There are three categories that Houston Habitat volunteers generally fall under:

1. Build Volunteers: These volunteers assist in building new homes, which include both sponsor and Open Build Volunteers. You can also build playhouses for our families!
2. ReStore Volunteers: ReStore Volunteers help with donations and customer support.
3. Garden Volunteers: Volunteers at the garden assist community gardens with planting, weeding and harvesting while keeping the garden looking beautiful. Although the garden opportunities are more plentiful, these volunteers can also be recognized as Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) Volunteers for more general community support.

All volunteers must register online for events on our volunteer portal. The onsite Volunteer Coordinator will check volunteers in, so they can receive the credit for their hours. Some sites may utilize self-check in.

Total volunteer hours are calculated for all active volunteers (volunteered within the last 12 months) at the beginning of each month. Discount codes and recognition awards are emailed to volunteers who meet the requirements for each award level (See Award levels). A volunteer must have at least 90% of their hours in a volunteer category (Build, Garden, ReStore) to qualify for an award from that category.

To provide transparency, all Houston Habitat volunteer opportunities listed on Volunteer Hub will specify which recognition category (B, R, or G) the event belongs to in their short and long descriptions.

1. Log in to your Volunteer Hub account.
2. Click your name in the upper right.
3. Select “View Hours”

Some of our milestone awards are Houston Habitat Branded merchandise. Eligible volunteers will receive an email with discount codes that cover the price of that item and shipping to the Houston, TX area.

Additional items added to the shopping cart, any increased shipping for more items, or shipping cost differences for areas outside of the Greater Houston area will be paid for by the volunteer.

See the Volunteer Recognition Program tab in the merchandise store for these items.

The Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is awarded to volunteers who achieve 100 or more hours in a calendar year. As an eligible Certifying Organization, Houston Habitat submits each volunteers’ hours who make the 100-, 250-, or 500-hour milestones the previous calendar year.

While the levels shown in our milestones are for the Adult category, we still calculate Young Adults and Teens (Garden, 14+ only) in their appropriate categories each year. See chart below:

You can learn more about the PVSA program here: https://presidentialserviceawards.gov.