CNCS, its national, state, and local partners and grantees can play a strategic role in supporting local youth service delivery infrastructure. Funding through Serve America, if braided and blended with other youth-directed public/private streams can support the development of catalytic models that create comprehensive systems and community-wide programming versus stand-alone program models with limited reach and impact.

Therefore, we recommend, CNCS:

· Require state commissions to ensure that their portfolios are consistent with state plans (if any) for youth, rather than individual applicants.

· Recognize the importance of collaborations beyond the secondary education system and build on the work of local Youth Councils or other appropriately constituted entities – to include members of workforce, business, higher education, and other youth-serving systems (i.e. child welfare, justice), especially in proposals for serving out-of-school youth in Youth Engagement Zones authorized the “INNOVATIVE AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICE–LEARNING PROGRAMS AND RESEARCH” Title.

· Encourage state commissions to make grants to existing public/private partnerships that have developed strategic, long-term relationships with the private sector in support of internships, pre-apprenticeships/ apprenticeships, and subsidized employment.  

By utilizing my 25+ years of experience of community organizing, program develop/design and emplementation I would like to strongly suggest that we begin to leaverage our resources/assets more comprehensively.  Many individuals in our communities receive services from three or more agancies that do not communicate assessments or outcomes with each other.  I firmly believe that a system can be designed to fulfil this barrier which will result in a tremendous savings and a more comprehensive service delivery system.

I have designed such a system and a prototype is available.

Corporation Strategies and Activities

·         Create liaisons for various issue areas and sectors: In addition to serving programs and state commissions as a source of expertise and technical knowledge, Corporation liaisons could play a coordinating and convening role with entities and/or initiatives that involve more than one state.  For example, CaliforniaVolunteers has developed a partnership with a company that supports a series of capacity-building workshops for nonprofit organizations.  The company has expressed interest in expanding this partnership to other states, but this requires additional coordination and an entity that can serve as a single point of contact for several state commissions.

o    Issue areas: The Corporation should establish a liaison position for major issue areas (education, environment, etc.).  Working across programs, liaisons would develop relationships with foundations, corporations, associations, other federal agencies, etc.  Ex: An environment liaison could initiate conversations with foundations to secure funding for conservation, restoration or green jobs projects.  (S)he could also work with federal agencies to develop partnerships in which resource agencies provide service-learning opportunities or financial support for AmeriCorps member placements.  A health liaison could work with universities and/or foundations to include AmeriCorps programs in an evaluation study, identify promising models, or study areas and activities in which service and volunteer programs can have the most meaningful impact.  Issue liaisons would also provide state commissions with another source of expertise and technical knowledge.

o    Nonprofit organizations: A liaison would strengthen the Corporation’s ties to the nonprofit sector by developing closer relationships with associations such as the Independent Sector and National Association of Nonprofits.  (S)he would be the voice of the nonprofit sector within the Corporation, communicating information on needs, challenges, issues related to program implementation, etc.  (S)he could also reach deeper into the sector with information about Corporation programs and opportunities to work together as grantees, recruitment partners, service sites, etc.

o    Corporations: A liaison would focus on developing partnerships with private sector corporations – funding, pro bono and in-kind donations, etc.  Ex: A liaison could work with a retail company’s headquarters to promote volunteer opportunities by ensuring that all local employees receive information about RSVP and AmeriCorps programs, volunteer centers and other “connector” organizations.

·         Examine member/participant activities that are common to several Corporation programs: For example:

o    Provide volunteer management support to nonprofit organizations (potentially through new programs such as the Volunteer Generation Fund, Social Innovation Fund or Nonprofit Capacity Building Fund), especially those that administer AmeriCorps programs or host members, who have a mandate to generate volunteers.

o    Encourage the use of AmeriCorps members as service-learning coordinators.  Some organizations hosting AmeriCorps members have expressed interest in having those members work directly with young people using a service-learning model.

