Resolve to Give this Year

What did you give in 2011?  Chances are you gave at least some of your time, skills, and resources to those around you need - be it family, friends, or complete strangers you served through a nonprofit or other cause.

How did giving make you feel?  It probably made you feel pretty good.  And if it did - why not do it more?

Maybe next year you'd like to increase your skills?  Make new friends?  Make a difference in the world?  Well: then volunteer!  Volunteering will help you better yourself and your community all at once.

Let's make this year make a real difference - let's make a year when we give more of ourselves and our tie to the causes we care about.

Cheers to a fulfilling and impactful 2012!

The Holiday Project - a movement bringing holiday hope

What if you were confined to a hospital during the holidays?  I don't know about you, but I know I would love some extra company if I were away from my family like that - especially over the holidays.

The Holiday Project, a movement started in Washington DC, is quickly making its way across the country to make a difference in the lives of individuals confined over the holidays.  All across the country, chapters of the Holiday Project are planning projects of bringing holiday cheer and love to those confined to hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions.

Join a nationwide movement this holiday season and participate in this season of giving by giving some company to those who will enjoy it: check out Holiday Project, see if there is a chapter in your area (there are a few in California!), or join in on the cause by seeking out opportunities in your area at your local volunteer center or a neighborhood nonprofit (try a hospice, hospital, or nursing home for ideas).

Happy Holidays!

"Tis the season... for group volunteering!

Be it families, groups from schools, faith-based organizations, or business employees,  the holidays are a popular time for pulling together with the people you know and love and donating your time together.  It's one of the best ways to make the season one of "giving."

VIP volunteers at a gleaning project

Volunteering is a great way to make your holiday season meaningful and memorable.  Not only can groups touch the lives of those in need, they can bond with each other and create shared moments that will last a lifetime.

Jessica Young from Volunteer Spot has some great advice for getting the most out of volunteering in groups - check out her article as it was re-posted on the HandsOn Blog.  If you're managing groups of volunteers, pass along Jessica's advice - making sure short-term volunteers have a great experience can bring them back to your organization in the new year!

VIP Winter Newsletter 2011 - Out Today!

Get a sense of what is going on around the state - take a look at our winter newsletter! 

Meaningful Holiday Office Parties

It's the season of giving - so why not turn the office holiday party into an occasion to serve as well?

A recent blog from HandsOn suggests that one way to turn a holiday party into a giving affair is to volunteer together as an office.  If you're a VIP Fellow, why not approach local businesses and see if they would donate their time to you as a way to give back together for the holidays?  If you're at a VIP partner site, your not-for-profit has volunteer opportunities of its own - so why not have office staff lend a hand somewhere at the site where they don't usually get the chance to help out?

For more ideas on making office holiday parties meaningful, check out the original blog from HandsOn.

Get Involved!

Nora Armenta, VIP Leader at HandsOn Central Caifornia, helped recruit volunteers to paint the masterpiece behind her in this picture.

How do you get involved?

Avoid Holiday Burn-Out: Set Smart Deadlines

It's December, and we all know what that means: the calendar year is almost over, and we're all itching for a little bit of time off as the holidays approach.

But just because this calendar year is ending, doesn't mean our jobs or assignments are lightening up.  In fact, the holiday season is the busiest for many organizations in the nonprofit world.  This can often be the most difficult time of year to balance projects and assignments.

One of the best steps to take in preventing holiday burn-out is creating realistic deadlines for the tasks at hand.   "Rome wasn't built in a day," they say, and leaving yourself with a "Building-Rome-in-a-Day" sized task-list will ultimately leave you stressed out or burned out.

Resolve not to let yourself get overwhelmed by mounting projects in the next few weeks.  Make sure you're giving yourself realistic amounts of time for the tasks at hand.  Maybe you have time for everything on your plate before January 1, or maybe some projects will need to wait until after the new year.   If you're feeling like you can't finish everything you'd like to before year's end, sit down with your schedule and your supervisor and make a plan for finishing all of your projects that doesn't leave you feeling like you're stranded in the deep end.

For some great tips on making smart deadlines, take a look at this great article from Midntools.com on estimating project time accurately.

What it's like to volunteer - from one of our volunteers!

Across the state, VIP Fellows will recruit over 15,000 volunteers.  That's a big number... but what does that mean?  What do they do?  What is it like?  Why would someone volunteer?  It's difficult to grasp the impact of volunteering from a number on its own.

To give some more context, here is a picture of what volunteering is like for Blake Caropino, a volunteer at the VIP partner site Boys & Girls Club of Monterey County.

"I have been volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club in Seaside, California for about a month now and thanks to my AmeriCorps VIP, Joseph Garcia, I was able to quickly start leading activities with the children at the club.  

It has allowed me to become a positive role model and rapidly become a new member of an already awesome community. In my short time at the club I have become an integral part in ensuring youth served are having a great experience in every activity I run with them. I am quickly learning that I am not only helping other members of the community grow but, that I am also gaining personal growth as well. This has been a fulfilling experience that I wish everyone would want to be a part of at some point in their life."

