AmeriCorps VISTA Monthly Updates

AmeriCorps sent this bulletin at 09/23/2024 01:45 PM EDT

AmeriCorps VISTA Monthly Updates

Dear AmeriCorps VISTA sponsors,

At the end of this month, the two-year pilot of our regional member recruitment associate initiative will come to a successful end. Over the past two years, these recruiters have traveled across cities and states, charted new paths and new ways for connecting with prospective members, and have provided personal, one-on-one support to sponsors and their outreach efforts. I am thankful for the focus, creativity, and thoughtfulness that this team has brought to their work and to the VISTA team.

In this message, we will take some much-needed time and space to highlight their efforts.

Let’s start from the beginning. As you may remember, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, AmeriCorps VISTA experienced a significant decrease in members serving and overall applications submitted, just like the rest of the nonprofit sector experienced a shrinking volunteer pool. In the fall of 2022, to encourage a rebound, the VISTA program began implementing a two-year national recruitment pilot to address the recruitment challenges. We hired nine term recruiters funded by the American Rescue Plan.

Our key strategies were to build and deploy national recruitment capacity to produce a larger number of quality leads, develop regional recruitment structure to provide training and technical assistance to sponsors on recruitment best practices, and improve applicant conversion rates to increase member placement rates. We knew that to do this work well we would need to do it in partnership with you.

Together, we accomplished great work. Month after month, we have seen applications rise and heard from you the stories of success and appreciation for the recruiters' work. While we would love to continue this full recruitment investment as the American Rescue Plan Act funds end, and as our number of member positions available have been reduced, we can’t continue to fund the full recruitment effort at its original pilot level.

But we also know that recruitment can’t ever stop. So looking forward, I am happy to share that beginning in October 2024, the VISTA program will continue its recruitment efforts with three staff members who will be dedicated to the work. These staff members will continue to work directly with sponsors to provide the training and technical assistance needed for those most challenged with member recruitment. They will host and attend events at colleges and universities, provide presentations to local communities, and host national webinars for those interested in serving with the VISTA program. They will provide support to those individuals needing assistance finding the right position and support in completing the application.

Please join me in welcoming Katherine Lacy, Gabby Jones, and Katsi Yari Rodriguez Velazquez to their new roles. Reach out to them if you have questions!

Finally, I want to thank and recognize the term recruitment staff who will be leaving the VISTA recruitment team. Thank you, Afrika Rameses-Annunm, Alina Holmstrom, Nova Adams, Morgan Wieziolowski, Kaersten Deeds, Sarai Richter, and Leah Fontaine. These public servants have each put so much work and heart into the VISTA program and each of the community partners they supported. We know that service changes lives, and I have no doubt they have each made a lasting mark on countless members, organizations, and communities.

In service,

Maggie Garvey, Acting Director
AmeriCorps VISTA

Message Contents

Celebrating the VISTA Recruitment Team
Stories from the Field
Program Updates
Communication and Recruitment Resources

Celebrating the VISTA Recruitment Team

The VISTA recruitment team was small, but was also both mighty and effective. The following is a snapshot of their work and accomplishments over the two-year pilot.

Recruitment By the Numbers

The proof is in the numbers. Over a two-year period, recruiters attended more than 500 events, generated more than 16,000 leads, and provided one-on-one support to more than 300 VISTA sponsors. Continue reading to see the work behind the numbers.

Recruiters:

Assisted in creating and delivering virtual and in-person presentations, workshops, and events to amplify AmeriCorps VISTA service opportunities.
Supported direct communications with potential applicants in all steps of the recruitment process to increase the overall number of applicants.
Supported sponsors by assisting those identified as struggling with recruitment to support them in developing and strengthening their recruitment tools and practices through individual and group training and technical assistance.
Assisted in identifying and developing strategic partnerships with education consortium, community colleges, technical schools, associations, nonprofit organization consortium, etc.
Contributed to continuous improvement of outreach and recruitment efforts by sharing tools and resources, best practices, successes, trends, and challenges in member recruitment.

Places Visited

Each month, recruiters traveled across the country with one goal in mind: to share the benefits of service in the AmeriCorps VISTA program. In total, they visited 50 states and Puerto Rico virtually and 34 states and Puerto Rico in person.

Here's what they heard while in the field:

Applicants
I wanted to take time to express my genuine gratitude for all your help and support during my AmeriCorps application process. I now want to let you know that I’ve been accepted for a position at NYU Langone Sunset Park AmeriCorps. I truly appreciate your help because without it, I would not have been able to complete the application. My decision to join AmeriCorps was undoubtedly influenced by your support and encouragement, as well as the information you provided. I want to thank you once more for being such a wonderful source of support.

