Community Service Information

One type of sanction that may be given to student respondents is the imposition of specified hours of community service to be served at an on-campus and/or off-campus organization. Below are examples of organizations that are currently looking for volunteers. Students also have the option of researching and selecting other organizations for their service projects, contingent upon approval by the Office of Community Standards.

Community Service Form

Students are not allowed to volunteer for an organization in which they are already serving, nor are they permitted to receive any type of compensation (including, for example, academic credit, as well as monetary payment) or to perform their service as part of an organized group/team.

Prior to beginning service, students must contact the Community Standards Administrator or Judicial Advisor, for approval of the organization and the intended project. At the conclusion of the project, the Community Service Form, which verifies the number of hours served and the type of work performed, must be completed by the student's supervisor at the organization and submitted to the Community Standards Administrator.

Community Service Form (PDF)

Sample Community Service Projects

Type of Organization	Name of Organization	Location
Arts	City of Palo Alto Art Center	Palo Alto
Arts	Mid-Peninsula Media Center	Palo Alto
Children/Youth	Boys & Girls Club	Multiple Locations
Children/Youth	Building Futures Now	East Palo Alto
Children/Youth	YMCA	Multiple Locations
Children/Youth	Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo	Palo Alto
Education	East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring (EPATT)	Stanford Campus
Education	Reading Partners	Multiple Locations
Education	Rosalie Rendu Center	East Palo Alto
Education	10 Books a Home	East Palo Alto
Education	City of Palo Alto Library	Palo Alto
Education	Friends of the Palo Alto Library	Palo Alto
Education	International Institute of the Bay Area	Multiple Locations
Education	Palo Alto Housing Corporation	East Palo Alto
Education	Palo Alto High School	Palo Alto
Environment	Acterra	Palo Alto
Environment	Canopy	Palo Alto & East Palo Alto
Environment	Hidden Villa	Los Altos Hills
Environment	Peninsula Humane Society	Multiple Locations
Environment	Save the Bay	Multiple Locations
Environment	Environmental Volunteers	Multiple Locations
Health	Ronald McDonald House	Palo Alto
Health	The Almost Eden Garden Project	East Palo Alto
Health	Ravenswood Family Health Center	East Palo Alto
Health	Palo Alto Farmers' Market	Palo Alto
Social Services	Lytton Senior Gardens Community	Palo Alto
Social Services	Community Services Agency	Mountain View
Social Services	Ecumenical Hunger Program	East Palo Alto
Social Services	InnVision	Multiple Locations
Social Services	Second Harvest Food Bank	Multiple Locations
Social Services	Habitat for Humanity	Multiple Locations
Social Services	Rebuilding Together- Peninsula	Multiple Locations
Stanford Affiliate	Stanford Health Library	Stanford
Stanford Affiliate	Stanford Hospital	Stanford
Stanford Affiliate	Lucile Packard Children's Hospital	Stanford
Stanford Affiliate	Stanford Bechtel International Center	Stanford

Single Event On-Campus Service Opportunities

These events require significant logistical support and use many campus volunteers for multiple hours over a shorter period of time. Contact the organizers directly for more information.

Stanford New Student Orientation

Mid-late September. NSO is managed by Undergraduate Advising and Research.

Stanford Rowing

Opportunities to assist with equipment maintenance and repair at the Stanford Boathouse, and/or with transporting student athletes from Stanford to the Stanford Boathouse for practice. To inquire, please contact Yaz Farooq.

Websites Posting Volunteer Opportunities

The following websites are a great resource for learning about current and on-going volunteer needs in our local community and beyond. Most of the following are direct service opportunities:

VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch has thousands of volunteer opportunities in participating cities nationwide.

Idealist

Idealist also posts thousands of volunteer and internship opportunities nationwide.

HandsOn Bay Area

Hands on Bay Area organizes over 120 direct service projects a month.

If the organization and opportunity is a match for you, make arrangements with the volunteer coordinator, supervisor, group leader, etc. to get started. Request a time to meet and get formally oriented to the organization, the community, the people you will be working with and serving, and to your and responsibilities. Be sure to clarify expectations in regard to time commitment and duties.

Service Advising

If you are looking for an opportunity in an issue area of interest and are having trouble finding one, please drop by the Bing Information and Resource Center (BIRC) on the first floor of the Haas Center for Public Service anytime M-F 1pm - 5pm. Professional advising staff are available to assist you. 

Please email or call 650.725.2485, if you have questions.