Hello New Jersey Circle K,

Let’s talk about service hours and how to report them! A service hour is any hour an individual spends volunteering for a charity or organization within Circle K International or outside our organization. You can also record any service hours that you have completed since April 1st, 2023. 

Before we discuss how to report service hours, what exactly is a service hour? Listed below are a few definitions from Circle K International Policy that help answer that question. We also included a graphic below to help you!
 
WHAT IS A SERVICE HOUR?

A. A VOLUNTARY ACT FOR WHICH NO PAYMENT IS RECEIVED FOR A SERVICE RENDERED.

B. A FUND-RAISING ACTIVITY IS ONE FOR WHICH PAYMENT, PROFIT, OR DONATIONS ARE RECEIVED.

C. A CHARITABLE ENTITY IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES SERVICE OR MONETARY ASSISTANCE TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO POSSESS A BASIC NEED FOR SAID SERVICES (9/00).

D. A SERVICE PROJECT SHALL BE DEFINED AS A VOLUNTARY ACT BY AT LEAST ONE CKI MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING THAT WILL AID THE LOCAL OR GLOBAL COMMUNITY, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. (10/20)

E. A SUSTAINABLE SERVICE PROJECT IS A VOLUNTARY ACT THAT ADDRESSES THE ROOTS OF AN ISSUE IN A COMMUNITY TO CREATE A LONG-TERM OR SYSTEMIC IMPACT.

F. ADVOCACY IS A VOLUNTARY ACT IN SUPPORT OF A PARTICULAR SOCIAL CAUSE OR POLICY.

G. SERVICE ADMINISTRATION SHALL BE DEFINED AS THE PREPARATION TIME SPENT COORDINATING A PARTICULAR SERVICE PROJECT. (10/20)

H. A KIWANIS FAMILY FUNCTION IS ANY PROJECT, MEETING, BANQUET, RALLY, CONFERENCE, OR CONVENTION OF CKI, KIWANIS, KEY CLUB, BUILDERS CLUB, AKTION CLUB, OR OTHER KIWANIS SPONSORED ORGANIZATION. APPROVAL OF THE SERVICE PROJECT SHALL INCLUDE AN INVITATION TO ALL CLUB MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SAID SERVICE PROJECT

Now that you (hopefully) understand what a service hour is let’s go through how to record them! First of all, in order to record service hours through your respective Circle K club, you need to be a dues-paid member. Note: if you are not a dues-paid member, you can keep a personal log of your service hours and record any service hours you completed since April 1st, 2021 once you become dues-paid. 

Each Club Secretary is responsible for recording all the service hours for their club and submitting them on the International Monthly Report Form (MRF) by the 5th of each month. The form can be accessed through the Kiwanis Membership Update Center (MUC) under a tab on the left-hand side titled “Monthly Report”. This monthly form is how both your District and International catalog each member’s service hours and is very important to complete on time!

Now I want to briefly discuss some of the benefits of recording service hours. These benefits may include: 

  • Recording any Circle K service hours officially on your resume 
  • Contributing to your club’s and the New Jersey district’s service hour goal 
  • Recognition as your club’s member of the month for completing a certain number of service hours 
  • Ability to apply for the New Jersey District awards and scholarships at District Convention
    • Many of these awards and scholarships ask how many service hours you have completed and what projects were most meaningful and successful
  • Plus many more! 

If you have any additional questions about service hour recording, please feel free to reach out to your Club Secretary or me at williamking.cki@gmail.com. Now let’s do some service! 

Sincerely,

William King 

2023-2024 New Jersey District Secretary