Virginia AmeriCorps Program Directors Update

AmeriCorps Program Directors Monthly Update | October 15, 2020

Reminder: Next Virginia AmeriCorps Program Director

Zoom Meeting is Monday, October 19, 2020, 10-11am,

Zoom Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/93188984311 Password R9V.^rye0B

See you then!

Expanding AmeriCorps in Virginia

Do you know organizations who could use the help of AmeriCorps members? Help us spread the word! Please share the following information/language with organizations in your region you think could be a great fit for AmeriCorps:

Has your nonprofit organization been looking for ways to increase your impact? Are you interested in opportunities to effectively address community needs while supporting community members in developing a passion for community service? AmeriCorps State might be your answer!!

In the midst of increasing needs for community resources, organizations are serving more individuals than ever before. AmeriCorps State grants offer the opportunity to leverage your existing resources with AmeriCorps funding to serve more local families and offer community members an opportunity to make a difference in your area.

AmeriCorps supports a wide range of local service programs that engage thousands of Americans in intensive community service each year. AmeriCorps provides grants through state commissions to a network of local and national organizations and agencies committed to using national service to address critical community needs. Successful grantees use their AmeriCorps funding to recruit, train, and manage AmeriCorps members in service to address unmet community needs in six focus areas: education, healthy futures, environmental stewardship, veterans and military families, disaster services, and economic opportunity.

AmeriCorps members help organizations expand services, build capacity, develop partnerships, leverage resources, create sustainable programs, and recruit and manage other volunteers.

In the fall/winter of 2020, the Virginia Service Commission anticipates releasing two Requests for Applications for AmeriCorps funding. These opportunities provide operational support and/or planning grants, open to new and existing grantees.

Find out more about AmeriCorps.

General AmeriCorps

Informational Webinars

November 12th at 10am

November 19th at 3pm

These webinars are for applicants interested in learning more about AmeriCorps. They will discuss the mission, vision, and guidelines of AmeriCorps.

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Grant Application AmeriCorps

Informational Webinar

December 3rd at 3pm

This webinar will discuss how to approach the AmeriCorps Formula grant application. It is highly recommended for new applicants to attend in order to learn more about the nuances of the AmeriCorps RFA.

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REGISTRATION

To register for any of the webinars or to request a consultation with our staff, please register here: https://forms.gle/Nmqhhric66HHjxUN8

Program Compliance

Prohibited Activities - Please review the 2020 Terms and Conditions, Section V.C. which states that “All locations where members serve should post a list of the prohibited activities, when possible.” VSC is having updated posters printed. In the interim, you may use the following resources (also available on the Resource Portal) to share with your members:

CNCS grantees are expected to provide extensive and impactful staff, member, and site training to ensure compliance with the rules on the prohibited activities. What do we mean by extensive and impactful training?

Extensive: Train staff, board, members, sites, volunteers; re-enforce and re-train throughout program year; use multiple and diverse methods for delivering content; dedicate significant time to this task
Impactful: Check knowledge of all training participants

What do you do if you find a problem with performance and/or compliance? Standard steps to take include (tailor these as necessary for your situation):

Document everything
Re-train staff, members, volunteers
Follow-up within a reasonable period to confirm correction
Take management steps if correction does not occur (e.g., terminate staff or member, end site partnership)
Notify the Virginia Service Commission if you discover a violation of the prohibited activities
Always err on the side of over-informing when it comes to prohibited activities

Programmatic Policies and Procedures - You should develop and document policies and procedures that lay the framework for how your program will be managed. A well‐written and comprehensive set of policies and procedures will help your program run more efficiently and effectively, while also ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Some policies are mandated requirements, but you will want to create other policies as well that are tailored to your program and your organization. You are strongly encouraged to create a manual of your program’s policies and procedures for easy access by anyone affiliated with your program.

Required Policies

Before you enroll members, you should create policies compliant with AmeriCorps requirements. Your program policies and program monitoring must ensure compliance with program requirements, including, but not limited to:

Non‐discrimination
Prohibited Activities
Reasonable Accommodation
Dispute Resolution procedures
Criminal History Screening
AmeriCorps member safety safeguards
Site selection criteria and process
Recordkeeping
AmeriCorps member eligibility documentation
AmeriCorps member information confidentiality

Program‐Specific Policies

Programs should develop vacation and sick leave policies for members; policies for member selection, evaluation, and termination; standards of member conduct, attendance requirements, and dress codes; requirements of sites for progress reporting, promoting AmeriCorps Affiliate identity, communication hierarchies, etc.

The above‐mentioned policies that you develop serve as the basis for your site and member agreements. These policies should be included in any program manual or handbook that you distribute to sites and members. Throughout the life of your program, it is a good idea to continue to develop and refine policies and procedures that guide your program implementation.

Communications Update

Virginia AmeriCorps in the News - Recently, Virginia's AmeriCorps programs were the focus of a 30-minute interview through the Virginia News Network on more than 30 radio stations across the Commonwealth. Roxanne Saunders, AmeriCorps Program Manager, explained how AmeriCorps programs provide vital services for nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and government agencies across the state. Listen to the full interview here.

AmeriCorps Branding Overhaul Has Launched - CNCS has officially launched the new AmeriCorps branding/logos. The Virginia Service Commission has begun the process of updating the VirginiaService.virginia.gov website, VSC documents/forms/templates, and on its social media platforms. Visit the new AmeriCorps Branding Resources section of the CNCS website for toolkits, logos, guidelines, and templates.

Training & Technical Assistance

AmeriCorps Opening Day - All recordings, slides, and handouts from 2020-21 AmeriCorps Opening Day are on VirginiaService.virginia.gov in the Resource Portal under Training and also Member Resources.

Additional Training Opportunities

OnCorps New Program Directors/Staff Training: Time Tracking (12pm, Oct. 21)

Recorded OnCorps Training Sessions

OnCorps PDF Trainings

Happenings Around the State and Beyond

Virginia College Advising Corps Fiscal and Administrative Coordinator Position Available - The College Advising Corps is seeking a staff member to provide administrative support for pre- and post-grant awards, including form creation and submission, correspondence, and follow-up, preparation of budget application submissions, execution of grant award documents More.

All for Good is Becoming Points of Light Engage - All For Good, the volunteer opportunity information resource, will soon transition to become part of the Points of Light website as Points of Light Engage. The new resource will launch Nov. 30, 2020, and will feature updates to the design, search and filtering features, along with many of the same basic features previously on AllforGood.org. If you currently use AllforGood.org to post volunteer opportunities, you will need to set up a new account on the new site and begin posting opportunities there.