·         Communication and coordination with state commissions: Commissions could enhance their own activities and add value to programs directly supported by the Corporation (e.g., Learn and Serve, Senior Corps and AmeriCorps national direct programs) if they had access to basic information for other grantees.  Ex: If current contact details and program summaries for school or community-based Learn and Serve programs were readily available, CaliforniaVolunteers could share this information with its AmeriCorps afterschool programs, some of whom might be seeking collaborators.  As part of its training and technical assistance planning, CaliforniaVolunteers routinely invites AmeriCorps national direct programs in our state to participate in events such as training conferences.  However, information that is available to us is, at times, out of date or inaccurate.

·         Articulate pathways between Corporation programs: Learn and Serve participants in K-12 schools and institutions of higher education have already been exposed to an ethic of service.  These students are part of the recruitment pool for the next generation of AmeriCorps members.  AmeriCorps members are also well positioned to continue their engagement throughout their lives as community volunteers or National Senior Service Corps members.  National service alumni associations can be leveraged to assist with recruitment and sharing information about Corporation programs.

I was ammazed to find such a complicated network of organizations that use tax payer funds to have an IMPACT SOCIALY in America.

While I am familiar with people wanting to do good, I question the need for such a hugh program. I worry that it will be difficult to keep track, not only of the true goals of such a network, but the possibility of fraud developing. Notice the many organizations devolving from CCI( Acorn misuse of funds and 200 organizations that can tap into the governments coffers with non the wiser).

I feel that it would be far wiser to let the people keep more of their own money so that they can keep their own families solvent, than creating odd and strange social organizations whose origin and purposes are a large questionmark.

Hello,  I am doing an assignment on at risk programs  and I have to be specific on some factors that will determine whether or not a student will qualify for the program. I would just like to know what are some ideas that you may have on how you would focus your resources to create the greatest impact for your community if you had limited resources available to you. 

Good Day,

I'm a resident of Worcester, MA, the 2nd largest city in Massachusetts.  I also serve on a number of city boards and commissions in my area.  Including a local Community Center, Anti-Foreclosure Team, Public Transportation Advisory Cabinet, Neighborhood Advisory Cabinet, Emercency Preparedness, and the Worcester Commission on Disabilities.   

These boards are centered around America's most vulnerable population, the low income,  homeless, and most of all the elderly and disabled. Everyone is aware of the financial crisis taking place.  Yet during recent budget cuts one of the cities most important offices was eliminated,  The Office of Health and Social Services.  Without professional advice and assistance, including the loss of our ADA Coordinator, many have given their resignations, and public involvement has declined. The loss of these boards needed to assist and enforce ordinances and laws, has led to a greater decline, "the Quality of Life"

The overall killer of moral was when the City Council awarded themselves and 80% pay raise.  Many throughout the community feel that government grants should be more earmarked, and closely monitored.  Preventing this revenue from simply being placed into the general fund, where such actions are approved.  The need for other public service, including police, fire, and public health personel far outweigh the need for council raises. 

Worcester did recieve grants for homelessness, many of whom are returning veterans, and those with physical and mental dissabilities.  Without the Health and Social Services Department, many questions and referals go unanswered.  Requirements and responsibilities of volunteers has been escalated to more of a professional level.  The few that remain find themselves faced with more that they can handle, and applicatilications to serve are few.  

How can those of us remaining try to encourage local legislature to make grants and even tax money more widespread, to cover all vital areas?  Like the rest of the country, voluneers are facing financial shortfalls, and doing community work can cost more that just time, energy, and dedication.  Travel expenses, computers and paper to prepare reports and take notes, right down to a cup of coffee for those meetings come at a cost.  A cost that many find wasted without goverment and legal assistance.  The only increased participation that I've noticed is those in need of shelter, and the growing population at our food pantries and homeless shelters.  How many more communities have seen the loss of local offices effect their community involvement.  You can't attend crime watch meetings without a police officer to organize and provide information, can you!     

