Learn and Serve America, Senior Corps

Project STAR: Performance Measurement

lauran — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:20:38 -0500

Welcome to Project STAR Online!

Project STAR is a Corporation for National and Community Service sponsored technical assistance provider in performance measurement. We help set up national service program performance measurement systems and analyze the outputs and outcomes for program improvement.

For more information, please contact Project Star at 800-548-3656 or star@JBSinternational.com

Click on your national service program icon to access performance measurement assistance now!

Federal Financial Report (FFR)

corik — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:43:48 -0600

In January 2009, CNCS grantees will begin reporting financial data using the new Federal Financial Report (FFR). This will replace the Financial Status Report (FSR). The following materials will provide you with an overview of the new report:

Federal Financial Report (PDF)
View the new Federal Financial Report form and the general instructions for completing the form.

Professional Media Relations

Angelaw — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:45:21 -0600

Participants in this intensive five Friday half-day training designed specifically for nonprofit communicators plan media campaigns around one of their own stories, while learning basic public relations skills. Participants in the course also get the opportunity to develop a story and pitch it to journalists. The course includes one copy per organizations of Spin Works, the nonprofit pR handbook, and one copy of Getting on the Air, Online & into Print 2009, our indispensible directory of area media contacts plus many valuable handouts.

Trainers: Thom Clark and Gordon Mayer

National Conference on Volunteering and Service, June 22-24, 2009 in San Francisco, CA

corik — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:13:02 -0500

Mark your calendars today to attend the world's largest gathering of volunteer and civic leaders next June in San Francisco, one of the most innovative and exciting cities in the world! Co-convened by HandsOn Network and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the annual event provides attendees with an opportunity to learn, connect, and be inspired through a wide range of exciting and informative plenary sessions, workshops, special events, service projects, exhibits, specialized "tracks," and more. Past speakers have included Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, Colin Powell, Representative John Lewis, Jon Bon Jovi, and many more. For more information and for highlights from Conference 2008, visit www.VolunteeringandService.org.

Spirit of Service Award Winners

corik — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:00:26 -0500

These annual awards recognize outstanding participants in each of the Corporation’s three main programs—Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. This year, the Corporation and the Points of Light & Hands On Network are instituting a new corporate Spirit of Service Award honoring one company that embodies an ethic of service through its entire business enterprise, including a commitment to engaging employees, customers, and business peers in giving back as a core business practice. Read about the Senior Corps award recipients; AmeriCorps award recipients; and Learn and Serve Recipients Wendy Doromal, Nick Metrakos, and the seventh grade class at Monforton School.

Writing inclusive service descriptions

magdalenam — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:22:31 -0500

An important step in creating an inclusive national service program is to review your program's current service descriptions. Prior to any recruiting outreach efforts, it is critical to clearly define the tasks that need to be accomplished, the environment where the participant will serve, and other important details of the position. This effective practice, provided by the National Service Inclusion Project in March of 2007, outlines this strategy as part of an overall plan for making your program inclusive.

Preparing mentors to work with older foster youth

magdalenam — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:56:12 -0500

Foster youth may have significant needs and issues that can inhibit the successful development of mentoring relationships. Many have experienced separation and loss in their lives, making it difficult for them to form positive relationships with an adult. Mentoring foster youth who are preparing for independence requires long-term commitment from mentors. And mentoring programs serving these youth must provide intensive training and support for mentors to help them develop the lasting relationships foster youth need. This effective practice highlights strategies used by the Powerhouse Mentoring Program — a community-based mentoring program that provides one-on-one mentoring for youth ages 13–21 in the foster care system in Multnomah County, Oregon. The mission of Powerhouse is to provide community-based mentoring to youth in foster care to enhance their successful transitions from adolescence to adulthood.

Facilitating volunteering benefits for people with disabilities

magdalenam — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:49:02 -0500

People with disabilities volunteer for many of the same reasons as those without disabilities — to forge new relationships, gain personal satisfaction and social status, hone marketable skills, and for networking opportunities. This effective practice, excerpted with permission from an article by Angela Novak Amado, and published in the online edition of Impact: Feature Issue on Volunteerism by Persons with Developmental Disabilities, addresses how program directors and supervisors can enhance the volunteer experience for people with disabilities, allowing them to gain the most from their efforts, and subsequently reaping the ultimate benefits for the communities in which they serve. Elesheva Soloff with the National Service Inclusion Project submitted this effective practice in June 2008.

Planning and conducting a pilot test

magdalenam — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:21:00 -0500

Pilot testing involves conducting a preliminary test of data collection tools and procedures to identify and eliminate problems, allowing programs to make corrective changes or adjustments before actually collecting data from the target population. This effective practice describes advantages of pilot testing, lists simple procedures to pilot test instruments, and provides additional resources to help programs conduct their own pilot tests and was submitted by Project STAR in September 2008.

Interviewing potential applicants using an inclusive process

magdalenam — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:34:51 -0500

The interview and selection process for applicants with disabilities has many legal considerations that can be intimidating for program staff. In most cases when an error is made, it is not because of the intent to discriminate, but because the interviewer wants to help, desires more information, or wants to clarify information. This effective practice offers some basic guidelines to help programs conduct successful interviews and was submitted by the National Service Inclusion Project in August 2008.

Engaging at-risk youth in leadership development

magdalenam — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:14:43 -0500

For years, the field of youth development has stressed the benefit of cultivating leadership skills in teens — oftentimes among those that are already excelling. However, with appropriate encouragement and training, many future leaders can be found among so-called “at-risk” youth. Recognizing this reality, former school counselor, Mariam MacGregor, empowered a new breed of teen leaders at an alternative high school in Thornton, Colorado. This effective practice examines her innovative methods and can prove valuable for national service programs seeking to build future leaders, peer mentors, and tutors. Staff of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (LEARNS) submitted this effective practice in September 2008.