_____________________________

I wanted to follow up with you to let you know I did get an offer from CAC, and to thank you for everything that you have done for me. You are the best recruiter with which I have communicated, and I don't think I could have gotten this role without your help.

_____________________________

Thank you, thank you, and thank you for each of your suggestions! You have no idea how huge a help you've been to me thus far. I definitely lucked up reaching out to you first.

AmeriCorps Member
You gave me a lot of help and information. You were like my “fount of knowledge.” I found a position...and I got accepted!

AmeriCorps Alum
I’m so glad to see AmeriCorps at events like this (National Unity Conference). When things get tough in this country, it’s such a great reminder that people are out there doing good.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Partnerships and collaborations proved to be an integral part of recruiters' success. The organizations listed above are just a few of the relationships that recruiters established, sometimes over the course of several months.

Here are a few success stories:

Alina Holmstrom
I have worked hard to increase our on-campus presence at feeder schools, establishing close relationships that have allowed us to participate in exclusive events at the University at Buffalo, University of New Hampshire, CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College, Wellesley College, Villa Maria College, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. I hope to continue deepening these relationships and establishing new ones going forward.

Katherine Lacy
We’ve worked closely with John Lira, AmeriCorps' senior advisor for veterans and military families, to expand recruitment efforts among the military community. This included meeting with the Marine Corps to explore recruitment partnerships.

Morgan, representing the Mountain region, presented to a Veterans Affairs vocational rehab facility in Colorado. Gabby attended in-person and virtual military events geared towards veterans. We have seen an opportunity to provide the VISTA program as an option for veterans leaving the military, military spouses who are looking for shorter term work, children of veterans, and those who may not be eligible for military service.

Nova Adams
I developed a partnership with Gallaudet University through their employer relations coordinator. Through this partnership, I was able to create multiple virtual and in-person sessions for students, including international students.

AmeriCorps VISTA flyers are now being distributed around the school and various departments. In addition, we have been invited to participate in their Federal Fair in September.

I continued to cultivate this relationship until my last day as a recruiter. I, then, introduced my contact to my recruitment team colleagues, Kaersten and Katsi, who will continue to strengthen this relationship.

VISTA Recruitment Team (2022 to 2024)

Back Row (Left to Right): Afrika Rameses-Annunm, Alina Holmstrom, Beth Binkley, Nova Adams, Morgan Wieziolowski, Kaersten Deeds, Sarai Richter, Katsi Yari Rodriguez Velazquez
Front Row (Left to Right): Leah Fontaine, Gabby Jones, Katherine Lacy

Celebrating 30 Years of AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps launched its new animated video in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Watch the full video in both English and Spanish and read more about the launch. The videos can be downloaded using the 30th Anniversary Toolkit.

Stories from the Field

Help us share how members are making a difference! Send member accomplishments and pictures to VISTANews@americorps.gov. Include a link to additional information when possible. Submissions should be sent by the 5th of each month for inclusion in that month's sponsor message. We may also share submissions on AmeriCorps VISTA's social media pages and other messages distributed by the VISTA program.

President's Award: The Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement

Members serving with the University of Mississippi's North Mississippi VISTA Project were recognized with the President's Volunteer Service Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award honors those who have completed at least 4,000 hours of community or national service in their lifetime. Read more about this recognition, then watch award recipient Jan in action.

Members serving with the Maine Hunger Initiative were recognized by Maggie and Governor Janet Mills for their service.

Program Updates

Quarterly Sponsor Call

The August sponsor call recording is now available. Learn about updates to the VISTA budget and the recent increase in members' living allowance, and hear a panel discussion with program leaders sharing their strategies for educating elected officials about the benefits of service in the VISTA program. The call also highlighted Katrina, a member serving in the VISTA program, who received the Gold President's Volunteer Service Award.

Please see below for responses to questions/concerns that were unable to be recognized during the call.

