Member recognition

By publicly recognizing your members' contributions, you can help them feel that their work is worthwhile. At the same time, you can also promote your program and its mission in the community. While recognition is often tied to the end of the service term (or the end of the school year), it can be an ongoing way of motivating and encouraging members and volunteers.

Recognition can take many forms. The Youth Volunteer Corps of America (YVCA), a National Direct Grantee headquartered in Kansas, suggests a number of personal and public ways to recognize and reward members' efforts. Print their great ideas and adapt them for your own program.

Document achievements

Members achieved a lot this year. Be sure they have documents from your program that track the important skills they developed. Aside from letters of recommendation and lists of trainings you provided, give members a more official certificate of training to place in their personal portfolios. With this certificate template, you can present members with their acquired training hours after each training.

End-of-year celebration

While recognizing achievement is important through the service term, it's an especially important part of your end-of-service celebration. For a variety of creative ways to mark the conclusion of the term, print these suggestions from the Washington Service Corps.

Print these tips for inviting prominent community members and civic leaders to your end-of-service ceremonies.

For more information about the importance of recognition and celebrating the end of service, check out these links:

Electronic Gazette for Volunteerism
www.volunteertoday.com

Volunteer recognition ideas/manuals
www.energizeinc.com/ideas.html

Go on to Passing Along Wisdom

Facing a big transition–like the end of service–can be stressful. So, how can you help members avoid or relieve those feelings?

The National Service Stress Survival Guide, developed by Education Northwest, covers seven steps for stress management:

• Adjust your attitude
• Make your job work for you
• Thrive on challenge
• Eat for performance
• Exercise
• Manage time and finances
• Get your feelings out

The guide can be formatted into a training session and comes complete with informational handouts, self-tests, and a resource list for participants. You can adjust the length of the session by selecting any number of the 11 suggested exercises.

Coping also becomes an issue as members leave service and transition into post-service life. This is addressed in What's Next, a tutorial designed to aid members in making decisions for after the end of their service term.

Go on to Recognizing Contributions and the End of Service

Problem

How do you give members the best roadmap for their next steps without maxing out your organization? How can small programs in isolated rural locations find the resources for such trainings?

Solution

Each year, several large and small organizations in metropolitan Portland (Oregon) band together to present a day-long conference that helps transitioning members answer the question, "What next?" Programs from across Oregon and Washington are able to take advantage of the training.

Execution

Seven people serve on the planning committee; they meet about four or five times a year. Once they decide on the topics for conference sessions–based on pre-surveys of members and evaluations from the last conference–they divide up the work and take responsibility for recruiting speakers. Typically, speakers are people they know in the community, with whom they have a working relationship. They try to recruit some former AmeriCorps members as presenters; all speakers volunteer their time and are not paid.

More than 200 people attended the June 2006 conference in Portland, where they chose from among 15 different presentations. Download and print a detailed overview of the event. The five most popular sessions, in order of attendance, were International Work and Service, Making Plans for Your Ed Award, Networking and Informational Interviewing, Traveling and Living Abroad on a Budget, and Applying to Graduate School.

Many of these topics are covered in other sections of this site.

Outcome

Of those participants who turned in evaluations (about half the people attending), 80 percent rated the whole day as very good or excellent. The "most valuable aspect" overwhelmingly was the information on the Ed Award and the résumé reviews.

Click here for a copy of the evaluation.

Download and print a detailed agenda of the event.

For additional resources on designing effective trainings based on principles of adult learning, click here.

Go on to Conducting Exit Interviews

"Passing the torch" from one group of members to the next serves a number of purposes. It helps the departing group bring closure to their experience and reflect on lessons they've learned that will be valuable to someone else. It gives new members some real-life experience to draw on and hopefully helps them avoid potential mistakes. It also is a way to provide continuity from one year to the next.

