Can you explain what your program does in the 30 to 40 seconds it takes to get from the first floor to the top floor on an elevator? So-called "elevator speeches" are one way to focus on the core messages of:

• What your organization does
• How it does it
• Who it helps

During orientation, have your members collaboratively develop and practice an elevator speech so they can confidently present themselves and their work to the public.

Click the play button to see a role play of one such speech.

Lisa Keyne, North Carolina Campus Compact (Elon, NC) prints "quick facts" about her program on business cards that are given to new members. That way, everyone's message about the organization is consistent, and it's always close at hand.

Click here to view an example of this practice.

Go back to Orientation Topics

Notre Dame AmeriCorps (Apopka, FL) engages members in creating a Wall of History during orientation and then revisits the activity at different times. It is a tool for reflection, as well as a way to build esprit d'corps.

Click to see the next photo.

Materials

For this activity, you'll need a long strip of butcher paper, markers, and magazines that can be cut up. Draw a timeline on the paper and establish four sections to address:

• How did you get here?
• What are your hopes and dreams?
• What's happening now?
• Where are you going next?

At Orientation

Through written remarks and collage, ask members to reflect on the past few years of their life and what influenced their decision to serve. Then facilitate a discussion on what members contributed to the wall.

Click the play button to hear Notre Dame AmeriCorps director Laura Firtel explain why she starts the year with this activity.

After members have discussed their personal histories, Firtel asks them to add their hopes and dreams to the wall. A group discussion follows. Then, Firtel tells the group they'll see the wall again, but she doesn't explain when or why.

At Midyear

Halfway through the year, Firtel brings out the wall again. Members are asked to add reflections to the portion of the wall that focuses on "What's happening now?"

Click the play button to hear why the timing may be tied to a particular event.

At the End of the Year

The wall makes its last appearance during a two-day retreat at the close of the service term. Firtel asks members to look back and reflect on whether their expectations were met, how their dreams may have changed, and what their future holds.

Click the play button for Firtel's end-of-year questions

Go back to Orientation Topics

Hands On Gulf Coast AmeriCorps*State (Biloxi, MS) uses a combination of presentations, film, and an interactive scavenger hunt to introduce members to the three communities served by the program.

Elements of the orientation include:

• News coverage of the area during and after Hurricane Katrina to provide members with context
• Clips of the "Guiding Light" soap opera cast members, who performed one week of service with the program
• Talks by service partners to make members aware of community resources and opportunities for collaboration
• A photo scavenger hunt that gives a geographic and historical orientation to the new community

Click the play button to hear Caitlin Brooking explain how she uses community members to strengthen the Hands On Gulf Coast orientation.

Go back to Orientation Topics

Giving members an overview of the community can be accomplished through a hand-out, a single activity, or a series of interwoven trainings. Explore each of those approaches in these resources and practices:

• City Resource Guide–A thorough background paper on one community's history and demographics
• Introduction to history and current issues–A coordinated approach that includes films, presentations, and a hands-on activity

VISTAs who join Communities in Action in remote Eastern Montana come from all over the United States. As part of orientation, the program does a county tour. VISTAs are paired up to research each town on the tour. They then act as guides for the rest of the group when everyone arrives at that location.

Go back to Community Orientation

Communities in Action (Sidney, MT) has a variety of strategies for introducing new members to "everyday" folks in the community and vice versa.

They have VISTAs volunteer at the county fair, driving golf cart shuttles from the parking lot to the fairgrounds. And, they organize "windshield surveys" where members drive around town with residents to learn about the community and get a different perspective on local issues.

Click the play button to hear Beth Cook explain how this works.

Cook also sends profiles and photos of new members to the local newspaper, so the community sees that bright, committed young people are willing to relocate and serve in their remote town.

Click the play button to learn the benefits of this practice.

Go back to Community Orientation

New members of the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership VISTA Youth Development Project (Rancho Cordova, CA) search out local sites, information, and people in a scavenger hunt developed by former VISTAs. Activities include locating at least three ethnic restaurants, interviewing at least 10 youth about their favorite hobbies, and visiting a series of local landmarks.

Check out the list for the scavenger hunt and hear how it's structured over a month's time.

Explore another type of scavenger hunt that concentrates on community history and current issues on the Gulf Coast.

Consider constructing your own scavenger hunts with different themes:

• Low-cost social outings
• Resources for people in poverty
• Public transportation

Add a debriefing session after the activity.

