Message From the Director
Dear colleagues,
As 2024 comes to an end, we get to reflect on the past year and look forward to what’s to come in the new year. I want to thank you all for your continued dedication and hard work ensuring older adults remain active through national service options and stay connected to their communities in meaningful ways. The AmeriCorps Seniors team appreciates your service, and we look forward to partnering with you in 2025 to tackle the most pressing national and local challenges for our communities.
During this time of year, our AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have the privilege of bringing a sense of community and warmth to older adults and others who may not have family nearby or who experience loneliness during the holidays. Their presence means a lot, and this season of gratitude gives us a chance to show our community members they are not alone and that they’re deeply valued.
On Monday, Jan. 20, AmeriCorps Seniors will join Americans nationwide in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service, through volunteer work and service. There's still time for your program to develop ideas for activities or an event to honor the legacy of Dr. King that can inspire positive changes in your community for years to come. On the 30th anniversary of the MLK Day of Service, let’s come together to transform the lives of others. Please share with us how you will celebrate the day!
The Washington Post recently published an article highlighting AmeriCorps Seniors entitled, "Why not enlist an army of volunteer retirees?". The article explains the value of AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers and how they can help address the country's most pressing needs and is worth a read.
I hope you all enjoy this holiday season and get to spend quality time with friends and family. Have a wonderful holiday and happy new years!
In service,
Atalaya Sergi,
Director AmeriCorps Seniors
AmeriCorps Seniors 2024 Wrapped
Celebrate the incredible accomplishments of AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers with AmeriCorps Seniors 2024 Wrapped. Across the nation, our dedicated volunteers have brought compassion, expertise, and service to communities in need. From mentoring youth, supporting older adults, providing disaster relief, and fostering civic engagement, your impact has been profound. This wrap-up highlights the hours served, lives touched, and transformative projects completed, showcasing the power of service to create stronger communities. Thank you to our volunteers for making 2024 a year of extraordinary impact.
- More than 142,000 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers helped 220,000 people across a total of 30 million hours.
- In 2024, 1,890 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers worked to return $69 million in tax returns back to Americans, helping more than 100,000 people with their tax returns.
- AmeriCorps Seniors was mentioned in the media nearly 14,000 times, resulting in 22 million impressions. That is the equivalent of $8.5 million in free advertisement.
- “Your Moment” recruitment and awareness campaign resulted in 2.5 billion impressions and nearly 2 million clicks on the landing page.
- AmeriCorps Seniors training provided 28 virtual trainings to more than 3,500 attendees.
- At the 2024 Convening, 1,300 AmeriCorps Seniors project directors and research partners came together in Baltimore, Md., for three days, which included 60 sessions and three plenaries.
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Training Corner
Upcoming Trainings
Join the following upcoming trainings to gain valuable insight into managing your AmeriCorps Seniors grant. These sessions will provide essential tools and strategies to support successful program management and implementation.
AmeriCorps Seniors Grantee Essentials TTA:
Centralized Recruitment Unit:
National Service Criminal History Check:
Cultural Learning Community:
Missed a training or want to explore the full schedule? Check out the FY 2025 AmeriCorps Seniors Events Schedule. The schedule provides a complete list of trainings, registration links, recordings, presentations, and other materials.
Monthly Spotlight on Training Resources
This month, we are highlighting the Monitoring Self-Assessment Debrief from the November 2024 Grantee Essentials Training and Technical Assistance call.
During this call, we reviewed AmeriCorps Seniors-specific common monitoring findings, best practices for reducing the likelihood of future findings, monitoring process and support resources, and answered questions about the Uniform Monitoring Package self-assessment tool.
Note: If you are using the direct link, you must first log in to Litmos, then click the link to the course.
For technical support, to request access, or if you need assistance accessing these pages using assistive technology, email: serviceresources@americorps.gov.
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Program Updates and Requirements
Reporting Requirements
For reporting deadlines, review your grant's program-specific terms and conditions (see the section titled “Reporting Requirements”):
Reports will be made available in eGrants 90 days before the due date. If the option to enter report data is not available in eGrants, please reach out to your portfolio manager.
Current Reports Due:
AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, and Senior Demonstration Program Quarter Four Grants:
- Federal Financial Report Due: Thursday, Jan. 30.
For instructions on the project progress report and federal financial report, visit your program's grantee resources section, select “submit a progress report” or “submit a Federal Financial Report” as the action, then click “apply” to show the resources.
AmeriCorps Seniors Operations Handbooks
Litmos Trainings for Reporting
Data in Action
AmeriCorps Seniors is currently conducting a COVID-19 Effects Study to gather information on how our programs adapted to serve through the pandemic, better understand what worked and what can be improved. We thank those directors and grantees that are actively engaged in collecting data, but we still need more participation to make this study a success. To date, the response rate for completed surveys is 38 percent.
JBS International has been reaching out to select programs to collect information for the study. Program participation is essential to complete this study! We thank you in advance for your time and engagement in helping us complete this important research. Please let JBS know if you have any questions or need any assistance, they are here to help.
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Elder Justice Corner
From our colleagues at the Federal Trade Commission
Beware of Holiday Shopping Scams
As the holidays near, fake shopping sites are on the rise. These scammers often advertise expensive items like electric scooters or designer bags at unbelievably low prices, using stolen photos and logos from legitimate businesses. However, the products are either fake or never arrive.
To avoid scams:
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Be cautious of low prices. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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Research the seller. Look for reviews or complaints online before buying.
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Check the terms. Understand prices, refund policies, and who pays return shipping.
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Use credit cards. They offer better protection and dispute options. Avoid payments via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency—these are often used by scammers.
If you’re scammed, contact the seller first. If unresolved, dispute the charge with your payment provider and report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
For more information, visit the Federal Trade Commission.
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Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service
The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service will be observed on Monday, Jan. 20. This day is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make communities more equitable and take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream.
This year, we celebrate 30 years of MLK Day of Service and its impact as more Americans embrace the idea that citizenship involves taking an active role in improving communities.
Looking for a way to participate? Check out he MLK Day of Service 2025 Toolkit. AmeriCorps works to elevate and amplify the impact of the day by sharing stories and projects. Share your story with AmeriCorps by filling out this short form.
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