Wells Fargo Volunteer Program Fact Sheet and Time Table
What are the requirements to remain eligible for the Wells Fargo Scholarship?
In addition to completing 40 hours of volunteer work per semester, you must be a full time student and maintain a 3.0
semester GPA. You must also remain in good standing with the TRIO Scholars Program. It is also recommended that
you complete 15 credits each semester. We also expect you to write a thank you note to Wells Fargo and attend a
lunch banquet in your honor hosted by Wells Fargo. Your parents will also be invited. Please note the “What are some
important dates?” section below for detailed information about the letter and luncheon.
What is the objective of the volunteer component?
Wells Fargo wants to foster the notion of community involvement, encouraging participation among college-age students.
It is hoped this kind of exposure will encourage you to remain active in your community long after you’ve left the
university. As with all volunteer activity, you may want to include a description of this activity on your resume.
How does the program work?
Wells Fargo has partnered with GEAR UP, which is a federally-funded program directed at middle school and high school
students who are determined to be “high risk”. The purpose of this program is to encourage those students to remain in
school and continue on to pursue a college degree. Many Wells Fargo Scholarship recipients volunteer with the GEAR
UP program at selected middle schools. New freshmen should talk with Monika Mala, GEAR UP Ambassador, about
possible volunteer opportunities with the Gear Up program. Monika’s office is in our TRiO area.
You are expected to devote approximately 10 hours each month (minimum: 40 hours per semester). You are required to
submit a mid-year update and an end-of-the-school year report to Chris Westin, TRiO Scholars Counselor, for forwarding
to Wells Fargo. The hours and content are to be verified by the assigned supervisor at the volunteer site. This
documentation is required for renewal of the award for the spring semester and for subsequent years.
What if I have another place I would prefer to volunteer?
Please discuss with Chris Westin for approval.
Can I be paid for my volunteer efforts?
No.
What’s important to a successful internship?
Communication and effort. Make sure you and your supervisor are in agreement about your duties/hours. Then fulfill
them to the best of your ability.
How can I structure my 40 hour-per-semester/80 hour-per-year volunteer schedule?
The volunteerism should take place on an ongoing basis. A weekly or bi-weekly basis is recommended. A do-it-all-inone week effort is discouraged. Unfortunately, students have lost their scholarships in the past because they didn’t spread
out their hours and then found everything was too stressful at the end of the semester to get in all of their hours.
Follow up reports: It is your responsibility to ensure that your supervisor’s interim and final reports are returned to Chris
Westin by the appropriate due dates. Failure to comply with all required criteria for the scholarship can cause you to lose
it – we don’t want that to happen!
What if I have problems with my volunteering assignment?
If you encounter problems with your volunteer assignment and have made a diligent effort to resolve the issues but have
been unsuccessful, contact Chris.
What are some important dates?
 August, 27 2015: Welcome Meeting- You will receive the Wells Fargo Scholarship
packet and we will review the requirements and forms.
 August. 28, 2015 Thank you note- You received information about this from Liz Walsh,
UNR Donor Relations.
 September 28, 2015: Return of the Student and Supervisor Data Form to Rita or
Chris.
 September 29, 2015 @ 12:00pm: Wells Fargo First Generation Scholarship
Luncheon- You and your parent(s) or guardian(s) are invited to attend the 2015 Wells
Fargo First Generation Scholarship Luncheon which will be held in the Clark Room (2nd
floor of Morrill Hall). If you have a class conflict, most professors will excuse you if
they know you are being recognized for a scholarship. Our university president, Dr. Marc
Johnson, and other dignitaries will be there to honor your selection as a Wells Fargo
Scholar. In addition, representatives from Wells Fargo will be on hand to welcome you to
the program. It is very important for you to attend this lunch as we want to show Wells
Fargo that we value this scholarship.
 January 8, 2016: Return of Supervisor’s Interim Report to Chris Westin
 May 31, 2016: Return of Supervisor’s Final Report to Chris Westin
All forms and letters must be returned to Chris Westin. You are welcome to personally
drop all forms off in the TRiO Scholars office in Thompson suite #200 or you can scan and
email to cwestin@unr.edu.