Thank you to Blake and all of our volunteers for sharing yourselves with our programs!   Your service makes a real difference in your community, and we hope that it makes a difference in your life as well.

Free Webinar on Volunteer Management

Looking for an introduction to volunteer management for someone at your partner site?  Looking to train a volunteer at your organization to take on some of the responsibilities of heading up the volunteer program?

Check out this promising free webinar from Charity HowTo: Getting Volunteers to Your Nonprofit.

 It's taking place on December 7.  Does that time not work for you?  No worries!  Check out their list of free webinars here - they've got the exact same one happening in January, too.

Happy training!

Generosity Day?

So, everyone in the United States has probably heard of Thanksgiving.  But what if there were a holiday about giving thanks by showing generosity?  What if there were a day when everyone were called to serve and to give to the causes around them?

Enter: Generosity Day.

Generosity Day, a small movement started just a couple of years ago, seeks to "Re-boot Valentine's Day."  The idea: show love, show your thankfulness, and do it by giving generously to those around you.

I love this idea - what if we all decided, on one day, to serve.  What if it were a national holiday, like Thanksgiving is?  Thanksgiving is so inspiring - everyone appreciating what they have, enjoying the community around them, and many choosing to serve.  How inspiring would it be to see our communities come together on another day - all around generosity?

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, and show your thanks for your volunteers, the staff at your organization, and your community support.  But let's start the call to turn it back around into giving.  Let's turn that idea of appreciation into a day of special projects, good deeds, and a call to our community to lend a giving hand to give-back generously!

VIP Conference 2011 Recap

November 7-10, all of VIP got together for the unique opportunity to enjoy training and team building together.  This was our only chance to be together as a program for the year - and it proved to be a great time!

We got the great opportunity to hear from a number of experienced facilitators.

Our impactful opening keynote was given by Patricia Bennett, President and CEO of Resource Development Associates in Oakland.  She ushered us into the conference with a call to work together to overcome all of the important issues in the world that we all care about

Afterwards, I (look... that's me in the picture!) got the pleasure of reviewing AmeriCorps service with everyone - including what I hope was a fun game of AmeriCorps logistics trivia bingo!

We got the treat of a variety of breakout sessions led by great trainers - from event planning to diversity to professionalism to volunteer management.

Amy Salinas, of CAC Consulting

Briana Downey, CalSERVES consultant

Mike Kamer, former VIP Fellow

Taylor Ford, CalSERVES staff

Each evening, each supervising organization team got the chance to meet together, debrief the day, and share what they had learned with their team.

St. Joseph's Health Systems VIP team

Thank you to everyone who participated in our conference!  It was an inspiring time for all as we got to see the breadth of organizations involved in VIP and the depth of everyone's passion for service.

Let's carry this excitement, the relationships we built on our teams, and the skills we learned back to our organizations and our teams for the rest of this service term!

We're back!

VIP AmeriCorps members and staff at Wonder Valley

Happy Wednesday!

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for VIP!  Our biggest, latest news: we held our statewide conference last week at Wonder Valley Ranch Resort in Sanger.

Keep a lookout for a post on Friday about our great week together as a program!

Spotlight on: Koreh LA VIP Fellows

Want to meet the new Koreh LA VIP Fellows?  Check out the recent Jewish Federation of LA blog post that introduces this strong team of 5 VIP Fellows serving in LA Unified schools.

Teacher Resource Center Providing Much-Needed Supplies

A post by Bryan Nakawaki, VIP Leader at HandsOn Inland Empire

     For John Naghshineh, the chance to “shop” for school supplies (free of charge) marks a welcome departure from the otherwise harsh reality of education funding shortages. A 14-year veteran of the Ontario-Montclair School District, Naghshineh, a first grade teacher at Lehigh Elementary School in Montclair, cannot recall a time when budgets were stretched so thin and supplies so hard to come by. “It’s really tough these days,” says Naghshineh. “Basic supplies are under lock and key. We can make requests, but they’re getting rejected more and more.” Nonetheless, students must have school supplies. For Naghshineh, that reality has on multiple occasions forced a major financial sacrifice. “It’s gotten to the point where I have to spend money out of pocket on supplies for my students,” he says. 

     

    Naghshineh is not alone. A 2010 report released by the National School Supply and Equipment Association revealed that in the 2009-2010 school year, teachers across the United States spent over $1.33 billion out of their own paychecks on supplies and instructional materials for their students. With additional funding cuts to education proposed almost every year, the end to teachers spending their own money on student supplies appears nowhere in sight.

      

    That’s why the School Tools Teacher Resource Center (TRC) is so valuable. Managed by Inland Empire United Way, an AmeriCorps VIP partner site in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the TRC offers teachers from select low-income schools in the Inland Empire the chance to come in and select supplies for their students and classrooms at zero charge. Founded in 2005-2006, the TRC now serves teachers and students from thirty-eight different schools.

