COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

Community Service Project gives chapter members the opportunity to highlight a service initiative that addresses a need within their school or local community. The project must involve active chapter participation and demonstrate meaningful impact. This event includes a pre-judged asset and a live presentation before a panel of judges.

Event Overview

Division: Collegiate
Event Type: Team of 1, 2 or 3 members present the chapter project
Event Category: Chapter
Event Elements: Pre-judged Asset & Presentation
Pre-judged Component: 17-page report due by date specified in SLC Registration Packet
Presentation Time: 3-minute set-up, 7-minute presentation time, 3-minute question & answer time

Career Cluster Framework Connection: Healthcare & Human Services
NACE Competency Alignment: Career & Self-Development, Critical Thinking, Communication, Leadership, Professionalism, Technology

Items Provided by Competitors: Technology and presentation items for preliminary and final round presentation, Conference-provided nametag, Photo identification, attire that meets the Florida FBLA Dress Code.
Items Provided by FBLA: Table for presentation

State

Eligibility

·         FBLA membership dues are paid by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 1st of the current program year.

·         Members must be registered for the SLC and pay the state conference registration fee in order to participate in competitive events.

·         Members must stay within the official FBLA housing block of the official FBLA hotel to be eligible to compete.

·         Each chapter may submit one entry in this event.

·      Members on the state level may enter up to three different events in the following combinations: 

o    Three objective tests OR

o    Two objective test and one production OR

o    Two objective tests and one performance OR

o    One objective test, one performance, and one production

·         In addition, on the state level, a member may compete in one chapter event (Community Service Project or State of Chapter Presentation), and Christopher Heider or Rob Kelleher.

·         Competitors must set up their presentation by themselves.

·         Each competitor must compete in all parts of an event for award eligibility.

·         Picture identification (physical or digital: driver’s license, passport, state-issued identification, or school-issued identification) matching the conference nametag is required when checking in for competitive events.

·         If competitors are late for an objective test, they may be either disqualified or permitted to begin late with no extension of the time as scheduled.  If competitors are late for a presentation time, they may be disqualified or placed later in the schedule.  The decision is solely up to the judges.

·         Some competitive events start before the Opening Session of SLC. The schedules for competitive events are displayed in the local time of the SLC location. Competitive event schedules cannot be changed.

·         Participants must adhere to the Florida FBLA dress code established by the Florida Board of Directors or they will not be permitted to participate in the competitive event.

Recognition

·         The number of competitors will determine the number of winners. The maximum number of winners for each competitive event is 4.

Event Administration

·         This event has three parts: Pre-judge report, preliminary presentation and final presentation round. If there are less than 15 teams registered, the event will go directly to the final presentation.

Pre-judged Asset: Report

o   Submission Deadline: A PDF of the report must be uploaded in the conference registration system by the date specified in the SLC registration packet.

o   Asset Requirements:

· All content must be original and created specifically for this competition.

· QR codes and links are not allowed in the asset.

· Advisers or others may not assist in preparing the project. It must be created entirely by the competitor(s).

· Assets must be new, original work and may not have been submitted at any previous National Leadership Conference.

Judging & Ownership

· Assets will be judged prior to the National Leadership Conference (NLC).

· Pre-judged assets will not be returned. All submitted projects become the property of FBLA and may be published or reproduced for promotional purposes.

Research

· Information must be supported by credible, well-documented sources.

· Any use of copyrighted material, images, logos, or trademarks must be properly documented.

Event Specific Information

§ Number of Pages: The report will be no more than seventeen (17) pages.

§ Reports should follow the rating sheet sequence and be formatted to fit on 8 ½” x 11” paper.

§ The first page (front cover) should include the name of school, state, name of the project, and school year (2025-2026) on the cover.

§ The second page must include a table of contents and each page must be numbered.

§ Divider pages and appendices are optional and must be included in the page count.

§ Reports must describe chapter activities conducted from the end of the 2025 State Leadership Conference to the end of the 2026 State Leadership Conference.

