30 Years of AmeriCorps: Celebrating Evidence

Introducing the State of the Evidence

Earlier this year, we began a systematic review of AmeriCorps impact on the nation. As an organization, we turn 30 this year and find ourselves at an important moment. Since the passage of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, our members, volunteers, and grantees have leveraged service for the betterment of our communities. Even when the focus of their work is on serving one meal, delivering one shot, or conserving one space, their acts of service contribute to our larger civic engagement, community resiliency, investment, and fiscal stewardship mission. The State of the Evidence Report takes stock of our shared impact by compiling data on where we’ve been and using that to determine AmeriCorps potential for the next thirty years.

It's my pleasure to invite you to read our 2023 State of the Evidence. The report provides the latest findings on our participants, partners, communities, and society.

Learn how participants are impacted by their service, how organizations benefit from AmeriCorps programs, the positive impact on beneficiaries and where AmeriCorps works, and the state of volunteering and civic engagement across the United States.

In service,
Mary Hyde, Ph.D., Director,
Office of Research and Evaluation

30th Anniversary Celebration: It’s not a moment, it’s a movement. In September 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National and Community Trust Act establishing AmeriCorps. Now 30 years later, more than 1.25 million AmeriCorps members and millions of AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have taken the pledge to serve in communities large and small to help others live healthier, safer, smarter, and more resilient lives. Join the Celebration and share your AmeriCorps story.

AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey: Painting a Picture of Member Experiences

Collecting information on exiting members since 2015, the AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey is an important tool for assessing member service experiences. By collecting data on member experiences, AmeriCorps can better understand how to support its members, while individuals interested in becoming a member can see the benefits of serving. The data includes information on members civic-mindedness, community involvement, cultural competency, and developed life and career skills. It also measures members experience and training, motivations to serve, and post-service plans. Recently, data from the survey revealed how AmeriCorps fosters civic engagement.

• Explore the most recent survey datasets from 2022, 2021, and 2020 to see what we’ve learned recently about member experiences.
• Learn about the survey data analyses through the AmeriCorps Technical Recording.
• Delve into the suite of research and highlights developed to date on the AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey.

Research Grantee Spotlight

University of Nevada

In conjunction with local high school students, researchers at the University of Nevada – Reno employed a participatory approach for documenting slow-moving environmental injustices. Youth scientists developed Photovoice, a participatory research method for documenting and presenting community knowledge about environmental change and impact. This work comes out of the 2018 AmeriCorps Community Conversations Research Competition whose focus is on supporting participatory evidence-making to address issues that matter to communities. You can read more about the Photovoice research results in “Making the Invisible Visible: Document Slow Violence Through Photovoice with Youth in Nevada.”

Learn More

Register for Results Driven Service: The 2023 State of the Evidence on AmeriCorps Impact

Join the AmeriCorps CEO, Office of Research and Evaluation, alumni, grantees, and Results for America as we celebrate AmeriCorps 30th Anniversary, share evidence of impact from the 2023 State of the Evidence report, and reflect on the evidence building activities at the individual, organizational, community, and societal levels.

Thursday, Sept. 28, 3 p.m. ET

Register

Evidence Exchange Highlights

The 2023 State of the Evidence report synthesizes key themes from publicly published studies produced by or for AmeriCorps from 2017 to 2022. Here are just a few of the studies that are featured in the report.

• Bridging Differences Through AmeriCorps Service: AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey Analysis 2016-2020
• AmeriCorps NCCC Sponsor Survey Reports
• Return on Investment Study: AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program
• Evaluation and Measurements: VISTA’s Impact on Poverty, A 50-Year Review of Evaluation and Evidence
• A Final Report for AmeriCorps Opportunity Youth Evaluation Bundling
• Evidence of Effectiveness in AmeriCorps-Funded Programs

Visit the Evidence Exchange