     Lehigh Elementary is one of those schools, and Naghshineh could not be more appreciative of the assistance he receives from the TRC. When asked about the impact of volunteerism and community service on his life as a teacher, Naghshineh is quick to point out that unless teachers are lucky enough to be assigned a Teacher’s Aide, the only source of assistance they typically find is through community volunteerism. “For the lower grades, that’s okay,” Naghshineh muses. “People like to help out little kids. But for upper-grade teachers, there’s not typically much parent or community volunteerism.” As for ongoing service projects aiming to help teachers at his school — Naghshineh believes those are even rarer. “This School Tools program is the only one I’ve heard of in a long time. In fourteen years I’ve not seen anything else like it.”

      Naghshineh hopes that more services and projects will emerge in the future to help teachers of all educational levels. “It’d be great if it happened more often, for companies and schools to partner up and help our kids and teachers,” he says. For now, though, he’s excited that Inland Empire United Way has offered him and his fellow teachers at Lehigh Elementary temporary relief from the sting of budget cuts. “Each year they give us less to spend. This year, they slashed our budget significantly. It’s tough to get money for supplies, and that’s part of why our teachers appreciate this Teacher Center so much.”

     Asked for his final thoughts on the program, Naghshineh decided to keep his message simple and heartfelt.

     “Keep up the great work,” the teacher remarked. “And hopefully I’ll see you next year!”   

Use Social Media to Engage Volunteers

Check out a recent Podcast by the Chronicle of Philanthropy on using social media to engage volunteers.  

More and more volunteers want to make a difference and connect their social-network selves to the causes they care about.  Don't overlook this valuable way to connect with, engage, and recruit volunteers!

No "buy-in" for your volunteer program?

In some organizations getting the staff or board of directors to fully support the volunteer program can be a daunting task.  Not everyone sees the value in engaging volunteers effectively... which only makes a volunteer manager's job more difficult!

One of VIP's areas of focus is just this - providing each of our partner organizations with the tools and support they need to understand just what volunteers can do for their clients and the organization as a whole.  We even measure this!  If you're a VIP Fellow or work at a partner site, you may have noticed that one of our standards is that each "organization has a vision of what volunteers can do for the organization and the people it serves."

Last month's Hot Topic from Energize! Inc has some fantastic tips on making an effective case to bring to anyone in your organization who doesn't "buy in" to the volunteer program.

How have you proven the worth of the volunteer program to those involved at your organization?  Any tips to share?  Comment and let everyone know!

Ever wonder who volunteers?

Check out this great infographic put together by the Corporation for National and Community Service:

Showcase your volunteer experience on LinkedIn

Good afternoon, VIP program!  There's some exciting new news about LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals.

LinkedIn built itself on its platform that allows participants to showcase their education and work experience in a way that is suitable for interaction in the professional world.  The latest addition to the site includes the ability to add volunteer experience and causes to your profile.

If you are or were an AmeriCorps member, this is a great opportunity to showcase your year of service in the professional realm.  Many employers are looking for people who are passionate and committed - and what better way to show that than through your dedicated AmeriCorps term of service?

Serving your community or country, whether it is through AmeriCorps or anywhere else, is something to be proud of - so go ahead, display it on your profile!

Great video on nonprofits!

In VIP, many of our Partner Sites are nonprofit organizations, so many of our AmeriCorps members spend their 1700 hours getting to know their organization in great detail.  But have you thought about the impact of nonprofits in the US as a whole?

Check out this interesting video with a great list of statistics on US nonprofits - anything in  this video surprise you?

The year's off to a great start at Cal Poly SLO!

by VIP Leader Tyler Parthemer

August has meant the beginning of my second term as an AmeriCorps VIP Lead. The first week consisted of three days at my new agency, the City of San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Department, and two days of AmeriCorps orientation.  The first three days at my agency were fantastic—I was able to meet a very enthusiastic staff, plan and prepare for the first day of school, introduce myself to school administrators, and meet a group of fifteen amazing young teenagers eager to be a part of our SLO Teens after school program.

The two days of AmeriCorps orientation were also great.  We have a wonderful corps of twenty-seven members all ready and excited to serve and make a difference in our community.  We had the opportunity to learn a little about everyone, write a goal-setting letter to ourselves for the end of the service term, and bond over some great team-building activities.  Despite everyone having just met, we were all able to come together and begin to form professional and personal bonds.  It was an incredible start to a second service term and I look forward to the ten months ahead.

Facebook for Volunteer Recruitment?

It's a new year, and if you're AmeriCorps member with VIP, you're probably right smack in the middle of training for the year, getting oriented to your site, and exploring your community.  The buzz of this new service term is tangible, and everyone is getting excited to get going in their new (or old, for our fantastic returners) roles.

So here is a little something to get you thinking about volunteer recruitment: an interesting article from NTEN: Change.  NTEN: Change is an up-and-coming quarterly report for nonprofits - and lucky us, it's free!  This quarter's edition includes an interesting article on utilizing Facebook for volunteer recruitment that addresses some interesting questions.  Is recruitment on Facebook feasible?  How does it happen?  Check out the issue to see their thoughts.

Does your organization have an updated Facebook page?  Do you plan to utilize it to recruit volunteers?