· Reports must describe one chapter project that serves the community. The project must be in the interest of the community and designed for chapter participation. Include: Description of the project, Chapter member involvement, Degree of impact on the community, Evidence of publicity received, Project evaluation

· Note: The report does not need to follow the FBLA Production Test Reference Guide, formerly known as the FBLA Format Guide.

Preliminary Presentation

o   Equipment Set-up Time: 3 minutes

o   Presentation Time: 7 minutes (one-minute warning)

o   Question & Answer Time: 3 minutes

o   Important: Time allocations are exclusive. The presentation must begin immediately after the 3-minute set-up time concludes. Time may not be shifted between segments. Competitors will not interact with judges during the set-up period.

o   The presentation is judged at the SLC. The presentation is not open to audience members.

o   Competitors/teams are randomly assigned to sections.

o   Technology Guidelines

· Internet Access: Not provided

· Presentations must be delivered using one or two personal devices (laptop, tablet, mobile phone, or monitor approximately laptop-sized).

· If using two devices, one must face the judges and the other must face the presenters.

· Projectors and projector screens are not permitted, and competitors may not bring their own.

· Wireless slide advancers (e.g., presentation clickers or mice) are allowed.

· External speakers are not allowed; audio must come directly from the presenting device(s).

· Electricity will not be available.

o   Non-Technology Items

· Pre-judged asset, visual aids, samples, notes, and other physical materials related to the project may be used.

· Items may be placed on the provided table or on the judges table, if space allows.

· No items may be left with the judges following the presentation.

o   Restricted Items

· Animals, except for authorized service animals.

· Food, which may be used for display only and may not be consumed by judges.

· Links and QR codes, which may be shown but may not be scanned or clicked by judges at any time.

o   Research

· Information must be supported by credible, well-documented sources.

· Any use of copyrighted material, images, logos, or trademarks must be properly documented.

o   Team Expectations

· In team presentations, all members must actively participate in the delivery of the presentation.

o   Event Specific Information: Competitors should incorporate the following aspects in the presentation

· Explain Project Development: Clearly outline the planning process, using a chronological structure and clearly explained strategies.

· Conduct and Evaluate Research: Show how research was intentionally planned, carried out, and assessed to guide the project's development.

· Demonstrate Chapter Involvement: Show that over 75% of chapter members participated and provide clear, measurable evidence of member engagement and contribution.

· Show Meaningful Impact: Demonstrate that the project created a lasting and dynamic change within the school or community, with strong potential to continue or grow.

· Highlight Promotion and Recognition: Share how the project was promoted or recognized through multiple channels by the school and/or community.

· Reflect and Recommend: Provide an evaluation of the project’s outcomes along with thoughtful recommendations for future improvement if the project were to be repeated.

Final Presentation

o   Equipment Set-up Time: 3 minutes

o   Presentation Time: 7 minutes (one-minute warning)

o   Question & Answer Time: 3 minutes

o   An equal number of competitors/teams from each section in the preliminary round will advance to the final round.

If a final round is needed, the final presentation round will follow the same guidelines as the preliminary round.

Scoring

·         The presentation score will determine the finalists.

·         The final presentation score will determine winners.

·         Judges must break ties. All judges’ decisions are final. All announced results are final upon the conclusion of the State Leadership Conference.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

·         FBLA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by providing reasonable accommodations for competitors. Accommodation requests must be submitted through the conference registration system by the official registration deadline. All requests will be reviewed, and additional documentation may be required to determine eligibility and appropriate support.

Recording of Presentations

·         No unauthorized audio or video recording devices will be allowed in any competitive event.

·         Competitors in the events should be aware FBLA reserves the right to record any presentation for use in study or training materials.

Penalty Points

·         Competitors may be disqualified if they violate the Competitive Event Guidelines or the Honor Code.

National

If competing on the national level, be sure to see the National guidelines at https://www.fbla.org/collegiate/competitive-events/