Communities in Action (Sidney, MT) takes a more whimsical approach to their scavenger hunt. They ask new VISTAs to snap their picture in different locations, doing different activities with various community members.

Click the play button to hear Beth Cook explain this activity.

Go back to Community Orientation

There are any number of ways to introduce new members to the community that will be their home for the next 12 months.

Check out these orientation activities—some of which serve as team-building exercises, too:

• Scavenger hunt–Different approaches to organizing a hunt that includes places, people, and programs
• "Windshield survey"–One program's way to connect VISTAs with community members
• An overview of local history, geography, and demographics–Sample hand-outs and suggestions for weaving history and current events into an orientation

Even if members are locally recruited, chances are they can still discover new and different things about their community through organized activities.

Go back to Orientation Topics

CONNECT uses its own version of the Life Game to help new VISTAs in the First 5 Service Corps (Orange, CA) understand local program benefits and policies introduced during their national pre-service orientation. The game also goes over some of the budgetary challenges of being a VISTA.

Kristi Piatkowski says it's a "fun, interactive way to review policies, procedures, and program structure without a lecture." Game pieces are easy to customize to specific programs.

Download directions, suggested questions, and a facilitator's guide that suggests ways to build discussions into the game.

According to Piatkowski, the winner is the player with the most experience points, who is not in debt. "Afterall, VISTA is about the experience, not the money," she says.

For more resources on helping members live on the living allowance, check out the VISTA campus and the book club page in the Train section of EnCorps.

Go back to Orientation Topics

New members are bound to have lots of questions about their sites, including some you probably didn't think of. To assist members in identifying those questions, one program uses a brainstorming activity.

Find out more about this activity here.

Another program requires its members to conduct an initial assessment of their site. "We feel the VISTA will have a better understanding of the dynamics of their site and its role in the community if they find the information themselves, rather than just being told," says Beth Cook, Communities in Action (Sidney, MT).

See the assessment survey Cook gives members here.

Go back to Orientation Topics

One program's complete guide

This handbook is distributed before PSO and then discussed at the program's orientation following PSO. It clarifies roles and includes sample reporting forms.

It was contributed by the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks—The Ohio Benefit Bank (Columbus, OH). This AmeriCorps*VISTA program works to increase the financial stability of low- and moderate-income Ohioans by increasing access to tax credits and work support programs.

An easy-to-read introduction to VISTA

This guide, written by a 2007-08 member, is given to new members at a pre-PSO. In simple language, it sets the stage for the information they'll receive in the VISTA orientation.

It was developed by Volunteers of America, Dakotas (Sioux Falls, SD), an AmeriCorps*VISTA program addressing needs throughout the state. This spiritually based organization reaches out to empower people of all ages to become healthier, self-sufficient, productive members of their communities.

While PSO does a thorough job of introducing new members to national service and their roles, some programs like to pave the way.

If you plan to organize a "Pre-PSO," be aware of CNCS policies that may affect reimbursement.

Volunteers of America, Dakotas (Sioux Falls, SD) hosts a one-day training before recruits leave for orientation in Chicago. Local recruits meet in person, while national recruits get a condensed version by phone and mailed materials.

"We discuss everything from a more detailed version of 'What is a VISTA?' to individual work plans, to different things that may happen throughout the year," says Morgan VonHaden. The session helps answer questions, alleviate worries, and set the context for material learned at PSO.

VonHaden also gives members a "Success Guide" that defines terms such as capacity building and talks about what it takes to recruit volunteers.

The Ohio Benefit Bank AmeriCorps*VISTA program (Columbus, OH) gives new members a program handbook BEFORE they go to PSO. It outlines core CNCS policies as well as those specific to the Benefit Bank.

Go back to The VISTA Training Continuum

A thorough record of service to help orient new members

This contents page shows all the materials that a former member leaves for the incoming one. Typically the exit report contains a message of support.

It was contributed by UCAN VISTA Coalition (Roseburg, OR), which works to create solutions to poverty and improve lives of those in their communities. Members focus on engaging community volunteers, developing increased financial resources for partner organizations to assist people struggling to get out of poverty, developing partnerships that create new or enhanced resources, and educating others about issues of poverty.

One way to orient new members to a host site is to arrange for the member to interview the site's board members. Such interviews help new members learn about the program, make important connections to community leaders, and introduce themselves to important stakeholders.

Click the play button to see a video sample of one such interview session.

