Resources tagged with term(s) "AmeriCorps VISTA, Retention"

  • EnCorps: Tried and true resources for member development
    Find the field-tested resources you need to recruit and train AmeriCorps and VISTA members. This site assists program staff in finding and sharing proven practices for recruiting and developing...
  • Celebrating service: a staff guide to recognition strategies
    Volunteers and service members have a real impact on the people and communities they serve and deserve to be recognized for their efforts. This effective practice highlights tips and tools for...
  • Helping to ensure the physical and mental health of members and service recipients
    A key component of a quality training program is providing the information and skills that members need to perform their service safely and effectively. Training should also focus on the physical,...
  • Crafting a comprehensive approach to leadership development
    Creating a leadership development program requires clarity on leadership values as well as competencies, lucidity on the purpose for which a program is developing leaders, intentionality about...
  • Forming and sustaining an InterCorps Council
    InterCorps Councils connect and coordinate programs statewide, share resources, promote leadership skills and an ethic of service, and provide a forum for service members to voice collective opinions...
  • Using a blog to manage information and promote communication
    Weblogs, or blogs, are a simplified kind of content management system requiring minimal technical skills and little or no financial cost. AmeriCorps*VISTA supervisors serving with Austin Free-Net...
  • Creating strategies to deal with absenteeism among members
    Although most members are usually conscientious, truancy and lateness can cause a loss of morale for an entire program. This effective practice offers strategies for dealing with absenteeism and...
  • Using a policy and procedure manual to guide volunteers
    AmeriCorps*VISTA members working with Arrowhead Farms Association in San Bernardino, California, are developing and implementing a drug-prevention mentoring program (2002). A Policy and Procedure...
  • Supporting community technology center (CTC) AmeriCorps*VISTA members
    There are about 75 AmeriCorps*VISTA members serving in 35 community technology centers (CTCs) across the country (2002). The CTC VISTA project is a collaboration between AmeriCorps*VISTA, the...
  • Recruiting and training parent volunteers as literacy tutors
    Ryan Kerby, Superintendent for the New Plymouth School District, in Boise, Idaho, believed that parents could become a positive force in the schools in his district with the proper training and...
  • Recruiting AmeriCorps*VISTA members and volunteers with a newspaper column
    The RSVP of Cocoa, Florida, uses a local newspaper column on volunteerism to recruit AmeriCorps*VISTA members and volunteers for the project. The weekly "Spotlight on Volunteers" column provides an...
  • Building a supportive infrastructure
    An organization's infrastructure should simplify communication and support teamwork. Organizations with a weak infrastructure can appear unorganized and ineffective to potential volunteers, funders...
  • Assigning importance to member evaluation
    Members gain a great deal when they are involved in evaluating their work and project achievements. This effective practice, from the October 1999 issue of Mosaica's newsletter, Training Briefs, will...
  • Using members as training resources
    Well-planned and effective training reflects member needs, builds on member expertise, and also works to meet broader program goals. Mosaica's newsletter, TrainingBriefs (February 1998, no. 6), shows...
  • Training with style
    A trainer's personal style can add to the effectiveness of interactive training. Mosaica's newsletter, TrainingBriefs (December 1997, no. 5), identifies behaviors that typically enhance participant...
  • Grouping purposefully for effective training
    When using small groups, be sure to consider group composition. Purposeful grouping can be powerful as a tool to achieve desired outcomes from training sessions. This effective practice comes from...
  • Setting clear expectations of guest trainers
    Guest trainers can bring many benefits to a training session, but they can create problems if they don't receive adequate guidance and support. Follow the advice of Mosaica's newsletter, Guest...
  • Finding guest trainers
    Mosaica's newsletter, Guest Trainers: Where to Find Them (TrainingBriefs, no. 8), explains that by being creative and resourceful, fantastic guest trainers can be found "right in your own...
  • Assessing and addressing member training needs
    Always keep in mind the assets and needs of members while developing training session objectives and activities. Mosaica's newsletter, TrainingBriefs (August 1998, no. 9), will help trainers develop...
  • Using training toys in your sessions
    No one ever said that training sessions have to be boring. Mosaica's newsletter, TrainingBriefs (December 1998, no. 11), presents reasons for incorporating toys such as Play-Doh, pipe cleaners, and...
  • Integrating community into training
    The best way to show members the importance of working with the community is to incorporate the community into every aspect of your program, including your training. Mosaica's newsletter,...
  • Recruiting community service members and keeping them focused
    Recruit the best people for the job and keep them focused throughout the project. Prepare clear and accurate position descriptions to determine characteristics best suited to meet the demands of the...
  • Motivating and sustaining members
    One of the most difficult tasks confronting national service supervisors is helping members develop and sustain a commitment to service throughout a program year. Members are likely to develop and...
  • Planning your recruitment process
    Recruiting from a pool of targeted leads can decrease member attrition. A recruitment process should take into consideration what the program needs and what it can offer, where to develop leads to...