New AmeriCorps Program Director Orientation

1. New AmeriCorps Program Director Orientation August 12, 2019 Fred Maytag Scout Center Des Moines, IA Wireless: BePrepared2013

2. Welcome Pair & share Name Program Role with program review THE “Grant Scavenger Hunt” activity

3. Online Systems • eGrants • IowaGrants • OnCorps • NSCHC (as applicable) • CNCS eCourse (Litmos) • Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) • TrueScreen • FieldPrint

4. Online Systems

5. National Service Organizational Chart

6. CNCS Regions & Regional Offices

7. CNCS Workflow Plan

8. Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service Mission: To improve lives, strengthen communities and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. Vision: To create an Iowa where all citizens are empowered through service to meet community challenges and make lives better.

9. Volunteer Iowa Programs & Services AmeriCorps*State AmeriCorps*VISTA Iowa Mentoring Partnership RSVP State Funding Volunteer Recognition – Hall of Fame & Governor’s Volunteer Awards What’s Your 50? Disaster Volunteers Volunteer Management System (Get Connected) Volunteer Generation Fund Volunteer Centers of Iowa Service Enterprise Initiative National Service issue area council/workgroup lead Iowa Nonprofit Summit National Service Member Spotlight Days of Service support Volunteer Iowa Day at the Capitol Commission Board Membership

10. What is AmeriCorps?

11. Story of your Program An opportunity to reflect on: the story you could/should be telling (program activities) Who your main characters should be (RECRUITMENT & Partnerships)  THE Antagonists you'll be face (challenges)  AND THE HAPPY ENDING YOU Are WORKING FOR  (MEMBER experience, impact, metrics)

12. What story are you trying to tell?  What is the most important story your program can tell? What are you really or should you really be doing to make a difference in your field?  Are you building a program design that truly serves you?  How much of what you are doing is intentional and how much of it is going through the motions? 

13. Who are your main characters 

14. Antagonists • What part of your job creates the biggest challenges in your role?  • Time? Understanding? Buy-in? Resources?  • Where can you lean into these challenges to build better programs and become better professionals? 

15. A Happy Ending  How do you want your story to end? 

16. So now what?  Review the notes you've jotted down today and create three actional items related to your program and its story  Remember that you are the author of this story! 

17. Break

18. AmeriCorps Year in Review Program Director Manual Ch. 1.7 & 6.2 Volunteer iowa Request for Applications

19. Overview of the entire 2019-2020 program year • Includes reporting deadlines, monitoring activities, training events, and other important dates • Put these dates into your own calendar! Iowa AmeriCorps Calendar of Events and Deadlines Ch 1.7 (p.36)

20. Overview of how & when Volunteer Iowa conducts its monitoring activities • Note that you may have different monitoring levels for program/member management and financial management • Volunteer Iowa staff will be assigning your monitoring levels soon Volunteer Iowa Monitoring Schedule Ch. 6.2 (p. 240)

21. Calendar of dates and deadlines for 2020-2021 grant competition • Much of the competition overlaps with the 2019-2020 program year • Be prepared to manage your day-to-day program responsibilities along with planning for the coming year • See last year’s calendar at https://www.iowagrants.gov/insideLinkOpps.jsp?documentPk=1536203341269 Volunteer Iowa Request for AmeriCorps Applications 2020-2021 Will be posted to IowaGrants in September

22. Key Themes/Responsibilities Throughout the Year • Quarter 2 (Dec, Jan, Feb): • Prior Year: Closeout • Current Year: Revise recruitment plan as needed, review initial performance measure reporting • Next Year: Final application submission • Quarter 4 (Jun, Jul, Aug): • Current Year: Grant agreement extensions, member evaluations & exit • Next Year: Grant agreement review, member recruitment, screening, & pre-enrollment Quarter 1 (Sept, Oct, Nov): Prior Year: Member evaluations & exit, final claim, final progress report Current Year: Member recruitment, enrollment, & onboarding Next Year: Notice of Intent to Apply & Pre-Application Quarter 3 (Mar, Apr, May): Current Year: Member mid-year evaluations, mid-year progress report, request budget modifications as needed, summer recruitment Next Year: Clarifications & resolutions, grant review committee meeting, host site & member recruitment