Good Day,

I'm a resident of Worcester, MA, the 2nd largest city in Massachusetts.  I also serve on a number of city boards and commissions in my area.  Including a local Community Center, Anti-Foreclosure Team, Public Transportation Advisory Cabinet, Neighborhood Advisory Cabinet, Emercency Preparedness, and the Worcester Commission on Disabilities.   

These boards are centered around America's most vulnerable population, the low income,  homeless, and most of all the elderly and disabled. Everyone is aware of the financial crisis taking place.  Yet during recent budget cuts one of the cities most important offices was eliminated,  The Office of Health and Social Services.  Without professional advice and assistance, including the loss of our ADA Coordinator, many have given their resignations, and public involvement has declined. The loss of these boards needed to assist and enforce ordinances and laws, has led to a greater decline, "the Quality of Life"

The overall killer of moral was when the City Council awarded themselves and 80% pay raise.  Many throughout the community feel that government grants should be more earmarked, and closely monitored.  Preventing this revenue from simply being placed into the general fund, where such actions are approved.  The need for other public service, including police, fire, and public health personel far outweigh the need for council raises. 

Worcester did recieve grants for homelessness, many of whom are returning veterans, and those with physical and mental dissabilities.  Without the Health and Social Services Department, many questions and referals go unanswered.  Requirements and responsibilities of volunteers has been escalated to more of a professional level.  The few that remain find themselves faced with more that they can handle, and applicatilications to serve are few.  

How can those of us remaining try to encourage local legislature to make grants and even tax money more widespread, to cover all vital areas?  Like the rest of the country, voluneers are facing financial shortfalls, and doing community work can cost more that just time, energy, and dedication.  Travel expenses, computers and paper to prepare reports and take notes, right down to a cup of coffee for those meetings come at a cost.  A cost that many find wasted without goverment and legal assistance.  The only increased participation that I've noticed is those in need of shelter, and the growing population at our food pantries and homeless shelters.  How many more communities have seen the loss of local offices effect their community involvement.  You can't attend crime watch meetings without a police officer to organize and provide information, can you!     

We strongly support the fixed price awards and urge the Corporation to implement them as quickly as is feasible to both new and existing grantees.  This will make AmeriCorps a much easier program to implement and will put the accountability focus on getting results through service and ensuring participant eligibility/hours, which is where it should be.  Fixed price grants will make AmeriCorps more accessible and more focused on results!

To enhance the opportunities for individuals with disabilities through combining assets, the Corporation should consider collaborative demonstration grants with federal agencies that support people with disabilities including Social Security Administration, US Department of Education and US Department of Labor. This strategic partnership could identify complimentary and common priorities including promoting service and use of the education award to attend postsecondary education by individuals with intellectual disabilities; service as an avenue to meaningful employment and opportunities for disability benefits personnel and national service grantees to learn from each other.

I am a graduate of the Public Allies program and had the good fortune to participate in the program when the First Lady was its executive director.  The program taught me to utilize the assets already on the ground within a community.  I hope that the Corporation for National & Community Service will keep this in mind when evaluating where to invest.  It is always better to strengthen and expand existing programs and to do so in partnership with communities.  Otherwise, the solutions although often well funded are usually short lived.

If you are interested in learning about how to make the greatest impact and how to stimulate investment my advice is to speak to participants and graduates of the national service programs, and to leaders of small non-profits.  I am continuoulsy amazed at the resourcefulness and ingenuity of these leaders.

The government has a role to play in national service, however, it is a supporting role.  It should be a resource for funding ideas, access to technology, and access to the educational training and resources non-profit leaders need in order to effectively run their organizations and serve the community. 

As an AmeriCorps*NCCC alum, I speak from experience when I say one of the most difficult aspects of serving on a national level was re-entry into normal society after the program. Similar to how many military service men and women receive assistance when coming back from abroad, AmeriCorps alumni (and many other full-time service program participants) need a lot more help to get their lives rolling again. This help is needed in actual financial assistance, however I believe establishing a network of National Service Halfway Homes could help that transition. Establish requirements, such as required duration of full-time service, and invite recent graduates of these programs to live there for a limited amount of time in order to establish roots and make contacts in their new environments. After giving so much of themselves, it doesn't seem right to burden these volunteers with finding immediate housing. Re-entering society takes time, whether to apply to college, find a job, find and join the next non-for-profit or volunteer group.

