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?