Best practices for managing your AmeriCorps members From Good to Great! Facilitated by: Paula DeBoles-Johnson, MPA, CCM Program Consultant
Jan 01, 2016
Best practices for managing your AmeriCorps members
From Good to Great!
Facilitated by:
Paula DeBoles-Johnson, MPA, CCM Program Consultant
From this training participants will learn:
How to improve member effectivenessHow to promote retention and promote
lifelong civic engagementThe tools to help members move from their
year of service to Life After AmeriCorps
Learning Objectives
1. Create a plan.2. Outline all the steps in the recruitment process.3. Make sure that each party understands their role
and participates in the process.4. Make sure that all recruitment documents are
updated. Make time to verify accuracy!5. Your recruitment team should have some
consistency and a few new players.6. Make sure that there are many layers beyond
completing the application.
Member Recruitment
Persons with Disabilities Contact your disability
partners Utilize other agencies that
work specifically with Persons with Disabilities & place flyers there
Contact the local colleges and universities
Contact the local high schools Post flyers in hospitals,
physical therapy & doctors offices and specialized equipment businesses
Recruiting Males Recruit at sites that males
frequent (i.e. barbershops, cycle shops, gyms, bowling lanes, etc.)
Use males to recruit males Visit nontraditional sites
(churches, Boys & Girls Clubs)
Make the pitch to fraternities, at sporting events and male specific clubs.
Host an open house
Recruiting Special Populations
Date Location Activity Person Responsible Outcome
1/21/13City Hall MLK
Program
Presentation to 47 people; left brochures
James Brown10 names to
follow-up
2/2/13Booth at College
Fair
Accepted 7 resumes, passed out
100 flyers, 63 applications
Jane Doe
2 applications completed at
fair, 8 received
later
3/6/13Kiwanis Club
BreakfastPresentation to 13
peopleBob Smith
2 follow-up telephone
calls
Track Activities to Maximize Results
Who’s part of your screening and interviewing team?
When should you schedule interviews?What questions should you ask?
◦ "A child is having an issue with a teacher and isn't responding to that teacher, what would be your course of action?"
◦ "If you were confronted by a distraught community member and you didn't know the answer, what would your course of action be?“
◦ "Please describe yourself in one word and tell us why you chose that particular word."
After Recruitment – What’s Next
Have them volunteer for a 1-2 weeksGet them screened (NSOPR at a minimum)Give them something to accomplishOthers should be watching them as well
Finally, the TEAM makes a decision based on performance during the volunteer
period.
Top Choices & Next Steps
The New TeamTraining Background Screening Volunteer Recruitment Service Projects Evaluations Accommodations Personal Disaster Planning Professional Development Special Requests
Life After AmeriCorps Civic Reflection Repor t i ng
Best PracticesTips:
Make sure that partner sites are aware of training dates Start planning early for required trainings Give your 2nd year members leadership opportunities as trainers, mentors and leaders of service projects Spend your first two weeks getting required trainings done, especially First Aid/CPR. Set benchmarks for evaluation early Check in with members, site supervisors and partners often Recognize excellence often
What are some of the tools you need to successfully run your AmeriCorps program?
Where can you find these tools?
If you need assistance regarding ANYTHING related to AmeriCorps, who can you contact?
Use Your Tools!
How to Build Exceptional Members & Programs
Great Communicators Awesome Advisors Terrific Team builders Forward thinking Planners & Managers Exceptional AmeriCorps Representatives
POSITIVITY EVERYDAY!“The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for
positive ones.” Rick Hanson, PhD
Focus on the GOOD!
What might happen in your own life if you looked for the good before launching into the bad?
Relationships need a healthy balance of positive to negative interactions. Because we deal with people, negative situations will occur – make a conscious effort to infuse the positive!
When you catch yourself saying something negative…..STOP.
Keeping the Energy & Excitement Members should know what’s expected of them. Keep this in the forefront. Let members take the lead on projects. Select Team Leaders for the upcoming year. This shows that you are rewarded and promoted for good work! Bring in motivational speakers a few times a year. (Maybe they want to hear from someone else). Incorporate Teambuilding activities that are informative & exciting! Invite other Corps to participate in Corps days and Service Projects. Life After AmeriCorps planning should begin as soon as Orientation ends.
Begin with the End in Mind!
Reflecting on Service YearResume WritingProfessional DevelopmentEducation Award InformationTransitioning from National ServiceAmeriCorps Alums
Preparing Members for Life After AmeriCorps
Celebrate and acknowledge hard work often!
Celebrating the successes of the Corps is essential to retention, personal growth and program commitment!
Everyone likes to know that what they do matters!
Roadblocks to Successful Service!
Failure to follow program policies/rules Grievances & Inspector General Complaints Retention Perceived Favoritism & Inconsistencies Lack of Information & False Information Failure to document vital information & incidences Loss of funding & vital partnerships Failure to PLAN