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 effectiveness How to promote retention and promote lifelong civic engagement The 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

DateLocationActivity Person Responsible Outcome 1/21/13 City Hall MLK Program Presentation to 47 people; left brochures James Brown 10 names to follow-up 2/2/13 Booth at College Fair Accepted 7 resumes, passed out 100 flyers, 63 applications Jane Doe 2 applications completed at fair, 8 received later 3/6/13 Kiwanis Club Breakfast Presentation to 13 people Bob 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 weeks Get them screened (NSOPR at a minimum) Give them something to accomplish Others 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 Team Training Training Background Screening Volunteer Recruitment Service Projects Evaluations Accommodations Personal Disaster Planning Professional Development Special Requests Reporting Life After AmeriCorps Civic Reflection Reporting

Best Practices Tips: Make sure that partner sites are aware of training dates Start planning early for required trainings Give your 2 nd 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 Year  Resume Writing  Professional Development  Education Award Information  Transitioning from National Service  AmeriCorps 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

Questions & Answers

Please don’t forget to complete your evaluation. Thank You!