Welcome to the Volunteer Infrastructure Project, 2011-2012

Written by Patrick Link, CalSERVES Local VIP Leader

Those of us at the CalSERVES VIP office would like to extend a warm welcome to all the VIP Fellows, Leaders, and Site Staff beginning, or returning to, their service this year! Although the project is a mere two years old, each year it grows in its success and endeavors.  We wish you all the best as you begin over these next few months, and we extend our support for any bumps you encounter along your journey.

The impact we have on the communities we serve across the state is astounding! To give you some perspective, from 2010-2011, VIP participants across California at 140 different partner organizations recruited around 27,000 short-term and 12,000 long-term volunteers; those numbers continue to swell as we receive the final numbers from organizations.

However, it is impossible to determine the effect of those volunteers by their count alone. Imagine how many more children had a safe place to go after school; how many more hungry people were given a warm, nutritious meal; and how many more people received help they needed. During the year, it might be easy to become lost in the numbers and planning. If you encounter this, we encourage you to peer beyond all the paperwork, and realize the purpose behind your position: to serve your community. With the constant fluctuations of stocks and budgets, organizations require people like you to build and develop their volunteer infrastructure. Without your presence, many would be struggling to find support to stay afloat.

On that note, we would like to express our gratitude for your future service and hard work this year. Set your goals, formulate your plans, and go for it! You’ll be amazed at all you can accomplish in just one year.

Let us leave you with a few last words of encouragement based upon the CalSERVES vision of “Passion, Potential, Power”: we believe and remain amazed by your passion to make a difference, your potential to accomplish your dreams, and your power, individually and as a whole, to change the world.

Cheers,

The CalSERVES AmeriCorps VIP Office

Leaving our Legacy

As our AmeriCorps term is wrapping up, we’ve been talking a lot about the legacy we are leaving to our organizations, and it makes me incredibly happy to think about everything we’ve given to our partner organizations this year.

As the Statewide Leader, I have had insight into the work of all VIP Fellows across California over the last year, and every day I have heard something new that put me in awe of the great things happening at our partner organizations:  A huge event staffed totally by volunteers; a new project put into motion by a VIP and kept in motion by dedicated volunteers; new tracking systems put in place; new ways of recruiting; and new positions created for volunteers that allow our organizations to serve more clients – this is the kind of news we get every day.  With 140 dedicated members working hard at as many different partner organizations, progress is made constantly.

I feel so privileged to be a part of a group whose passion and dedication will be sustained in the organizations they have served for years to come.  As a program, we’ve done something so much larger than the services provided this year.   We’ve created the systems that will allow that service to continue for years to come.  We’ve created the structures that will allow organizations get more support, allow volunteers to contribute to the well-being of their community and to develop their own skills, and provide more services to clients in need of a helping hand. 

We have stepped out into our communities and led our neighbors towards service.  We grew as individuals and came alongside volunteers as they did the same.  I’m so thankful for this program, and incredibly happy to be a part of this great legacy we are leaving behind.

THANK  YOU to all of our hardworking VIP Fellows finishing up their terms in the next couple of days.  It's been a great year and we've done great work - let's be proud of what we've accomplished!  It's been a fantastic term of service.

Volunteering in California

Good afternoon, everyone!

Did you know that 24.8% of Californians volunteer?  How about that volunteers in California served nearly a billion hours in 2010 - an amount of service valued at about $20.6 billion?

Check out California's page on the Volunteering in America website to see some more of the trends in volunteering in our great state.

Pro Bono Volunteers - Doing Good in Michigan

The Chronicle of Philanthropy posted an article earlier this week about one nonprofit that got the privilege to work with a team of business professional pro bono volunteers.

The nonprofit, Kids' Food Basket, saw a need for higher efficiency, but rather than getting dismayed by their finances or flustered by their ever-increasing problem, they turned to a business to seek highly-skilled volunteers that could help them solve their problems.

What a wonderful idea!  The organization got its biggest problems solved, and the volunteers got to use their most honed skills to serve a great cause - what

Don't get stuck in the idea that you can only find volunteers to do simple, straight-forward tasks or projects.  The potential for volunteers to help an organization is endless - including restructuring and reorganizing the entire organization to serve even better!

What's a Serendipitous Volunteer?

Volunteer management is no cookie-cutter task.

Different volunteers respond to different management styles.  But how do you know what management style will allow each volunteer to thrive at your organization?

Good thing there is a volunteer manager professionals who constantly study exactly this issue.  This aritcle by Nancy MacDuff explains a Multi-Paradigm Model of volunteers: who Social-Change, Traditional, Serendipitous, and Entrepreneurial volunteers are, how those different types of volunteers like to serve, and what management styles they prefer.

Do you work with volunteers who fit into MacDuff's categories?  Have you discovered any best practices in managing these different  types of volunteers?  Let us know in the comments!

Groupon... for Nonprofits

Are you one of the hundreds of thousands out there who subscribe to one of the many different "daily deal" websites?  Well, this new website is an interesting spin on daily deal sites - with a philanthropic focus.

While deal sites like Groupon, Living Social, and Google Deals feature a new sale product from a new company every day, Philanthroper.com features a new nonprofit every day.  Instead of purchasing a product, subscribers to their website can choose to donate $1 if the featured nonprofit of the day moves them to do so.