There are lots of ways to create opportunities for passing along wisdom:

• One Washington Service Corps group made a series of posters with words of encouragement to hang in their program office.
• Another created a videotape with parting messages of "graduating" members; it was shown to new recruits during orientation.
• Each of the Washington Service Corps programs has a "sustainability binder." In the notebook are personal letters from former members to current members, telling them how the year went and offering advice. See a table of contents for an exit binder in the Orient section of EnCorps.
• Some programs ask members to write the letters on their own time while others incorporate it into an end-of-service reflection exercise. Listen to an example of one such letter in the Orient section of EnCorps.
• America Reads-Mississippi (Jackson, MS) gathered advice from supervisors, team leaders, and members into a booklet "so others don't have to learn lessons the hard way." It covers topics such as "One Thing I Wish Someone Had Told Me Early On…" and "It Took Me Awhile to Figure Out…"

Go on to Helping Members Stay Connected

As a program director, you can help members make a smooth transition as they leave your program. These sections will help you ease the way:

• Planning a Life After AmeriCorps Training
• Conducting Exit Interviews
• Providing Coping Strategies for Handling Life Changes
• Recognizing Contributions and the End of Service
• Passing Along Wisdom
• Helping Members Stay Connected

You can also direct members to the What's Next online tutorial for goal-setting and other transition exercises.

Steps for supporting transition

Some AmeriCorps members will feel a sense of loss as they say good-bye to co-workers, community partners, and the structure that comes from having a job and/or a clearly defined mission in life.

You can gain a better understanding of what members are going through by considering William Bridges's three stages of transition (from Next Steps: Life After AmeriCorps by the Corporation for National and Community Service):

• Stage 1–An identity is lost and a new one hasn't taken its place yet. The individual may feel disenchanted, unable to move on until he or she comes to grips with the "ending" of this current stage in life. For members who may be sad or angry about leaving service, it helps to plan ample time to say good-bye. Knowing that their project is left in good hands also helps provide a sense of closure. Organizing a closing ceremony gives members a chance to formally mark the end of this chapter in their lives.
• Stage 2–The process of "letting go" can lead to feelings of emptiness and confusion. Members can minimize the amount of time they're in this phase by taking a series of small steps toward the future. Urge them to focus on the little things they can do right away rather than worrying about a plan for the rest of their lives.
• Stage 3–In the final stage of transition, people find a new beginning. It's important to take action and concentrate on goals during this stage. According to Bridges, the transition process doesn't end when all the decisions have been made, but when action and goal setting are underway.

Another theorist, Nancy Schlossberg, recommends that people examine how they feel about the impending transition; identify supports; explore how their personality will affect the transition; and look at what they'll need to do to cope with the transition from service to the next step.

Go on to Planning a Life After AmeriCorps Training

The AmeriCorps and VISTA experience can lay the foundation for a lifetime of service. Obviously, members enrich their own lives and communities by staying involved. Maintaining ties between your program and your former members also helps ease the transition from service to "life after."

There are other positive outcomes from having strong connections with your past members. They can help recruit new members, share their knowledge at orientation and other member development functions, offer networking opportunities as the next group of members "graduates," and provide historical perspective and context for your program.

There are plenty of ways you can suggest that departing members remain involved in service:

• Volunteer in the community–A few of the most comprehensive sites for finding targeted volunteer opportunities are www.volunteermatch.org, www.pointsoflight.org, and www.idealist.org. They'll help members match their interests with organizations where they live.
• Serve overseas–For members who want to volunteer abroad, http://www.idealist.org/en/ivrc/index.html can help find a spot; also check out www.peacecorps.gov.
• Get involved in the political process–Members can make a difference at many levels: from volunteering for local neighborhood associations or a national political party to lobbying for programs and causes they believe in. At the very least, remind your members to register and vote!
• Join RSVP–If members are 55 or older, they should consider signing on with RSVP, a "one-stop shopping" site for volunteers who want to do meaningful work in their community. More information on RSVP and other Senior Corps programs is available at www.seniorcorps.org.
• Join AmeriCorps Alums–This group is for both AmeriCorps members as well as VISTAs. More information is available at www.americorpsalums.org.
• Outward Bound is a nonprofit educational organization with core programs that change lives, build teams, and transform schools. The organization delivers adventure in the wilderness, urban centers, and classrooms to help others achieve their possibilities and to inspire them to serve others and the world around them. If your members are interested in taking Outward Bound courses, they can use their education awards.
• Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates and professionals of all academic majors and career interests who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity.

Go on to Beyond the Service Year Home

Exit interviews serve several purposes. They're a chance to bring closure to the member'sservice while providing valuable feedback to both your program and the individual.

Lara Jones, Individual Placement Member Support Coordinator at the Northwest Service Academy (NWSA), offers some advice on handling exit interviews:

Step 1

Schedule the interviews about two days prior to the commencement ceremony. "This way, if there's missing paperwork or if they're short on hours, they still have a chance to fix that," she says.

