Certification Agencies
A Certifying Organization is an organization that has been awarded the power to issue the L2A to volunteers after an application and approval procedure. Certifying Organizations verify and confirm that a volunteer has satisfied the conditions to acquire an L2A during the designated 12-month term. Only Certifying Organizations may confirm volunteers' L2A eligibility and order rewards.

In addition, Certifying Organizations are required to accept or facilitate volunteer work.


​The following entity types may become Certifying Organizations if they fulfill the aforementioned minimum requirements.


Verify the requisite number of volunteer hours to earn the award.
Verify that volunteers are citizens or legitimately admitted permanent residents of the United States.
Pay the nominal award cost, including postage. Certifying Organizations are not able to charge volunteers for the L2A award, and volunteers may not buy awards.
Receive and deliver the volunteer reward packet.
Take the Certifying Organization online course once a year.
Establish processes to ensure L2A eligibility and other program criteria are met.
Conduct business in an ethical and truthful manner. Certifying Organizations under criminal investigation, indictment, or who have been convicted of a crime within the last two years are unable to qualify for or retain certifying organization certification.
Retract a L2A if it is determined that a recipient does not satisfy the Award's requirements. If the information indicating ineligibility did not originate from Points of Light or AmeriCorps, notify both parties of the proposed revocation and the reason for it before commencing proceedings.
Maintain a database that enables the retrieval of all information upon which an award was based, by individual awardee's name and year of the award, and attest yearly to Points of Light that the database is being kept and is up-to-date. The Certifying Organization must keep, as part of the databank, a checklist for each awardee by name indicating that each of the necessary conditions for an award, as outlined in "Volunteer Eligibility Criteria," has been satisfied.
If the interval between authorizing and buying the award and the actual award date is more than three months, the Certifying Organization must recertify that the person is eligible for the award and keep this certification in the database.
Failure to meet or support any of the L2A program standards may result in the termination of the Certifying Organization's certification and the volunteer awards connected with it.


Procedures for Becoming a Certification Body:

Take the website's brief e-course. After completion, you may then submit your application. Every year, Certifying Organizations are obliged to repeat the e-course.

Online Certifying Organization Engagement Application

Once received, applications are reviewed and approved within fifteen business days, unless more information is requested. Within 15 business days, a message via email advising the status of your organization's status will be sent.

Volunteer Eligibility

Citizen or authorized permanent resident of the United States (i.e., green card holder)

Minimum age is five years old
Completes qualifying service during a year (for yearly Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and throughout a lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)

Eligible Service:

Uncompensated actions of benevolent assistance to others
Service via service programs that provide a stipend may be considered for the Lifetime Achievement Award, but not for the yearly Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.
Travel stipends, transit/parking permits, membership passes, and other minor volunteer assistance do not affect eligibility for service.

Eligible Service does not include:

Donating monies
Political campaigning (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
Religious training
Performing religious service
Proselytizing
Community service undertaken as part of a court-ordered requirement
Serving only immediate family



( ​a U.S. citizen or permanent resident entitled to live in the country (i.e., green card holder)

Performs qualifying service annually (for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and throughout a lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)

Qualified Activity would not include:

Donating monies
Political campaigning (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
Faith-based instruction)