volunteer does not show up or repeatedly cancels, they are causing Reboot Future to lose its reputation and credibility.
How do you verify that I volunteered at an event?
Almost all the organizations that you volunteer at require you to sign-in upon arrival. Depending on the event, we may also require an additional sign-in. If it is an event not organized by Reboot Future, you will need to submit a Verification Form. We use any and all of the above documentation to verify your hours. If the hours count towards PVSA, we also contact PVSA to verify that the hours have not been claimed with another organization.
How do I know how many hours I have earned?
You may email us at volunteer@rebootfuture.org with your request.
How do you communicate with the members?
We have a WhatsApp group that we use as a primary mode of communication. Once you become a member, you will be added to our group.
What can I post on Reboot Future's WhatsApp group?
Only communications that are related to Reboot Future is allowed.
When does my membership expire?
Your membership is valid for from Aug 1 to Jul 31 of each year.
Do I need to renew my membership every 12 months?
Yes. Renewal is done by emailing us of your interest for another year.
Will I be recognized for the hours I earned before my membership expired if I do not renew my membership?
No. Only active members are considered for any recognition even if the hours were earned before the expiry of the membership. We do not have resources to handle records of volunteers who have chosen not to renew the membership.