WELLS FARGO VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Student Data Form: Due Sept. 28, 2015
To Be Completed by SCHOLAR:
Scholar’s Name: ______________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _______________________________________
Phone Number: (_______)_________-_____________________
E-Mail: ______________________________________________________________________
To Be Completed by SUPERVISOR:
Company/Organization: _________________________________________________________
Company Address: ____________________________________
City, State, Zip: _______________________________________
Supervisor Name: ______________________________________
Supervisor Title: ______________________________________
Phone Number: (_______)_________-_____________________
E-Mail: ______________________________________________________________________
Duties of the Volunteer:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
WELLS FARGO VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Supervisor’s Interim Report
Due January 5, 2016
Student: _________________________________________________________ Date: ___________________
Supervisor: _________________________________________
Agency: _____________________________
No. of volunteer hours your student spent with your organization during the fall semester: __________________
You may wish to consider the following list when evaluating your volunteer student:
1.
Attendance
( ) Regular
( ) Sporadic
2.
Competence
( ) Produces more than expected
( ) Produces avg. amount of work
( ) Produces just enough to get by
( ) Always prompt with assignments
( ) Generally prompt with assignments
( ) Often late with assignments
( ) Work is accurate and complete
( ) Work frequently contains errors or is
incomplete
( ) Has good grasp of fundamentals
( ) Lacks a grasp of fundamentals
( ) Quick to understand new ideas
( ) Average comprehension of new ideas and
methods
( ) Slow to comprehend; needs improvement
( ) Work is very neat
( ) Neatness is satisfactory
( ) Neatness is below standards, needs improvement
3. Attitude
( ) Good team worker, cooperative
( ) Average team worker
( ) Difficult to work with, uncooperative
( ) Deals very well with others, such as students or clients
( ) Deals acceptably with others
( ) Deals poorly with others
( ) Welcomes criticism
( ) Doesn’t accept criticism well
4. Appearance
( ) Appropriate appearance
( ) Needs to improve appearance
5. Comments:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After reviewing your evaluation with the volunteer, please return this form to the Wells Fargo Scholar who will return it to Chris
Westin, TRIO Scholars Counselor, 784-6044, University of Nevada, Reno. Fax: 784.1353.
WELLS FARGO VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Supervisor’s Final Report
Due May 31, 2016
Date: _______________
Student: _________________________________________________________________________
Supervisor: _______________________________________________________________________
Organization: _____________________________________________________________________
No. of volunteer hours the student spent with your organization during the spring semester: _______
Please provide your final assessment of the performance of the volunteer student.
Overall:
Please evaluate the overall performance of the student and place a check mark by the most accurate
description below:
( ) Excellent
( ) Good/average
( ) Average
( ) Below average
( ) Poor
Comments:
Please state briefly your reasons for this rating. Factors such as attendance, competence, attitude,
progress, and initiative could be considered. (Use the back of this sheet if needed.) After reviewing
your evaluation with the volunteer, please return this form to the Wells Fargo Scholar who will return it
to Chris Westin, TRIO Scholars Counselor, 784-6044, University of Nevada, Reno. Fax: 784.1353.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Tips for writing the required Wells Fargo Thank You Letter
Purpose: Only 21 University of Nevada, Reno students are selected for this opportunity at a time.
To be selected for the Wells Fargo Scholarship is an honor. Not only are you receiving a
substantial amount of money for up to a four year period of time, you are honing in on leadership
skills, networking and enhancing your resume. It is appropriate that each of you thank the
scholarship donor for this privilege.
To whom do I address this letter? You will receive more information about this from Liz Walsh.
Please make sure to look for her email.
Tips for Writing Your Letter
The letter does not need to be lengthy, but it should include some details you are comfortable sharing about
yourself (major, future plans, home life, etc.) and what the scholarship means to you. Please make sure
your letter is neat and easy to read.

Beware of grammatical and spelling errors. You communicate your intelligence through correct spelling
and grammar. Use the spell check and the grammar check. Always proofread what you write!

The staff in the Donor Relations Office proofreads all thank you letters before mailing them to the
donors. If your letter has any errors, we will contact you to correct them.
Thank You Letter Content Suggestions:
Tell the donor about yourself
 Your hometown
 Family background
 High school and other experiences that led to your choice to study at Nevada
Tell about your present situation
 Classification and major at Nevada
 Things you enjoy about college or look forward to at college
 Organizations in which you participate
 Internships/special programs that you are doing or plan to do
Tell about your future plans
 What you hope to accomplish while at Nevada
 Future career plans
Tell how the scholarship has helped you.
 Do not mention the amount of the scholarship award in the letter
 Be sure to use the name of the scholarship in your letter