It's great to see the nonprofit world staying on top of trends like this.  Wouldn't it be interesting to do the same for volunteering, rather than just donations?  What if every day there was a new volunteer opportunity in the area on a subscription website, and members could sign up to volunteer their time when a position that interested them popped up?

Perhaps that's just where volunteerism is heading.

Want to check out a little more about sites like Philanthroper?  Check out the Idealist Blog about it.

VIP Impact: Gleaning Hope

VIP Fellow Ronald Ortizo has spent this year serving at Inland Valley Hope Partners.  He has played an instrumental role in developing Gleaning Hope, a project that utilizes volunteers to harvest produce donated by community members to supply Inland Valley Hope Partners food banks.

Check out pictures and stories from some of Gleaning Hope's big volunteer projects from the year on the Gleaning Hope blog.

Congrats on a successful year, Ronald!

How to Write a Great Recommendation for a Volunteer

Have you been asked to write a letter of recommendation for a volunteer?  Service is a great résumé builder, and most volunteers know it.  It is common for VIP AmeriCorps members or staff at our nonprofit partner sites to be asked to write recommendations for volunteers as they seek out jobs or spots in schools.

Here are some tips for writing great recommendation letters:

• Make it professional.  Address it as a business letter and write in complete sentences and paragraphs (unless you’d like to include a few bullet points among your paragraphs).  Check here for some advice on writing a business letter. 

• Explain who you are, confirm the volunteer's position, and state the amount of time they’ve been volunteering with your organization within the first paragraph of your letter.

• Include the volunteer’s strengths, skills, and talents.

•  Be truthful.  Lying won’t help you, won’t help the organization you’re writing to, and it won’t ultimately help your volunteer if you’ve made them seem to be a different individual then they actually are.  Lying will reflect poorly on you and your organization.  Boast of facts and traits you know the person to possess, just don’t over-embellish.

• Be concise.  Try for no longer than one printed page.  Interviewers are often short on time and will not take the time to read through a lengthy letter.

• Be specific.  Use specific examples of the individual's successes or how they live out the character traits that you list.  If you want an even better idea of what the volunteer's achievements have been outside of your organization that back up the character traits you address in the letter, ask them for a copy of their résumé to look over.

• If the letter is for a specific position, make it reflect that position.   Ask for the position description from the volunteer.  In your letter, explain how the characteristics you know the volunteer possesses will fit well into that specific position.  

• If the volunteer is asking for a general letter, include many of their skills.   This will help the volunteer as they may use the letter for a wide array of positions.

• If you don’t know the person or their work well, it’s okay to politely decline.  Recommend instead that they ask someone who they work more closely with – someone who could give them a reference that is more special.

9/11 Day of Service Webinar Series from HandsOn

Are you considering holding a service event for the 9/11 National Day of Service?  The HandsOn Network is offering a webinar series to support just that.  They'll have one webinar at 2 pm Eastern (that's 11 am our time) each day for the week next week, July 18 - 22.

Will your service with VIP end before 9/11?  That's alright!  You could take notes from any of the webinars that interest you and work with a staff at your organization to start planning a service project for this new Day of Service.  It's a great way to build the infrastructure for your organization to carry out service projects for this day in the future!

CalPoly VIP Fellows Recognized for AmeriCorps Week

Cal Poly VIP Fellows with the SLO County Board of Supervisors

Story by VIP Fellow Ryan Santillan

May featured National AmeriCorps Week, and Cal Poly participated in one promotional, two recognition, and two community service events.  As the coordinator of this week, I found the entire week to be rewarding in multiple ways.  Aside from the positive impact we continued to make in the community, the most rewarding part of this week was the proclaimed appreciation we received as an entire Corps, along with California Conservation Corps, by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. 

Tuesday morning of that week, our entire Corps attended the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting where we were presented with a colorful, signed Proclamation by the Board recognizing not only our service to the community, but also the fact that May 15-21 is officially AmeriCorps Week for San Luis Obispo County.  Broadcasted on local television and radio stations, and receiving a standing ovation from the Board themselves and community members who attended, this was a great honor that I was proud to be a part of!

This year, especially for me, has been a trying year in the sense that my fellow Corps members and I put so much effort, passion, and dedication into our service that we sometimes don’t get recognized for it. While the occasional “great job!” and “thank you” comments are always appreciated, words can only offer so much.  This is why the other Lead VIPs and myself try to host actual recognition/appreciation events for our Corps members, because actions further prove one’s said appreciation of another.  So to be actually presented a tangible award, recognized in the media, and given an amazing standing ovation by the powerful men in charge of our county, it rid any amount of stress or negative emotion that we have ever experienced up until that moment.  It was at that meeting where I believe we were never more proud to be AmeriCorps members serving in San Luis Obispo County.     

Connecting Volunteers and Paid Staff

Good morning!

Connecting volunteers with paid staff is often a difficult task, but it is an important part of creating a sustainable volunteer program at any organization.  Check out this short blog from HandsOn about connecting volunteers and staff to get a few ideas of how to make it happen.