Step 2

Ask members to come prepared. "They need to bring their last time sheet and time logs, their final site report, and their written evaluation of our program. The evaluation asks them to rate the program, staff, and support. It also asks them for contact information and about their plans for life after AmeriCorps."

Jones also gives members some questions to think about in advance that will form the basis of their interview. Although design for exiting leaders, the questions can be adapted for all members.

Step 3

Allow for an open conversation. Jones and the program leader spend about 10–15 minutes talking to each member individually about their experience. "We usually try to talk about things they've done well during their service and some things they may want to focus on. We also ask them to speak freely about the program and how it might be improved."

Step 4

Consider having an outside evaluator do a pre- and post-service survey. NWSA has an independent company, Merit Research, give members a survey as they start and end their service. The end survey takes about 20 minutes to fill out and is done just before the individual interviews are conducted. Merit Research analyzes the results and reports back to NWSA.

Step 5

Use the exit interview session as part of your end-of-service celebration preparation.

"I like to call in all the members of the team at the same time, which is about 15 people," says Jones. "As they're waiting for their individual interviews, they work on their group reflection piece for our commencement ceremony. It can be a skit, a song, or a video. They also fill out a 'yearbook' page, which will have their photo on it. We take these and make them into a book that's a nice take-away. All members get a copy and sign it at commencement, just like a high school yearbook."

Go on to Providing Coping Strategies for Handling Life Changes

Collecting feedback from your exiting members

Adapt this resource to gather information that can help assess and improve your program.

This survey was developed and used by the Cispus Learning Center in Washington state. Washington Service Corps members perform service that has direct and demonstrable impact in the areas of education, the environment, human services, homeland security, and public safety.

Asking exiting members to evaluate selves

Use this document to gather valuable feedback that can help refine and improve your program and better serve your members' training needs.

This exit survey was contributed by the Northwest Service Academy — Lower Columbia Center (NWSA, Portland, OR), an AmeriCorps*National Direct program that addresses critical environmental and educational needs, partnering with 125 community agencies with members serving in individual placements or on field teams.

Asking for feedback from exiting team leaders

Use the wisdom gained by your team leaders to assess and improve your program.

This feedback form was created by the Northwest Service Academy — Lower Columbia Center (NWSA, Portland, OR). NWSA addresses critical environmental and educational needs, partnering with 125 community agencies with members serving in individual placements or on field teams.

Capture members' thoughts and plans as they end their service

Exit forms are useful tools for capturing feedback to better understand what's working and what needs improving in your program. Use this sample exit form to develop your own tool for use with your members.

This sample form was created by the Northwest Service Academy - Lower Columbia Center (NWSA, Portland, OR). NWSA addresses critical environmental and educational needs, partnering with 125 community agencies with members serving in individual placements or on field teams.

How programs came together to stage a regional end-of-service training

This case study details the planning of a comprehensive, all day Life After AmeriCorps event in Portland, Oregon. Included are tips for programs who would like to mount a similar or smaller-scale event.

Get participants' feedback from your end-of-service training

To provide the best training for exiting members, capture their feedback during end-of-service events. This form was used by Northwest Service Academy-Lower Columbia Center (NWSA) during an all-day "Life After" conference. Use it as a model for your own evaluation.

NWSA (Portland, OR) is an AmeriCorps*National direct that addresses critical environmental and educational needs, partnering with 125 community agencies with members serving in individual placements or on field teams.

See how collaborating programs organized a Life After AmeriCorps conference

A seven member planning committee developed this agenda for a one-day regional conference. The conference included 15 different presentations and was attended by more than 200 members. The agenda includes descriptions of the sessions and speaker biographies. Use this document for ideas on how to develop a similar training event.

Use this document for ideas on how to put a training program together.

Identify member needs and interest in advance

This survey would typically be sent to members well in advance of planning a Life After AmeriCorps conference or series of workshops.

Adapt this survey to:

• Identify and prioritize potential topics and speakers
• Gather information that will help speakers know their audience
• Give members a chance to influence the content, increasing their buy-in

This pre-survey was developed by a bi-state planning committee that organized a one-day LIfe After AmeriCorps event for members across Oregon and Washington state.

Getting feedback on trainings and events

Adapt this survey to collect member feedback on the effectiveness of your trainings.

This resource was created by LISC,an AmeriCorps National direct program that focuses on increasing affordable housing opportunities.