Summer of Service Guide

Submit a Summer Service Proposal

The Summer Service Proposal provides the program director and coordinator with information about your summer of service, including the organization you plan to work with and a budget for your summer service. This form MUST be completed if you are not requesting a living stipend. 

Summer of Service 2025 Proposal

Deadlines

The 2025 Summer of Service deadlines are below. Review the overview here.

• • April 14 - Submit the proposal by 4/14 and your living stipend will be available 4/25

  • May 5 (FINAL DEADLINE) - Submit the proposal by 5/5 and your living stipend will be available 5/16. This form MUST be completed by this deadline even if you are not requesting a living stipend.

Notes

• • Once the summer living stipend has been issued, BSP staff will not request additional funds.  Thus, please err on the side of requesting more than you think you might need.  Any unused funds can be returned at the end of the summer.

  • If you will be completing service abroad, please meet with BSP staff as early as possible.

  • If you will study away in the fall semester following a summer of service, please discuss arrangements for submitting summer service paperwork with BSP staff.

  • If your summer of service plans change, you are required to notify Bonner Scholars Program staff.

  • Refer to the Summer of Service 2025 page for other updates to the summer of service.

1. Determine Your Site

All Bonners are expected to complete two full summers of service, each consisting of 280 hours of work with a non-profit, NGO, or public sector agency completed over the course of at least 7 weeks where 20-40 hours of work are expected each week. Move to step 2 if your site fits this description.

In situations where a Bonner has completed their first summer of service as defined by the Bonner Foundation but is experiencing difficulty in organizing a second summer of service due to the pursuit of other summer opportunities such as fellowships, research experiences, internships, and summer study away programs, Bonners have two options, move to step 3 for service site substitution and waiver information.

2. Submit a Summer Service Proposal

The Summer Service Proposal provides the program director and coordinator with information about your summer of service, including the organization you plan to work with and a budget for your summer service.  This plan is also used for requesting your summer living stipend funding.

Summer of Service 2025 Proposal

Deadlines

The 2025 Summer of Service deadlines are below. Review the overview here.

• • April 14 - Submit the proposal by 4/14 and your living stipend will be available 4/25

  • May 5 (FINAL DEADLINE) - Submit the proposal by 5/5 and your living stipend will be available 5/16. This form MUST be completed by this deadline even if you are not requesting a living stipend.

Notes

• • Once the summer living stipend has been issued, BSP staff will not request additional funds. Thus, please err on the side of requesting more than you think you might need. Any unused funds can be returned at the end of the summer.

  • If you will be completing service abroad, please meet with BSP staff as early as possible.

  • If you will study away in the fall semester following a summer of service, please discuss arrangements for submitting summer service paperwork with BSP staff.

  • If your summer of service plans change, you are required to notify Bonner Scholars Program staff.

  • Refer to the Summer of Service 2025 page for other updates to the summer of service.

3. Petition Second Summer

All Bonners are expected to complete two full summers of service, each consisting of 280 hours of work with a non-profit, NGO, or public sector agency completed over the course of at least 7 weeks where 20-40 hours of work are expected each week. In situations where a Bonner has completed their first summer of service as defined by the Bonner Foundation but is experiencing difficulty in organizing a second summer of service due to the pursuit of other summer opportunities such as fellowships, research experiences, internships, and summer study away programs, Bonners have two options: 

Substitution for Second Summer of Service Experience 

If the alternative summer opportunity meets one of the below Section "a" criteria and all of the Section "b" criteria, it may be considered a community-aligned opportunity; a Bonner may petition to have the opportunity qualify as a substitute summer of service and be eligible for full summer of service funding ($4500).

a. Community-Aligned Opportunity

• • Science lab research: must include faculty mentorship and a demonstrated community impact.

  • Internship with a for-profit organization: role must demonstrate a larger social impact, particularly in social corporate responsibility.

b. Additional Requirements

• • At least 7 weeks in length

  • Full-time weekly engagement (20-40 hours each week) 

  • At least 280 hours of engagement over the course of the summer.

Waiver of Second Summer of Service Experience 

If the alternative summer opportunity does not have a demonstrated community or social impact, a Bonner may petition Bonner staff to consider the conflicting summer opportunity as a comparable second summer experience and waive the summer service requirement. If approved, the second summer of service requirement would be waived. However, approved petitions will not have access to Bonner Summer of Service funding ($4500).

Requirements for a waived second Summer of Service

a. Alternate experience should be one of the following: 

• • Internship related to academic or professional interests

  • Undergraduate Research

    • Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program

    • Oberlin College Research Fellowship (OCRF)

    • Other research program that aligns with academic interests

  • Summer Study Away Program

b. Additional Requirements

• • At least 7 weeks in length

  • Full-time weekly engagement (20-40 hours each week) 

  • At least 280 hours of engagement over the course of the summer

Please note the following: Generally speaking, a summer job will not be approved as a waived second summer experience, and thus would not satisfy a second summer of service requirement. To qualify as an internship, the following should be met:

1. Direct experience related to academic or professional interests

2. Supervision and coaching provided by professionals in the area of interest

If a Bonner successfully petitions to waive a second summer of service between the sophomore and junior year and then pursues an opportunity in the summer between the junior and senior year that meets the summer of service guidelines, the Bonner may request Bonner summer of service funding for this junior/senior summer.