The National Service Halfway House network should be entirely online and allow home owners and landlords to post information about their housing options. The system could be set up with either dedicated full-time high-capacity homes around the country, or individuals/families could offer extra rooms. If the housing can not be offered for free (funded by grants), there should be a regionally/metropolitan area adjusted ceiling to what monthly rate could be charged the former volunteers.

Through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), nearly 100,000 older adults are paid 20 hours a week throughout the year to provide community services at local nonprofit and public agencies. Stronger collaboration between all CNCS programs and SCSEP agencies and grantees would magnify the impact of both CNCS and SCSEP networks on meeting unmet community needs. In particular, linking AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America with SCSEP could create new synergies that could increase the capacity of local efforts related to education, health, clean energy, veterans, and economic opportunity.  A first step might be a dialogue between CNCS and the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.

I firmly believe that government should act as a catalyst in our communities. When government provides the means for people in the private and public sector to get together around an issue, great things can happen.  Government does not need to do everything, it doesn't need to make all the changes or provide the plans for every initiative, but it does need to support a place for citizens to come together to impact our communities.  What can our government do to create these spaces?  1) Invite a diversity of entities to come together to discuss topics and make plans around public issues and policy - sometimes it is hard for people not actively involved in public policy to feel they have a place.  3) provide funds that get down to many diverse activities in the community.  A wide range of activities, even if they are not connected, provide for a great coverage of service.  3)  Invest in volunteer structures, not just volunteer recruitment.  A million volunteers into service does nothing if you don't have the structures in place to get the volunteers into meaningful service.  4) Invite others to discuss how government can become a strong catalyst.  I am not an expert on this, but think there is great potential.  So let's see what ideas are out there.

In addition to blending national service program streams together, national service needs to be a community responsibility, not just reliant on programs "doing for" communities.  For example, a community should come together and ask, "What can we accomplish in our community with the many resources of national service?"  They should also ask themselves, "How much should I contribute to community match?"  This would allow for a more community coordinated response to social problems as well as encourage the community to take more responsibility to make the community match.  This perhaps could be a project under the Social Innovation Fund.

For institutions with good track records managing diverse CNCS programs, allow single application for all CNCS program areas.  This would allow staff to maximize the management of the program in:  training; data management; research and evaluation; recruitment; media and public awareness.  It would allow more flexibility and get better results overall.

Require states to make effective use of its state service planning process to maximize public awareness, recruitment, training and research opportunities as well as to coordinate and collaborate to form an efficient and effective state system for nurturing, growing and tending to national service in their states.

There needs to be a Service Learning coordinators from the Service Learning grantees to oversee what is being done on behave of service-learning regardless of which Corp is providing services. This is to ensure the consistency on the quality of true Service Learning activities and understanding that it is a "teach methodology".

AmeriCorps members in K-12 school based of Learn and Service should have Service Learning grantee contact information so they can contact them and work together on opportunities to strengthen the quality of service. Most Higher Education grantee within Service Learning would be excellent partners and would have good suggestions.

I am a service learning director at a research university.  Just recently I attended a meeting with several public school faculty present.  When asked about their work they began relating their stories about high school students.  Upon asking a student "How can I help you?" (student who was in danger of failing) the response she received was "I just need someone to care."  She and other faculty have since called and visited with the student, who is now passing and interested in school.  Our nation needs to implement policy which sustains systems that care about our children.  Strategies like social workers in public schools, Americorps and Senior Corps in public schools, required service learning that is aligned with the k-12 quality sl standards and the school curriculum and persons in charge of these programs who are knowledgable about sl and about children.  Attention to welll educated, well prepared, and well paid professionals, including but not only classroom teachers, who care about children and who know how to inspire them to do their best, in spite of any family situation.  