SNAP Benefits for Members
The Department of Agriculture regulations state that members who were receiving SNAP benefits before joining AmeriCorps VISTA will not have their benefit allotment reduced or eliminated as a result of their allowances. However, members not receiving SNAP benefits before joining AmeriCorps VISTA will have their allowances counted as income for purposes of determining their level of SNAP benefit eligibility. For additional information, please refer to the AmeriCorps VISTA Member Handbook. For support, members can contact vmsu@americorps.gov or call the AmeriCorps Hotline at 1-800-942-2677.
Question: Do you have any recommendations for encouraging elected officials to care about stories? I understand the importance of data, but the people are in the stories. I want officials to hear and care about the people. Also, in low-population states, the numbers often do not look impressive, but the impact is substantial.
- Answer: When thinking about talking to government officials, you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. You might only be able to chat with them for five minutes, so prep for the meeting. Find out what topics they care about (i.e. education, fighting the opioid epidemic, eliminating food deserts). Bring a data handout with you, so they have information that they can look at later. If you think that giving them a handout and then spending your time sharing stories of your members' impact would be beneficial, I say go for it. They are going to leave with both data and a story to reflect on.

Katie Finch, Director of AmeriCorps Services
Mission: St. Louis

_____________________________________________

Please join us for the next sponsor call hosted on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 3 p.m. ET. This call will provide information on the VISTA budget, the VISTA Progress Report Supplement, and more.

Webinar ID: 161 025 4452
Passcode: 614205
Dial-in Number: 833-568-8864 (toll free)

Register

VISTA Living Allowance Increase Update

Sponsors and members received a living allowance update email on Monday, Sept. 9, following the initial emails that were sent on Tuesday, July 23. These messages are available to view at the following links.

September Message
July Messages (sponsor and member)

VISTA Progress Report Supplement

Each October, sponsors are asked to complete the VISTA Progress Report Supplement with your project’s key accomplishments from the past fiscal year. The information that is provided allows us to share the impressive results that sponsors are having across the country using AmeriCorps VISTA resources.

In early October, sponsors will receive an invitation to complete the progress report supplement for the fiscal year 2024, which covers the reporting period of Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024.

This is a required report if you had an active Memorandum of Agreement and members serving in the VISTA program at any time during the period of Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024.

The deadline for submitting the report is Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, and should be completed in eGrants. Stay tuned for more information about how to complete the VISTA Progress Report Supplement.

Member In-Service Training Opportunities

Did you know that members have access to in-person training opportunities conducted by AmeriCorps VISTA headquarters? Our training unit hosts in-service trainings several times throughout the year. During these trainings, members attend workshops to build skills and participate in networking opportunities. Read below for more information about in-service trainings. Then, read reviews from members Wick and Ardine who recently attended a training. You can also watch members in action as they experience a training.

Upcoming In-Service Trainings

*Information is subject to change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I support my member's participation in a training?
- Once a member has received an invitation (via email) to a training, please encourage your member to attend. Members may be anxious or unsure about meeting new people or traveling to a new place. You can help by reassuring them that attending the training will be beneficial to their service and career after service.
What should members know about the training?
- Members will be engaged in a highly interactive in-person networking and skill-building event. The training is designed to engage members in their personal and professional development and support them in carrying out their service assignments. During the event, members will attend three plenary sessions, five workshops, and participate in numerous networking sessions. The AmeriCorps VISTA program pays for travel, lodging, meals, and training materials.
What have members said about the training?
- “I thought the training was really well-structured and the presenters were all really impressive.”
- “I learned a lot of information that will help me in my role.”
- “Meeting the other members widened my vision of the program.”
- “During this training I have gained valuable experience to help me be more successful in my role. I appreciated hearing other people's perspectives and meeting other AmeriCorps members.”
- “This was an amazing experience. I learned and made wonderful connections!”
What should I do if my member has not received an invitation, but meets the qualifications?
- If a member did not receive an invitation, or if you have any questions, please email VISTATraining@americorps.gov.

Member Service Gear

As a reminder, all new AmeriCorps members serving in the VISTA program should receive an invitation to order their AmeriCorps gear no later than two weeks after each member orientation. Members need to access their account within 30 days and are eligible to receive a polo shirt, t-shirt, water bottle, journal, and lapel pin.

If members cannot find their invitations or need more assistance with ordering their gear, contact VISTAGear@americorps.gov.

UPDATE: New items are now available! Members who began service in FY 2024, can also order an AmeriCorps hoodie and winter hat. To place an order for these new items, members should review the instructions. Members who have previously ordered AmeriCorps gear should limit new orders to only the hoodie and winter hat. For questions and account access issues, please email VISTAGear@americorps.gov. Members who began service in FY 2024 received this information in an email on Monday, July 15.

Communication and Recruitment Resources

VISTA Sponsor Toolkit

Do you need help telling your VISTA story? With the VISTA Sponsor Toolkit, you can share your AmeriCorps story and encourage more individuals to meet the urgent needs of their communities. You can find messaging, recruitment resources, social media, graphics, and more in the toolkit.