NHS and Key Club hours, explained

The honest answer is that it depends on your chapter. There is no single national number of service hours for every National Honor Society chapter or every Key Club, so the requirement at your school is set locally, usually in the chapter or club bylaws, and your advisor has the final word.

National Honor Society

NHS is built on four pillars: scholarship, service, leadership and character. The national organization leaves the details of the service requirement to each chapter. Chapters commonly ask for a set number of hours per semester or per year, sometimes split between chapter projects and service you find on your own. National Junior Honor Society chapters work the same way at the middle school level.

Key Club

Key Club is a student led service club, and each club decides what membership asks of its members. Most clubs set a service goal for the school year and count hours from club projects as well as from outside volunteering. If you want an officer position or an award, the expectation is usually higher.

What usually counts, and what usually does not

• Usually counts: unpaid service for a nonprofit, a school, a library, a hospital or a community group, supervised by an adult who can confirm it.
• Often does not: paid work, helping your own family, and service required by a court or a class grade. Some chapters also cap how many hours can come from a single event.

Because these rules differ, read your chapter's bylaws or ask your advisor before you count on an activity.

Keeping a record your advisor will accept

Advisors are not trying to catch anyone out. They need a date, a place, the hours and someone who can confirm them. The easiest way to give them that is to get your hours confirmed at the time, by the organization, instead of filling in a paper log at the end of the semester.

On Volanee, an officer starts your Key Club or NHS chapter, members join with a code, and every verified hour counts toward the club's requirement on its own. Officers see who is short, the advisor gets a read only link, and officers can never confirm hours themselves, so the numbers hold up.