I would just like to say that if the goal is to engage citizens in solving problems simply offering volunteer opportunities is not enough. Training in service-learning to ensure the quality of service and to create the conditions for further innovation/program improvement is really important.

We need to build a more accurate picture of what volunteers, working within best practices, values and standards of the field, contribute to society with mutuality (reciprocity) and respect. More emphasis should be placed on ongoing community volunteers who want to sustain their services over a period of years – keeping in mind that one form of volunteer service can lead to another. 

Best practices in volunteer resources management in many ways mirror best practices in service-learning and best practices in these two areas need not be mutually exclusive – although they may take different forms and manifest in slightly different ways.  Where there are distinctions, these two sub-sectors can strengthen each other.  A strong relationship across these two sub-sectors of the field must be nurtured.

All forms of volunteer service must be equally valued and honored for their unique contributions to our country and world.  Leaders in the various forms of service must work together in a collaborative manner to fully achieve the success for which we strive.

·        Minnesota’s success in implementing the Serve America Act is dependent on retaining and expanding critically important existing collaborative partnerships among MAVA, Minnesota’s Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service and Minnesota’s Service Commission called ServeMinnesota.

·        The most streamlined way to implement the Serve America Act is to retain the existing infrastructure described above.  Combining State Corporation Offices with State Service Commissions or regionalizing State Corporation Offices in many ways would entail “starting over”, disrupting effective relationships and increasing bureaucracy with new or changed systems.  It could take years to rebuild what already is in place and working.  Log jams due to the transition would seriously inhibit effective implementation of the Serve America Act.  

·        In addition to retaining and expanding the above described infrastructure, adequate resources to support effective collaboration and partnerships across the various “streams of service” will be critical to success. For example, cross training of service-learning coordinators and volunteer resources leaders will greatly increase the implementation of best practices in both areas.  Resources are needed for both and should be carried out by experienced leaders, who are practitioners, from each sub-sector.  There is a body of knowledge for each area that must be transmitted.

·        Collaborative partnerships among organizations such as MAVA, service-learning leadership organizations, nonprofit leadership organizations and volunteer resource centers throughout the state for cross-training, technical assistance and partnership building at the state and local levels, would lead to the greatest community results.

It's important to recognize the benefits public government agencies can bring to local AmeriCorps programs working with private community based non-profits. We, the California Administrative Office of the Courts, are the lead grantee, administrator of funds, and statewide coordinator for our California JusticeCorps program. Our program is a partnership of the state judicial branch including local courts, public and private local universities and private community based legal aid agencies. The issue area we address is social justice, specifically access to legal services for people coming to court without attorneys who need help navagating the system to resolve legal issues involving family, housing and financial stability.  As a public agency, we bring administrative and fiscal capacity to our private community based non-profit partners, allowing them to do more, serve more people and have greater impact. We are not just the fiscal agent, but the coordinator of our program's activities. We place our members in service in public/government agency sites - our local courthouses - wich is somewht unusual for AmeriCorps programs.  But as our performance measure reporting has proven, this is where the people in need are, this is where the services need to be provided. We just want to acknowledge that there are models for service delivery that should be fostered beyond the more traditional focus on services provided exclusively by and within community based non-profits.  Government agencies and non-profits can work together in innovative ways.

Many agencies offering the same programs in the same neighborhoods are a waist of administrative efforts due to small number of clients.

Agencies should aim to have a critical mass of clients and administration to effectively measure outcomes and manage their staff.

The end result of financing fragmented programs at the minimal level is ineffective efforts, incompetence and wasted dollars. Consolidating all programming and over managing the systems stifles innovation and prevents the rich benefit of diversity. The middle ground seems to lie in a truly effective form of collaboration. Within institutions, cities, counties, and states efforts must be made to concept map services and needs to truly focus funding for maximum impact. Technology is the key to effective collaboration. Our networks and stakeholder groups have grown tremendously with increased accessibility. We are able to solicit feedback and input beyond the scope of our skills to process information, weigh pros and cons, determine a best course of action and implement a truly collaborative plan. In sum, we must streamline our programming and increase cross collaboration. However, the true solution lies in a paradigm shift in the way we solve problems, make enforceable decisions and implement solutions.

