Wisconsin Awarded over $6 Million in AmeriCorps Funding!

Serve Wisconsin is proud to announce that the State of Wisconsin will receive over $6 million in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for volunteering and service programs. 

This federal investment will support 851 AmeriCorps members serving in 23 programs statewide and  leverage $5 million in local resources for our Wisconsin communities. The AmeriCorps Members are eligible to earn  education awards totaling over $3 million in additional federal funding to support their academic goals.

Funding will also support the development of three new AmeriCorps programs--expanding the reach, creativity and depth of service AmeriCorps members provide the State of Wisconsin.

This funding will continue to support Wisconsin's strong tradition of helping those in need and civic engagement. AmeriCorps members will tackle some of our toughest community problems: the opioid epidemic, the academic achievement gap, building homes for low-income families, helping people access healthcare, serving in summer camps for individuals with disabilities,  and  helping homeless teens find safe housing.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) released its annual rankings of the states and cities that generate the most AmeriCorps members ( the complete list can be found here).

"We are incredibly proud that Madison is 6th in the nation among large cities for recruiting AmeriCorps members. Madison has a legacy of civic engagement and we are proud to continue the tradition," said, Jeanne Duffy, Executive Director of Serve Wisconsin, the state commission charged with managing AmeirCorps programs in the State of Wisconsin. 

The rankings were determined by associating the permanent address of AmeriCorps members to a U.S. designated place and state, including the District of Columbia. The analysis looked exclusively at members who served in program year 2016. For this analysis, a small city was defined as any place with a population greater than or equal to 100,000 people and less than 250,000 people. A large-sized city was defined as any place with a population greater than or equal to 250,000. States and cities listed produce the highest number of AmeriCorps members per capita.

Volunteer Engagement Professionals in small towns face unique challenges and opportunities that aren't always addressed by advice intended for city-based audiences. There are also fewer opportunities to connect with others doing similar work across the country. That's what led to the creation of AL!VE's Community of Practice (CoP) for volunteer engagement professionals in rural communities.

Communities of practice are really a semi-informal group of people who have a particular practice in common. The purpose of a CoP is for members to share issues, strategies, best practices, get and receive colleagues' support, make connections, and provide an opportunity to share information, experiences, and resources specific to their shared practice. They connect in a variety of ways, including online networking, occasional meetings, and hosted trainings, or discussions of issues or something unique to their shared practice.

The Rural CoP is more than a webinar series, it's a chance to get to know your peers, and have a network you can go to with questions or to get feedback on new ideas. We hope participants will reach out to each other between webinars as they virtually get to know each other. It's owned by the group, so share your questions, suggestions for upcoming topics, and resources that others would benefit from.

On our first webinar we discussed research conducted by  MAVA   on rural volunteerism, and how we saw similar themes playing out in our own communities. 

Coming up this month we'll dive into the topic of volunteer leadership succession. Many rural communities have those handful of leaders who are the chair of ev ery committee, for every event, and have been for decades. How have you found success in developing the next generation of volunteer leaders? How have you encouraged current volunteers to be open to new volunteers and new ideas? Bring your challenges, as well as ideas of what's worked in your community! Our next virtual gathering will be held Tuesday, August 28th, from 3-4pm EST. Register at http://mms.volunteeralive.org/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=49710 (Must be an AL!VE member, or join AL!VE to participate). We hope you'll join us, and/or share the opportunity with others who may be interested. Contact michelle.raymer@iowaeda.com with questions. 

Rural CoP Webinar: Volunteer Leadership Succession
Tuesday, August 28th, from 3-4pm EST
Registration link: http://mms.volunteeralive.org/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=49710