About the Global Volunteer Recognition Program
The Global Volunteer Recognition Program™ LLC was founded by Laurel Barrett to help volunteers document, celebrate, and share the impact of service.
GVRP welcomes people who serve locally, remotely, nationally, and globally. The program is not a competition. It is a recognition community built around encouragement, leadership, connection, and meaningful impact.
Our Story and Mission
Created for People Who Choose to Serve
The Global Volunteer Recognition Program was founded in September 2023 after Laurel Barrett saw how often volunteers quietly give their time without receiving meaningful acknowledgment.
GVRP was created to help volunteers maintain a record of their service, connect with recognition opportunities, build leadership skills, and feel part of a community that understands the value of giving back.
Membership and programs are designed for youth volunteers, adults, students, families, pageant titleholders, corporate volunteers, nonprofit supporters, community leaders, remote volunteers, retirees, and others dedicated to making a positive difference.
Recognition
Service deserves to be documented, appreciated, and celebrated with integrity.
Inclusion
Volunteers have different abilities, schedules, causes, locations, and levels of experience.
Leadership
Volunteer service can build confidence, practical skills, and stronger community leaders.
Community
Recognition can connect people, motivate continued service, and inspire others to help.
What the Global Volunteer Recognition Program Does
GVRP provides several ways for volunteers, students, families, leaders, and organizations to participate.
Annual Volunteer Recognition Membership
Annual membership provides a structured recognition year, member materials, hour-documentation support, program updates, project ideas, and eligibility to submit qualifying service for designated recognition.
Explore Annual MembershipVolunteer Awards and Achievement Badges
GVRP celebrates eligible service through the Global Volunteer Awards™, achievement badges, student recognition, community spotlights, nominations, and additional recognition opportunities.
Explore Volunteer RecognitionLeadership Academy Courses
Optional self-paced certification courses help volunteers and changemakers strengthen leadership, communication, advocacy, service, mental health awareness, event planning, and community-impact skills.
View Leadership Academy CoursesVolunteer Projects and Opportunities
Flexible remote and community-based projects help volunteers stay engaged, explore new causes, develop skills, and create positive impact throughout the year.
Find Volunteer OpportunitiesStudent Citizenship and Service Recognition
The Global Student Citizenship & Service Award recognizes eligible students based on character, leadership, citizenship, responsibility, service, and positive impact. Membership is not required.
Explore the Student AwardVolunteer Voices, Spotlights, and Events
GVRP shares volunteer stories, celebrates community champions, supports annual recognition events, and creates opportunities for service-focused people to be seen and heard.
Submit a Volunteer StoryVolunteer Service GVRP Celebrates
GVRP recognizes that service takes many forms. Eligibility and documentation requirements depend on the applicable program.
Community Outreach
Local projects, neighborhood support, food assistance, donation drives, and acts that address community needs.
Nonprofit Support
Unpaid service that helps charitable organizations deliver programs, events, resources, and essential assistance.
Remote and Digital Service
Virtual projects, online mentoring, digital mapping, awareness campaigns, research, and skills-based volunteering.
Youth and School Service
Student-led projects, school initiatives, peer support, clubs, educational outreach, and family service.
Advocacy and Awareness
Nonpartisan education, community awareness, accessibility support, and responsible cause-based outreach.
Environment and Animals
Cleanups, conservation, wildlife projects, animal welfare, sustainability, and environmental education.
Disaster and Crisis Support
Preparedness, response, recovery assistance, emergency-support activities, and community resilience.
Leadership and Mentoring
Volunteer coordination, mentoring, education, project leadership, training, and community capacity building.
GVRP Impact at a Glance
GVRP tracks program growth so members and visitors can see the collective service represented within the community.
Membership, service-hour, and partner figures are from the June 2026 GVRP Impact Report and are presented as a dated snapshot. Read the complete GVRP Impact Report.
About the Founder, Laurel Barrett
Lifelong Volunteer, Educator, and Community Leader
Laurel Barrett is a fourth-generation Colorado native whose commitment to service began in Girl Scouts. Over the years, she has contributed thousands of hours to community programs, youth mentorship, public-health initiatives, disaster response, nonprofit support, and remote volunteer projects.
Laurel regularly completes more than 500 hours of volunteer service each year and earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award multiple times before the national program pause. Her professional background includes more than 20 years in healthcare, training, education, program operations, and community leadership.