Encouraging pro bono service with alumni from the business and management sector

magdalenam — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:54:25 -0500

As more companies and individuals are volunteering professional skills to assist nonprofit organizations in creating or improving business practices, pro bono has moved from the legal field to encompass many arenas. This effective practice highlights the efforts of Harvard Business School Community Partners to provide alumni the opportunity to offer pro bono services in projects that involve key business issues such as strategic planning, organizational development, marketing, and board governance.

Offering decentralized pro bono service with a management consulting firm

magdalenam — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:44:57 -0500

As more companies and individuals are volunteering professional skills to assist nonprofit organizations in creating or improving business practices, pro bono has moved from the legal field to encompass many arenas. This effective practice highlights the efforts of McKinsey & Company, an to offer pro bono services that help a variety of leading institutions address important societal challenges.

Instituting pro bono service with an intermediary organization

magdalenam — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:25:57 -0500

As more companies and individuals are volunteering professional skills to assist nonprofit organizations in creating or improving business practices, pro bono has moved from the legal field to encompass many arenas. This effective practice highlights the efforts of Monitor Group in it’s collaboration with New Profit to offer pro bono services in the management and advertising fields — ultimately expanding capital and creating social change.

Establishing pro bono service with a design firm

magdalenam — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:41:47 -0500

As more companies and individuals are volunteering professional skills to assist nonprofit organizations in creating or improving business practices, pro bono has moved from the legal field to encompass many arenas. This effective practice examines how various nonprofits in New York utilized Pentagram Design’s pro bono services to revitalize a park, green space, and public theater.

Establishing pro bono service for nonprofit organizations with corporate counsel

magdalenam — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:28:52 -0500

Although recently broadening in application and scope, pro bono has come to be synonymous with the legal field. This effective practice highlights General Electric’s efforts to stimulate and encourage pro bono service to nonprofit organizations by corporate counsel, and the subsequent successful results.

Establishing pro bono service to deliver marketing and communications assistance to local nonprofit organizations

magdalenam — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:22:03 -0500

As more companies and individuals are volunteering professional skills to assist nonprofit organizations in creating or improving business practices, pro bono has moved from the legal field to encompass many arenas. This effective practice highlights how Time Warner established a pro bono consulting firm to increase the impact of community engagement practices already in place, and offers successful project examples.

Encouraging pro bono service in the advertising and communications industry

magdalenam — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:06:58 -0500

As more companies and individuals are volunteering professional skills to assist nonprofit organizations in creating or improving business practices, pro bono has moved from the legal field to encompass many arenas. This effective practice highlights the Ad Council’s efforts to utilize pro bono services in their advertising campaigns, and the subsequent successful results.

Preventing youth from becoming victims of cyberbullying

magdalenam — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:04:39 -0500

As more and more students spend more time on the Internet, not only in pursuit of academic activities, but as a way to socialize, there are dangers that tutors, mentors, and parents should be aware of. This effective practice, excerpted from materials written by Vanessa Van Petten, examines the issue of cyberbullying and is from the America Learns Network of tutoring and mentoring strategies.

Overcoming barriers and creating opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in national service programs

magdalenam — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:13:57 -0500

People with disabilities are actively engaged in volunteering and providing services in their communities. However, this hasn’t always been the case, and individuals with disabilities have had to overcome historical and cultural barriers to achieve participation. This effective practice is excerpted, with permission, from the article by Bonnie Shoultz and K. Charlie Lakin, “Volunteer and Service Opportunities for People with Developmental Disabilities.” The practice identifies some of the difficulties that may still be encountered as this population pursues a variety of service options, and poses some questions to ask when deciding on the right volunteer “fit.” Submitted by Elesheva Soloff, with the National Service Inclusion Project, in June 2008.

Monthly Feature March 2006: Tell the Story of National Service!

corik — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:17:28 -0500

Share the impact of national service with your funders, media, and community. The Corporation for National and Community Service has published the 2005–06 State Profiles. The profiles are snapshots of projects, participants, and funding in each state, based upon the data submitted by grantees. You can use these profiles in your own marketing efforts to demonstrate the scope, reach, and value of national service.

Suggested Library Items

lauran — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:01:57 -0500

Check back often as we are building a list of library items to replace the printed library catalog, last published in 2002.

We will be including short lists of our suggested favorites as well as complete lists of all our holdings on various topics.

You can search for just library items, or see library items mixed in with your other results when browsing topics.

Financial Management

lauran — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:06:59 -0500

Organizations need to handle funds wisely. This may include developing written policies and procedures, internal controls, and budget controls. Corporation grantees will also need to be familiar with documenting in-kind donations, time and activity reporting, generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Corporation regulations, and OMB circulars. Following are some of our most relevant resources related to this topic.

21st Century Guide to Volunteering: Freedom Corps, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Learn and Serve - National Service Programs Serving

pingv — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:10:18 -0500

CD-ROM containing vital information about the work of Federal Government volunteer programs. Offers over 17,000 reproducible pages in Adobe Acrobat PDF format (software included). Designed as a convenient and user-friendly reference work that can be rapidly reviewed, searched, or printed. Includes speeches, press releases, public service announcements, fact sheets, national service news, member stories, Q & A's, and manuals and handbooks for each program type.

This Is National Service

pingv — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:10:16 -0500

Presents an overview of national service. Provides footage of volunteers serving in a sheriff's department and in special education classrooms. Briefly outlines the functions of Learn and Serve America, Senior Corps, and AmeriCorps. 5 minutes.