Table of contents
Published October 27, 2026.
Define what counts as a volunteer hour
Not every hour at the organization is a volunteer hour. Training, travel, direct service, and administrative support may be treated differently by the funder. Write the rule before the project starts and give volunteers and supervisors the same definition.
Capture hours at the activity
Use a sign-in sheet, a mobile form, or a timesheet that records the date, start and end time, role, and activity. A monthly total typed from memory is hard to defend. If a volunteer records hours later, mark the entry as reconstructed and say who confirmed it.
Use role codes that match the budget
A grant may value a tutor at one rate and a program assistant at another. Assign the role code at scheduling, not after the claim. The code should connect to the approved budget or match calculation so finance does not have to guess.
Require a supervisor signoff
The supervisor confirms that the hours were worked and that the activity matches the role. Signoff can be electronic, but it needs a name and a date. A volunteer's own entry without confirmation is a record of a claim, not proof of service.
Apply the funder's valuation rule
Some awards use a documented volunteer rate, some use the organization's actual wage for comparable work, and some do not allow volunteer time as match at all. Record the rule and the source next to the calculation. Do not use a national average just because it produces a larger match.
Find duplicate and overlapping hours
A volunteer may be counted in two programs or two grants on the same afternoon. Reconcile by volunteer, date, and time before the claim. Overlapping hours are one of the most common reasons a match total fails review.
Sample the underlying sheets
Each month, pull a sample of entries and compare them to the sign-in sheets, the schedule, and the supervisor approval. Record the error rate and the correction. A clean total with no sample is an untested total.
A match example
A literacy grant promises two hundred volunteer hours as match. The program has sign-in sheets for tutoring sessions but also counts a volunteer planning meeting that the funder excludes. The reconciliation removes the ineligible hours and documents the rule before the claim is submitted.
Keep the reconciliation package
Store the approved rate, the role codes, the signed sheets, the summary, and the funder correspondence together. A reviewer should be able to pick a claimed hour and follow it to the date, the activity, and the approval.
- Approved role codes
- Dated time records
- Supervisor signoff
- Valuation rule
- Duplicate check
- Sample results