She founded GVRP after recognizing that many volunteers work quietly, receive little acknowledgment, and may struggle to document the full impact of their service. Her goal was to build a welcoming program where volunteers could feel appreciated while finding new ways to serve, lead, and grow.
- Founder and CEO
- 500+ annual service hours
- Healthcare and education leader
- Colorado community advocate
- Volunteer recognition champion
Trust, Accountability, and Business Transparency
GVRP provides information that helps members understand the organization, its business model, and the standards supporting its work.
BBB Accredited
GVRP is a BBB Accredited Business committed to marketplace trust, responsiveness, and honest business practices.
BBB4Good Verified
BBB4Good verification reflects review of GVRP’s purpose-driven and social-impact practices.
WOSB and EDWOSB
GVRP is certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business.
Mission-Driven LLC
GVRP is a for-profit LLC using earned revenue to operate, improve, and sustain its recognition programs.
The Annual GVRP Volunteer Board
GVRP selects a volunteer board to help strengthen awareness, recruit and welcome community members, nominate deserving people for the Community Champion Spotlight, encourage volunteer storytelling, support the Annual Volunteer Award Ceremony and Retreat, and contribute to responsible program leadership.
Board service is an unpaid volunteer role for people who believe in recognizing service and are prepared to contribute meaningfully to the program.
Learn About the Current BoardWhat Annual GVRP Membership Provides
Annual membership offers a structured way to document and celebrate service completed during a specific calendar recognition year.
Membership dues support program administration, records, volunteer-hour documentation and review support, communications, technology, customer service, recognition programs, and included membership materials.
Membership does not purchase or guarantee an earned service award. Eligibility-based recognition requires the applicable service, documentation, review, deadlines, and program requirements.
Explore Annual MembershipFrequently Asked Questions About GVRP
Learn who GVRP serves, how the program is structured, and what makes its approach to volunteer recognition different.
What is the Global Volunteer Recognition Program?
The Global Volunteer Recognition Program is a mission-driven volunteer recognition community offering annual membership, awards, leadership education, volunteer projects, student recognition, storytelling, community engagement, and recognition events.
Who founded GVRP and when?
Laurel Barrett founded the Global Volunteer Recognition Program in September 2023 after recognizing the need for a welcoming program that helps volunteers document, celebrate, and share their service.
What is the mission of GVRP?
GVRP’s mission is to recognize volunteers, encourage continued service, support leadership growth, and inspire more people to help create a better world.
Is GVRP a nonprofit organization?
No. GVRP is a mission-driven for-profit LLC. Membership dues and product revenue support administration, recognition resources, technology, customer service, program materials, fulfillment, and continued development.
Who can join the Global Volunteer Recognition Program?
GVRP welcomes youth and adult volunteers, students, families, pageant titleholders, corporate volunteers, nonprofit supporters, community leaders, remote volunteers, retirees, and others who contribute time and talent to positive causes. Product-specific rules may apply.
Is GVRP membership competitive?
No. GVRP membership is not competitive. The program celebrates volunteers with different causes, abilities, locations, schedules, backgrounds, and levels of experience.
What types of volunteer service does GVRP recognize?
GVRP may recognize eligible local, remote, national, and global service, including community outreach, nonprofit support, mentoring, youth projects, environmental work, awareness activities, animal welfare, disaster support, digital volunteering, and volunteer leadership. Eligibility and documentation depend on the applicable program.
Does annual membership guarantee a volunteer award?
No. Membership provides its stated services and materials, but eligibility-based awards require qualifying service, documentation, review, and compliance with the applicable requirements. Optional physical award items may be sold separately.
How does GVRP demonstrate trust and accountability?
GVRP is BBB Accredited, BBB4Good Verified, WOSB and EDWOSB certified, and publishes information about its business model, impact, partnerships, program requirements, and member experiences.
How can I get started with GVRP?
Visit the Start Here guide to compare annual membership, awards, the volunteer-hour tracking app, Leadership Academy courses, student recognition, and volunteer opportunities.
Every Act of Service Has Value
Whether you serve every week or contribute when you can, your time matters. Join a community built to document service, celebrate volunteers, develop leaders, and inspire continued positive impact.
Organization, program, and impact information reviewed July 2026.