1. AmeriCorps: Arizona’s Pipeline
to Employment
Kendra L. Smith, Ph.D.
ARNOVA
Washington D.C.
November 2016
MorrisonInstitute.asu.edu

2. Study Purpose
To determine how organizations perceive and benefit from AmeriCorps involvement To calculate employment retention and job creation at host sites To learn how AmeriCorps experiences shape alumni career paths

3. What We Did…

4. Result #1: Placement Sites Are Hiring Former AmeriCorps Members
Electronic survey data found that 82.7% of organizations hired AmeriCorps alumni since 2012.
Phone survey data found that 57.8% of these organizations hired members from their own sites
Placement sites hired an average of 3.7 members since 2012.
The positions that are hired are typically full-time (64.3%), and more than half are newly created.

5. Result #1 (cont.): Skill Level Rating of AmeriCorps Members Compared to Non-AmeriCorps Staff (Reported By % Of Supervisors)

6. Result #2: AmeriCorps’ Network Facilitates an Employment Pipeline
Non-AmeriCorps community organizations (58%) connected to AmeriCorps host sites ‘often’ or ‘almost always’ directly benefit from the work of AmeriCorps members.
AmeriCorps alumni (59%) are hired by these networked organizations at least half the time.

7. Result #2 (cont.): The AmeriCorps Network
Word of mouth and experiences facilitate networks
These network benefit alumni and organizations
The role of AmeriCorps alumni supervisors
The density of the network varies by region
Networking opportunities are sector-specific
For-profits are excluded from these networks – many still don’t know AmeriCorps
Employers of National Service and AmeriCorps Alum as resources

8. Result #3: AmeriCorps Is Associated with Innovation, Job Creation, and Program Expansion
Job Creation: An average of new 1.4 full-time positions and 0.6 part-time positions were created for the newly hired AmeriCorps members at placement sites since How/why is this happening?

9. Result #3(cont.): Innovation and Expansion
Fresh eyes, new ideas, unique skills
Wraparound “gap” services
Service improvements
Capacity-building
More people served/community-building
Bring in more resources
Program creation
“Throw ideas up and see what sticks” (“trailblazers”)

10. Result #4: Positive Impacts on Arizona’s Alumni
Career exploration
Grow confidence, communication, and leadership skills
Exposed to experiences that non-AmeriCorps counterparts are not
Systems thinking
Exposed to a diversity of experiences
Putting roots down in the community

11. Conclusion
The need for AmeriCorps is high and the potential for its expansion is great.
The administration of consistent training, evaluation, and outreach will help to address barriers found in this study.
Incentives may fill gaps for those excluded from programs.
Are these findings Arizona-specific? Future research will take place in 5 states to compare results.