How It Works

Four moves that turn service into access

Volunteer with a Philadelphia nonprofit. Log your hours. Earn Philly Service Bucks. Trade them for time with the professionals building the city.

01

Show up for your city

Sign up for free, then volunteer with a Philadelphia nonprofit doing work you care about. Serve meals at a food bank. Tutor kids. Help elderly neighbors. Clean up parks. Choose the cause. Choose the schedule.

  • Volunteer with any recognized Philly-area nonprofit
  • Serve on your own schedule, at any location
  • Every hour counts equally
02

Log the hours

Submit your hours through your dashboard. Include the organization, how many hours you completed, your role, and a real description of what you actually did. Add the date and your supervisor if you have them. Every submission is reviewed before it credits your balance.

  • Log hours anytime through your dashboard
  • Every submission is verified before it counts
  • Name the organization and describe the work in detail
Volunteered in person? Use the paper form. For orgs that would rather sign a physical form than reply to an email.
Preview PDF → Download Form
Have your organization contact fill it out and sign it, then email it to jbloom@phillyserviceexchange.com. Optional, and only useful if an organization prefers signing paper to answering an email.
03

Earn your credits

Every verified hour becomes one Philly Service Buck. Watch your balance grow as your service adds up. Save credits toward the opportunities that matter to you.

  • 1 hour of verified service equals 1 Philly Service Buck
  • Credits never expire while your account is active
  • Save up for a bigger opportunity, or spend as you go
04

Trade for real access

Browse the Opportunity Hub. Spend your credits on real time with real professionals. Zoom with a producer. Shadow a surgeon. Get college counseling. Book a mentorship with an attorney.

  • Choose from mentorship, shadow days, and internships
  • Request an opportunity anytime through your dashboard
  • We coordinate with you and the professional
The Currency

How Philly Service Bucks work

1
Hour of Service
=
1
Philly Service Buck

Opportunities range from short mentorship calls to full shadow days. Every teen starts with a zero balance and builds up through their own service.

20 PSB
30-min mentorship
60 PSB
Shadow day
100+ PSB
Internship
Common Questions

Everything you might be wondering

Is this really free?+
Yes. Free to sign up. Free to log hours. Free to redeem opportunities. The Service Exchange is a nonprofit-model platform built by teens for teens. There will never be a fee.
Who can join?+
Any Philadelphia-area teen in high school. We currently focus on the Philadelphia metropolitan region and are working to expand to other cities.
What counts as volunteer service?+
Any unpaid work with a recognized nonprofit, school program, faith organization, or community group. Serving food, tutoring, park cleanups, event volunteering, and more. If you have a question about eligibility, contact us before you serve.
How do you verify hours?+
Every submission is reviewed by hand before it counts. You name the organization and describe the work you did, and we follow up with the organization when anything needs confirming. Review usually takes a few days.
Where do the professionals come from?+
Professionals across Philadelphia sign up to offer time to teens. Doctors, lawyers, executives, producers, and more. All opportunities are voluntary on the professional side. All access is free on the teen side.
What if I already volunteered somewhere?+
Log them anyway. Name the organization, describe what you did, and add a supervisor if you remember one. The date is optional if you can no longer recall it.
Are you expanding beyond Philadelphia?+
Yes. We are building the model in Philadelphia first. Long term, we hope teens across the country will be building their own chapters the same way, one connection at a time.
Ready?

Make your service count

Get Started → Browse Opportunities