Serve with Skills

Making a meaningful impact in the community goes beyond donating time or money—it starts with using your skills and talents to create positive change.

Volunteers are the backbone of every initiative, contributing their time to make activities successful. Behind every successful effort, however, are individuals who plan, organize, lead, innovate, and create opportunities for others to contribute.

Serve with Skills recognizes youth who use their unique abilities to advance TNF’s mission. Whether they organize events, raise funds, facilitate activities, create awareness campaigns, or contribute their creative and technical expertise, these young changemakers demonstrate that every skill can make a meaningful difference. Through service, they strengthen their leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities while making a lasting impact on their community.

Youth volunteers will be recognized for their efforts in the following ways:

• Serve with Skills award presented by a Certificate of recognition at the TNF Annual Convention, every two years. 
  
  
• Volunteer name and skill used listed on TNF’s website
  
  
• Recognition during Chapter TNF Events

We welcome passionate youth (k-12) across USA who are committed to promote TNF’s cause, as a youth LOVES volunteer.

Eligibility:

There are several ways our youth volunteers have chosen to use their skill to promote TNF’s cause. The following is a list of such instances. These are listed as a sample. If you have an unique way to serve with skill, please reach out to your chapter youth LOVES coordinator or Director of youth. 

• Organize skill development camps/workshops and charge fees with the proceeds benefitting a TNF project.

• Organize free skill development camps/workshops and use the opportunity to create awareness about TNF amongst the attendees.

• Organize DIY fundraisers and donate all proceeds to benefit TNF projects. Few examples of DIY fundraisers are bake-sale, craft-sale, lemonade stand etc., Make sure the youth volunteer plays a significant role while adults/parents provide supporting role, if needed. 

• Perform in a personal (or group) talent show and assign TNF as a sole beneficiary of all gifts received/funds raised. Few examples are Arangetram, Musical performance, Drama/Dance show etc., 
  
  
• Lead or co-lead an entire fundraising program/activity whose beneficiaries include TNF.
  
  
• Lead or co-lead a collection drive to benefit local community while creating awareness about TNF. Few examples are recycling drive, school supplies/food drive etc.,
  
  
• Lead or Co-lead a chapter or TNF event and/or serve as MC for the event.
  
  
• Participate in a TNF youth led activity and make significant measurable contribution. For example, participating in a fund raiser and raise funds.

Beginning June 2026, the following contributions will not be considered for Serve with Skills recognition.

• Running an online fundraiser campaign. 
• Serving as MC in a Chapter event without being involved in planning and organizing of the event (MC Script planning is not recognized to be part of planning/organizing). The only exception given is to the volunteers who have been performing the MC role in several events outside TNF.
  
  
• Participating in a fund raiser or collection drive and not able to raise any funds or items. 

If an activity you plan to do is not addressed in the examples above, please reach out to your chapter Youth LOVES coordinator or Director of Youth. 

All recognitions are determined and administered by Director of Youth and the team of Youth LOVES coordinators across Chapters, in consultation with Chapter committee members and TNF board members. 

The Director of Youth along with Youth LOVES coordinators could revise the eligibility guidance on a case-by-case basis. The attributes used to determine awardees will be, but not limited to, demonstration of a skill, leadership (even if developing with TNF events), impact on TNF (funds raised and awareness creation).

Above and Beyond

Starting 2026, a new category of Serve with Skills award was introduced. This category aims to recognize youth who have gone above and beyond using their skills to contribute to TNF’s cause. Such youth LOVES volunteers will be identified by Director of Youth based on the demonstration of consistency, commitment, innovation and effort. Such individuals will be identified from the pool of volunteers who qualify for Serve with Skills Award. Their picture will be published in Annual report and/or the website to highlight their contribution.