Substitution or Waiver Process

1. Complete first Summer of Service as defined by the Bonner Foundation

2. Meet with Bonner staff to discuss conflicting second summer plans;

3. Explore ways to integrate conflicting summer opportunity with a second summer of service;

4. Complete the petition by specified deadline.

• Note that petitions may be submitted before an offer for a summer experience is extended. For example, a Bonner may submit a petition while waiting for an admissions decision from Mellon, OCRF, or a Career Community.

• If a petition is not approved, a second summer of service as defined by the Bonner Foundation will be required. Please plan to submit your petition early, leaving enough time to plan a second summer of service if the petition is not approved.

5. If the petition is approved, the requirement for a second summer of service will be substituted or waived according to the above policies. Verification that the opportunity was completed as described will be required, including: 

• Verification from a summer supervisor that the hours as described in the petition were completed.

• A written reflection on the summer experience completed by the Bonner.

Deadline

Petitions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Note that Friday, April 12, 2025 is the final deadline for petitions.

1. Request that your site be added to BWBRS

• • If this is a new position for you, request that it be added to BWBRS using the New Sites & Positions form

  • If this is a project/position you have held and logged hours for in the past in BWBRS, send an email to bwbrs@oberlin.edu and request that the project/position be advanced to the summer.

2. Let BSP staff know your project or position's anticipated start and end dates.

3. Fill out a Community Learning Agreement (CLA) with your community partner.

• • The service site and position description must be entered into BWBRS before you can complete a CLA.  If needed, please submit your position request using BWBRS Partner/Position Request Form.  

  • Please review the guidelines for creating a strong CLA that are available here.

  • The active CLA must be signed by the Bonner and site supervisor.

  • A CLA is only required for the primary site(s).  Any site with more than 30 hours of service is considered a primary site.

  • Before you leave your site, have your site supervisor sign your CLA.  

4. Update your Hours Log regularly.

• • Bonners are required to complete 280 hours for each summer of service.

  • Service hours can be completed at organizations other than the primary site, and the BSP program director can sign for these hours.

  • Before you leave your site, have your site supervisor sign your hour logs. 

6. Keep your receipts and start an Expense Report

• If you requested a living stipend you are required to provide BSP staff with itemized receipts at the end of the summer. Throughout the summer save your receipts and update your expense report, do not wait until August! 

• Expense Report Template

5. Before you transition out of your community partner, ask them to submit the Site Supervisor Evaluation.

• • Site supervisors are asked to evaluate the Bonner Scholar who worked at their organization using an online form.

  • The BSP program director or coordinator emails this form directly to the site supervisor.

  • Please ensure that the BSP program director and coordinator have the correct name and email address for the site supervisor.  This is especially important if the site supervisor changed and is different than the name listed on your CLA.

  • If the site supervisor needs a hard-copy evaluation form, please inform the BSP director or coordinator.

1. Fill out the Summer Service Checklist.

• • This form lists all of the documents that must be submitted in order receive your summer earnings stipend.  Use it as a guide to ensure that you have all required documents to pick up your summer earning stipend.

  • The checklist is available here.  

  • Submit the completed form in hard copy as a cover sheet for your summer service paperwork.  

2. Gather your receipts and complete the Expense Report

• • Use the expense report template to enter and total summer expenses.

  • Please convert foreign currency to US Dollars using this website.

  • Receipts should be itemized.

  • For rent paid by check, please submit a copy of cancelled check and a typed or hand-written receipt signed by the person or company from whom you rented.

  • Any unused funds must be returned to the College before the summer earning stipend is issued.  Please bring a check in the amount of the unused funds to the meeting with the BSP director or coordinator when you submit your paperwork.  The check should be made out to “Oberlin College.”  If you would like to return the funds in cash, please contact the BSP director or coordinator in advance of your meeting.

3. Create a Bonner Summer of Service Digication Portfolio. 

• • Complete each section and share link with Bonner Staff when complete.

4. Submit your Service Accomplishments on BWBRS.

• • This is an opportunity for Bonners to reflect on their experience and gauge the scope of the impact their service has had.

  • Service accomplishments are submitted in BWBRS but do not have to be signed by the site supervisor.

  • Detail is important in tracking Service Accomplishments.  The number of students tutored or meals served or houses built – anything that can be numerically calculated should be recorded.  If the member recruits any volunteers, they should report the number of hours the volunteers served.  Members should be as specific as possible about what they accomplished, i.e. the student they tutored raised his math grade from C to A, or 30 miles of highway were cleaned up.

  • For one-time events and break trips, one member who was a leader in planning or executing the event should submit Service Accomplishments for the event.  They should include details about how many members participated, the combined total of hours served, and the total impact of the event.  For example, if 30 students spend a week doing hurricane relief, they might serve a total of 150 hours and repair roofs on 4 houses.

5. Meet with BSP staff to wrap-up your summer of service and request your earnings stipend!

• • Bring the following items to your meeting: 

    1. Summer Service Checklist

    2. Expense Report and Itemized Receipts in gFolder

    3. Check for any unused summer living funds (if applicable)

  • During the meeting, BSP program staff will confirm that the following items are completed online: 

    1. Community Learning Agreement(s) (CLA) with “active” status and signed by you and your site supervisor(s)

    2. Hours Log showing required number of hours signed by you and your primary site supervisor(s)

    3. Digication Portfolio

    4. Supervisor Evaluation of Service

    5. Service Accomplishments in BWBRS