"It's our moral obligation"

Happy Friday!  As we head into Independence Day weekend, let's reflect on our great country and the spirit of service that makes us who we are.  In AmeriCorps, we've dedicated our year to get things done for America, and let's celebrate the great things we and our volunteers are doing for our neighbors and our communities.

Here is a great encouragement and challenge that reflects the dedication to service we all feel.  It comes from Karen, a featured volunteer with Twin Lakes Church and United Way through the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz:

"I'm always looking for opportunities in the community, it's a fantastic way to reach out areas you might not know as well. There are so many avenues for volunteering, whether it's an opportunity to work directly with someone or to work behind the scenes. United Way provides a tremendous chance to plug into the community with your skill set. We all have a moral obligation to help people who are in need. We've all had tough times in our lives and appreciate the people who have worked to alleviate those troubles. Now we have a chance to turn around and help someone else. " 

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We'd also like to give a big THANK YOU to the few VIP Fellows whose term of service with AmeriCorps ended yesterday.  Thank you for your passion, your time, and skills in building great volunteer programs this year.  Best of luck in all that you do, and we hope you spend Monday celebrating this great place and the great things you've done for it this year.

Retention!

As the 2010/2011 AmeriCorps term comes to a close, it's time to start thinking about leaving all of our partner organizations with the tools they need to maintain the volunteer programs VIP Fellows have created.  One of the things our partner organizations will need to do is retain all of the volunteers who have been recruited over the year.  If you're a VIP Fellow, start thinking about:

• What do I do to retain volunteers?  
• Who will do that when I leave?  How can I explain to them how to keep volunteers around?
• What are some additional things that could be done to keep volunteers around?

Check out this article to see why volunteer retention is so important and some things that can be done to keep your volunteers coming around.

What do you do to retain volunteers?  What has worked well at your organization?

Answering the Call to Service for Fresno's Homeless Youth

The following story is about VIP Fellow Alphonso Russ, who is serving at Sanctuary Outreach to the Streets.  It was written by his supervisor, Joe Martinez, Community Relations and Outreach Manager at EOC Sanctuary.  This story details the kind of passion and dedication that so many of our VIP Fellows have and develop over their year of service.

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Answering the call to service, is how Alphonso Russ describes his purpose and mission in his young life as an Americorps VIP member through HandsOn Central California. Since September 2010, the 22 year-old college student has served as a dedicated street outreach worker helping hundreds of Fresno’s homeless and street youth leave the streets and find safe and secure housing. “It about building relationships,” says Russ as he bravely walks the streets handing out emergency food, clothing and hygiene products as part of his street based services through EOC Sanctuary and Youth Services. Also, as the volunteer coordinator, Alphonso links these young and vulnerable people who traditionally do not volunteer with community service projects so they can give back to improve their communities. Alphonso has recruited and managed 86 youth volunteers who have contributed more than 600 hours toward feeding the homeless, organizing clothing giveaways, and conducting community outreach. Alphonso also contributes his time toward operating a Drop-In-Center for homeless youth, monitoring the agency social network sites, and conducting workshops for transitional aged youth. Alphonso believes in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “Everyone Can be Great, because anybody can serve.”

VIP Summer Newsletter Out Today

Happy first day of summer!  I hope you are enjoying the warm weather and summer activities.

In recognition of the first day of summer, our VIP Summer Newsletter came out today.  Check it out to see a little bit of what's going on at some of our partner sites and to get a little update on our statewide goals...

Have a wonderful Tuesday afternoon!

Looking Back Over the Year - Make a Difference Day 2010

As the year starts to wrap up, we can see the incredible difference VIP Fellows have made across the state by mobilizing volunteers.  The following is a reflection from a volunteer at Make a Difference Day, one of the National Days of Service, at CSU Monterey Bay.  This piece appeared in the university's Illuminator publication in November.

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 What a Difference We Made...

     Actually, that’s incorrect.  I didn’t do anything except take pictures and watch.  But I feel lucky enough to have witnessed one of the largest collaborative gatherings of CSUMB students for a cause in a long time.  The occasion?  Make A Difference Day 2010.  As I watched Soledad St. in Salinas transform that day, I saw about 50 student volunteers from Out & About, W.H.A.A.T, Return of the Natives, Service Learning Institute, several fraternities & sororities and many other student organizations working hard together in a way I have never seen, at least at CSUMB.

                                 I may have not had a chance to get my hands dirty (even though in hindsight I wish I had!), but I did see that when people come together for a good cause, magic can happen.  When I arrived, it was dreary, the street was dirty and the overcast sky blotted out any light, but as the day unfolded and the sun emerged I discovered a healthy community thriving on good vibes and collaborative action.

     I saw artists painting raised garden beds with children.  I saw the students hand fresh fruit to the homeless.  I saw an entire block littered with garbage be transformed into a beautiful street full of life and activity.  I saw a band perform a free show for anyone to hear.  I saw donations being given to the non-profits organizing the event.  I saw a weedy and empty lot become clean and traversable again.  I saw smiles.  I hear laughter and music.  I smelled sunflowers and fresh vegetables being harvested.  I tasted fresh fruit given freely for all to share.  I felt amazed; the progress made in such a short time! 