23. Program Check-In Calls • Quarter 2: • Performance Measures Check-in • Quarter 4: • Preparation for Closeout Quarter 1: Enrollment/Budget Check-in Quarter 3: Budget Modification Check-in

24. Managing the Program Year Tips from the Group?

25. Life Cycle of an AmeriCorps Member

26. Alex 24-year-old Currently resides in Ohio (during time of application) Interested in serving their country through AmeriCorps and wants to make an impact in the community Has interest in education programs, but willing to serve with other programs (is willing to learn something new)

27. Member & Site Recruitment • Goal: Utilize effective strategies for recruiting and selecting appropriate members and host sites. Follow CNCS Criminal History Check requirements for members. • References from PD Manual: • Member recruitment: Ch. 2.3, reporting on member recruitment & retention; and Ch. 3.1, relation to program design, expectations, general process, required websites for posting, accessibility • Site recruitment: Ch. 2.4, site management

28. Recruitment Member Site Looking for individuals to serve in your program They need to meet basic/minimum requirements for AmeriCorps Do you have any additional requirements for your program they need to meet? They complete an application of some sort Looking for sites to host members in your program Are they internal or external to your organization? What are the expectations you have of the sites? Do they complete an application of some sort?

29. AmeriCorps Branding

30. CNCS Branding Guidance & Identification Requirements • As part of the Terms & Conditions incorporated into the program's grant agreement, you have agreed to certain requirements about affiliating with the AmeriCorps network. • CNCS provides additional branding guidance on their website, including allowable uses and modifications of the AmeriCorps logo. • https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/AmeriCorpsSeniorCorpsBrandingGuidance2017.pdf

31. AmeriCorps Terminology:What it is and what it isn’t • AmeriCorps member  ≠  worker, staff, employee or intern • Living allowance or stipend ≠ wage or salary • Serve or service  ≠  work or job A service position is not a “job” because the position should not have displaced any paid staff member that performs the same function.   

32. Member Recruitment Methods

33. Member Recruitment in eGrants/MyAmeriCorps See resources at: https://www.nationalservice.gov/resources/americorps/member-assignment-listings

34. Member Recruitment in eGrants/MyAmeriCorps • Avoid common mistakes! • Trigger words (advocacy, family planning) • Vague language (other duties as assigned) • Include correct benefits associated with the term of service • Don’t indicate that members may choose an end-of-service stipend (that’s only for VISTA) • Check your dates- must be in the future & within your enrollment period • Age range- should be 17-99 (or no upper age limit) unless you are a youth corps and/or recruit youth who have dropped out • See the resources on our website: checklist, minimum requirements, and common mistakes • https://www.volunteeriowa.org/americorps/current-americorps-grantee-resources/member-management-resources

36. Host Sites in eGrants

37. Host Site Recruitment

38. How do you organize your recruitment process? • How are recruitment responsibilities distributed between the program director and site supervisor and host site? Recruitment Processes Activity

39. CASE STUDY Your program has members placed at a few different host sites. One of your largest sites informs you that they are not interested in having AmeriCorps members placed at their site any longer. This information is shared with you in June and you are already in recruitment phase for the new program year which begins September 1st. Your program has 25 members and this site typically hosts 7-10 members.

40. Lunch Grab lunch and we will begin our discussion topic at 12:00 PM

41. Understand Grant Program & Financial Management Building Blocks

42. AmeriCorps Grant Management

43. CNCS Order of Priority Allowable? Attributable? Reasonable? Necessary?

45. Where to Start • Read • approved grant application • grant agreement • AmeriCorps Program Director Manual • AmeriCorps & General terms and conditions • Take budget and meet with financial personnel • As you plan for tasks, check for policies & procedures • Take logic model & performance measures and meet with ED or your supervisor

46. Meeting with Financial Personnel Program Director Financial Personnel Ensure allowability Understand grant requirements Ask questions if needed Connect budget to program goals/activities Review financial reports Monitor budgetary expenses Modify budget based on programmatic needs Report member changes Approve/categorize costs Conduct background checks Communicate with finance staff Ensure allowability Understand grant requirements Ask questions if needed Financial records (incl. payroll) Financial reports to commission Monitor budgetary expenses Communicate budget variances Request budget changes Manage program income Review submitted costs Code/track expenditures by grant Verify background checks Communicate with program staff

47. Program Director Manual Highlights

48. AmeriCorps Grant Management Cycle

49. Example Fall 2018