As stated in the detailed summery of the new Bill, the National/State AmeriCorps program plan to include programs focusing on access to a "musician/artists corp program".

What are the particulars of this new program?

Encourage volunteers to engage their local businesses and other nonprofit groups.  Developing partnerships with chambers of commerce in the communities where VISTAs or other AmeriCorps volunteers are placed will further enable partnerships of nonprofits and the business sector to combine resources, i.e. greater volunteer base, donations, community service ideas.  When VISTAs bring together diverse groups in their host commuity, discussions of how to improved the quality of life will produce a greater sense of working together as a community, where big things can get done (i.e. community events, awareness campaigns).

I would like to see some grants available for localities to establish an Office for Community Engagement and Volunteerism.  This office could be a "one stop-shop" for community volunteers to learn about all the different volunteer opportunities in their community. Each nonprofit/community agency could submit its need for volunteers to this office and they could be the clearinghouse for community volunteers.  In addition, this large pool of community volunteers could be contacted in an emergency situation and asked to help their local health department or emergency management office to provide needed services.  Volunteer hours could be tracked and volunteers could receive gift certificates to local businesses/events based on the number of hours they complete.

Southwestern Illinois College serves community college district #522 in Illinois.  The district covers parts of 7 counties.  The RSVP program covers parts of St. Clair and Madison counties.  We could decrease overhead/admin costs substantially by combining the two RSVP programs in St. Clair county, keeping the other director and her office in E. St. Louis as a field coordinator/field office.  Then she would have administrative support and could do her job more effectively. E. St. Louis has a small program of maybe 150-200 volunteers; SWIC's program boasts 1300+ volunteers.

Consider focusing on initiatives that show organizations working in partnership together to leverage greater reach and depth of service. This program should look at the power of consortiums rather than simply deliver resources to single organizations.  An example is the Business Volunteers for the Arts program. 

How can the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs capitalize on the diversity of our programs while also coordinating efforts creatively and effectively for maximum impact?

From an organizational development perspective, I think you would need a statement of intended key outcomes supported by a set of key strategies. Those strategies should serve as a basis for creating some type of matrix management system within the Corporation. For example, if the key intended outcome is to address poverty in certain urban communities across the country, the strategy might include enhancing educational opportunities. Someone in the Corporation should be a process manager focused on this outcome and strategy and able to facilitate focus and implementation of key initiatives across the silos of AmeriCorps and Vista volunteers and any subset in the form of an Education Corps; the Social Innovation Fund; the Serve and Learn programs; Summer of Service, etc. If the Corporation maintains only a traditional management infrastructure with programmatic silos, it will not achieve maximum impact. Those at the community level who deal with the whole system will waste time and effort doing multiple applications and simply working with the Corporation's vertical architecture. They need process manager type champions focused on the key outcomes we all want to see happen who create a horizontal field of resource choices that can be custom assembled to meet the need in that community.

This needs to be done locally and strategicly.  We may need to work locally to design a plan of work.  and, again we need to develop
infra structure and capacity to do it.  We have great local volunteer centers which are not connect very well state wide. This is a huge marketing and education hurdle, inorder to combine assets in a fair and equitalbe way across many diverse programs
Sometimes national efforts do not seep down to the local level and it is a real burden to keep asking programs to do all the work.  It should
included in infra structure support.

I currently supervise a VISTA as part of two federal grants that I coordinate. I believe that VISTAs in our public schools are a tremendous asset. They empower parents, connect families to school-based services and improve protective factors for at-risk children and youth. In a large urban school district like Milwaukee, a VISTA in every school could help transform the education system.

Welcome to the "Combining Assets for Greater Impact" discussion forum.  We look forward to your thoughts and ideas!