     When people organize for humanitarian projects, wonderful things happen.  Having witnessed a beautiful coming together of many people from many different cultures, backgrounds, and ages, I can’t help but to wonder about what is still possible.  The CSUMB community may be mostly young and transitory, but Make A Difference Day 2010 gave me a good feeling about what we can accomplish if we really put our minds (and hands!) to it.  I wonder what we will set our sights upon next.

               I learned that if we truly commit, and we are willing to get our hands dirty… 

we really CAN make a difference.

by Joshua Reed-Doyle

At long last: Announcing our Video Contest Winner!

We had some amazing, inspiring, and heart-warming videos come to us for our recent video contest, making picking the winner a tough choice!  But at long last, we've chosen:

"This AmeriCorps Life" Video Champ: By Rachel Lebowitz from Outside the Lens

We love this video because it is life as a VIP to an extent; Rachel's video includes a project run by volunteers that she coordinated!

Congratulations, Rachel!

Thanks, everyone, for your submissions!  And have a wonderful rest of your Monday.

It's Time for Family Volunteering

It's almost officially summer - which means the sun will be out more, plants are abloom... and children are out of school for a couple of months!

This is a great time to think about incorporating family volunteering into your organization.  With children free for an extra 5 or more hours a day, many families are looking for things they can do to enjoy eachother's company until school starts again.  Family volunteering can provide a fun experience and bonding time for a family, instill children with a value of service as they serve alongside their parents and siblings, and can provide many hours of extra help for your organization.

Check out Energize,Inc's resource section on Family Volunteering to find some information on involving families in your volunteer program.

Unrelatedly - an update on our video contest: we've had some delays in judging because of the large quantity of projects going on in VIP right now.  We won't be able to announce a winner this week, but we'll post them as soon as we have a champ!

Have a great evening!

Smart Storytelling: It can get you more volunteers!

Compelling storytelling about an organization and its cause can be tremendously helpful in recruiting volunteers to serve for any cause.  Great storytellers ignite passion in those who are willing to listen by communicating well what makes their organization so important. 

If you'd like to get some advice about telling your organization's narrative effectively, check out these free resources:

• Chronicle of Philanthropy chat with Michael Margolis.  This morning, Chronicle of Philanthropy held a live chat with Michael Margolis, a consultant focused on helping nonprofits tell their narrative.  View the transcript to see how Michael answered the audience's questions.
• Free digital book: Believe Me.  Michael Margolis is offering a digital copy of his book for free when you sign up for his mailing list.

Enjoy!

VIP Impact: Clean Up Project at the Guerneville Winter Shelter

Here is a great story from one of this year's service projects coordinated by VIP Leader Annabele Grace!

 

Volunteers at the Guerneville Winter Shelter. VIP Annabele Grace is pictured second from the left at the top of the stairs.

On February 5th, Sebastopol Community Church Youth Group and several client volunteers participated in a service project at St. Hubert's Hall led by West County Community Services VIP Leader, Annabele Grace. The high school students, several community volunteers and shelter clients scrubbed and cleaned, dusted and organized every inch of the building used for the last 3 months as Guerneville's Winter Shelter for the homeless. The group was also led (by shelter clients) on a trash patrol throughout the areas surrounding the shelter, including Main St. and the Guerneville Plaza. Kids, adult volunteers and homeless themselves worked side by side with an enthusiasm that was inspiring.
Client volunteer Justin Miller remarked: "I am thankful for the opportunity to do something useful and positive in my community. I was feeling down (because of not having work) and today I felt I did something worthwhile."
Another client volunteer said, "I am grateful I have a warm place to sleep every night thanks to the shelter. This is one way to show my appreciation."
"We hoped to leave the facility in even better condition than before we started the lease." said another volunteer, who asked to remain unidentified. (St. Catherine's church opted not to renew the lease at St. Hubert's Hall through March. The Winter Shelter moved after this project to the Guerneville Veterans Memorial Hall, where it functioned through March 31.)

Announcing... Photo Contest Winners!

Over the last month, we've held our year-end photo contest:

We asked our VIP Fellows to submit photos that represent life in AmeriCorps VIP.  Thank you to everyone who participated!  We got some wonderful submissions.

We are pleased to announce that we have some winners!

Best Promotional Photo - Submitted by Kim Nguyen, NCOE

 Just look at all of those proud AmeriCorps 'A's!  Pictured are all the VIP Fellows at the Napa County Office of Education: Sonia Ayala, Haley Schandelmier, Cherri Alcantara, Thanh Tran, Naima Wright-Clay, Kim Nguyen, and Aileen Savage.  

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Best Action Shot - Submitted by Anna Sieh, City of Duarte

 We love this photo because it shows both a volunteer volunteering, and a VIP Fellow assisting the volunteer in serving!  Pictured is VIP Fellow Philip Ledesma, who serves at the Foothill Unity Center.

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Most Creative Photo - Submitted by Lindy Capps, Volunteer San Diego

The following is a series of three photos of VIP Fellow Rachel Lebowitz at a service project at the Lakeside River Parks Conservancy on an MLK Day of Service.

 We love this series of photos because they're lighthearted - we're serious about serving and getting things done, but we hope to all have a little fun doing it!

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Congratulations to our winners!

Check out our blog next week to find out the results of our video contest...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Volunteer Vision: A story from CalSERVES After School

We love our volunteers.  They are the best resources in our program, and they make a huge difference in nonprofits around the state.  They not only allow organizations to make a bigger impact, but they themselves are often changed through the service they so generously offer. 

The following is a statement from Verenice Chavez, a volunteer at the CalSERVES after school program at Taylor Mountain Elementary School in Santa Rosa, CA.  Verenice was recruited by VIP Fellow Richelle Andrae.

"My experience with CalSERVES has very much impacted my life in a positive way. When I started to volunteer, my objective was to be updated on both my sisters who attend the program.  I also attended the program when I was in elementary.

As time passed by, I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with a third grade class at Taylor Mountain. Being in that classroom twice a week helping out the mentors, I had one on one time with the kids and I realized most of them didn't have the resources CalSERVES offered. Those kids are very talented and with the little push we give them they will go a long way. They may not show they have been impacted, but if you see the changes from the beginning of the year till now, it has shown they have grown in many aspects. I know I wanted to help kids as a career choice.  This experience made me comprehend that I want to be more than just a teacher, but a mentor too. I never would have thought those kids would have so much to learn from. They may be small but they sure know what they are talking about. There's not a day where I don't remember them, all of them I shared moments with, and their ways of being."

What's Next? : Life After AmeriCorps Resources

As the year is winding down and some of our VIP Fellows are getting ready to transition out of their current positions, "what's next?" seems to be the question on everyone's mind.

A year as a VIP Fellow provides experience in leadership, organization, service, and other skills that come from a year of building capacity, working on a team, and managing volunteers.  We  know our members are well prepared for the road ahead, whether they are going back to school, continuing to serve, or launching themselves into (or back into) the job market.  Here are some of our favorite resources that provide information you'll find helpful if you're looking for a job or to continue serving after AmeriCorps.

• A job hunting guide specifically for AmeriCorps members, developed by Education Northwest’s AmeriCorps program officers.

• The AmeriCorps Alums Career Center: provides not only job postings related to civic service, but also has professional development resources and tips as well.  Under the tab "For Alumni," select "Career Center."

• Idealist: job, internship, and volunteer opportunity search site for the nonprofit and public service sector.

• Indeed.com: a way to search multiple job search sites at one time. 

• Non Profit Expert: almost exhaustive list of nonprofit job search resources.

• Peace Corps, if you're looking to serve abroad for a couple of years with all expenses paid.

• Go Abroad: a search site for volunteer opportunities around the world.

• VISTA Campus Life After AmeriCorps Resources - these informational guides are geared towards AmeriCorps VISTAs, but most apply for all AmeriCorps members.

 Do you have any other helpful "life after AmeriCorps" resources to share?  Let us know in the comments!

VIP Impact: A Story from Mike Kamer

My name is Mike Kamer and I'm a 2nd year AmeriCorps VIP member.  I stepped into social service after finding inspiration from Geoffrey Canada and his work with the Harlem Children Zone.  Having seen the power of curing social problems by attacking their roots, I found myself empowered with hope and needing an outlet.  This led me to AmeriCorps.  I took years of skills developed running promotions for a Las Vegas nightclub and - thanks to the VIP program - have been using them for the last 2 years to organize and activate volunteer efforts in my community to address problems form the ground up.

For my second term as a VIP member I have been placed at The YMCA of Orange where I have been honored and lucky enough to lead up one of the coolest projects I've ever been involved with.  My supervisor and I agreed that The Y could take an active roll in fighting childhood obesity as well as unhealthy habits in the children that attend The Y's programs.   To do this, we decided to have them get excited about making the right dietary choices by involving them in the process of preparing their food - from the garden to their plates.

Through 3 days of service and the work of over 300 volunteers, we took a hazardous, weed-ridden, and derelict field and created both a fruit tree orchard and children’s' learning garden.  The orchard will have 20 different fruit trees of multiple varieties by the time I leave. The garden meanwhile consists of ten 10x12 plots which contain tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers, herbs for tea, various greens, corn, peppers, and so much more! We've even created a comic book that will come out quarterly to document the progress of the garden, while also explaining to the kids the power of volunteerism and the importance of serving in their community.

AmeriCorps has been such an amazing experience. It has allowed me to do the work I'm compelled to do in communities, while also preparing me for a career in the world of NPO's. As members we save billions of dollars for organizations by utilizing volunteers and our own professional skills to serve local communities. It's a powerful organization and one that all of you should take great pride in being a part of. I know I do.

Welcome to the VIP Blog!

We're excited to get our blog going so that we can share even more about all of the amazing volunteer projects that we have going on all around California.  Subscribe to us or check out our page often to see what's going on in VIP, find helpful resources, and more!

And check out our new Facebook page!

Keep a look out next week for:

• Winners of our End of Year Photo and Video Contest
• Helpful websites for Life After AmeriCorps
• A great story from one of our partner sites

Cheers!  And have a happy Memorial Day weekend!