Here are some questions that a new member might want to include in an interview:

• What is the board member's profession and what community activities does he or she participate in?
• What are the individual's board duties and greatest program challenges?
• What are some recommendations for things to see, people to meet, and organizations to join in the community?
• Will the board member provide a list of community contacts?
• What words of wisdom does the board member have for the new VISTA or AmeriCorps member?
• Is there anything the board member would like to know about AmeriCorps or VISTA service?

Another strategy is to have the member make a presentation to the host site board. The Montana Legal Services Association VISTA project includes a clause in its "MOU" (memo of understanding) that requires the partner site to arrange a presentation and other promotional opportunities at least once a quarter.

Check out the actual language used in their agreements.

Go back to Methods of an Orientation

The experiences of former members can help inspire and encourage the people who take their place. Some programs ask departing members to write letters to their replacements, which are read at orientation.

Click the play button to hear one example, composed by Morgan Von Haden, Volunteers of America, Dakotas (Sioux Falls, SD) and read by Jane Larsen, UCAN VISTA Coalition (Roseburg, OR).

Larsen has her exiting members write a summary of their service during the year to orient the new member and make the job seem less overwhelming. The report becomes part of a complete "exit binder."

Check out the contents of the binder here.

Go on to Board Interviews and MOUs

Providing a meaningful and engaging orientation is critical for starting your members out right. Here are some methods to consider:

• Incorporate the wisdom of former members
• Brainstorms, discussion and negotiation with your member or with a larger team (e.g., with other project staff).
• Arrange interviews/discussions for your member with key community leaders, program board members, or some residents/beneficiaries.
• Organize field trips with strategically assigned tasks to complete.
• Have your member shadow others doing similar work.
• Have your member attend staff, advisory board, and community meetings.
• Ask other staff, colleagues with other organizations and other experts to share knowledge and best practices
• Secure free or low cost skill training from various community resources:
  • Community Colleges
  • Libraries
  • Community Resource and Technology Centers
  • Trade Associations
  • Community Adult Education Programs

Get more details by downloading this resource: Get the Most out of Your On-site Orientation and Training (OSOT).

For more information on Designing Effective Trainings based on the principles of adult learning, click here.

Go on to Fundamentals of an Orientation

Warm-up activities and ice breakers help members get to know each other and feel part of a team. Try these activities with your members.

• Member Quilt
• Name Game
• Tower Building
• Pie Chart
• Service Expectations
• What is AmeriCorps?
• Who's that VISTA?
• Effective Teachers
• Other Ice Breakers

For additional team tools, visit Teampedia, a collaborative encyclopedia of team building activities, icebreakers, teamwork resources, and tools for teams that anyone can edit.

Group engagement and effective facilitation strategies help keep participants engaged in meetings and training events. Try these strategies with staff, community participants, and members to enhance participation.

• Defining Group Roles
• Group Engagement Strategies

Go back to Orientation Topics

AmeriCorps programs and VISTA programs have different requirements for their orientations. VISTA programs need to submit their agendas to their State Office before their members go to PSO. The AmeriCorps requirements are more open.

Click on the linked logos below to see the guidelines for each program.

Go back to Member Orientation Home

AmeriCorps and VISTA programs have different requirements for their orientations. VISTA programs need to submit Onsite Orientation and Training (OSOT) agendas to their State Office before new members go to their Pre-Service Orientation (PSO). The AmeriCorps requirements are more open.

Click on the linked logos below to see sample agendas for each program.

Go back to Elements of an Orientation

Lessen the anxieties about teaching that new members may experience

New AmeriCorps members who will work as tutors or teachers may worry about their ability to do their job. Lessen their anxieties with this group activity. In small groups, members will:

• Talk about their favorite teachers
• List some of the characteristics of effective teachers
• Learn that they also possess some of these qualities

This Effective Teachers activity was contributed by AmeriCorps/East St. Louis (East St. Louis, IL), an AmeriCorps*State program that focuses on reading, language skills development for low achieving students in grades 1-6.

Explain the mission of AmeriCorps with a group activity

Members help each other learn about the mission and objectives of AmeriCorps with this group orientation activity. Encourage them to be creative and use a variety of presentation styles.

This orientation activity was contributed by PCC's AmeriCorps (Oak Park, IL), an AmeriCorps*State program that provides intensive outreach and health education to individuals and families at high-risk for poor health and social outcomes.

Learn about members' service year expectations with this group activity

Observe member interaction and team-work skills during this meaningful group activity. During the activity, members divide into groups to answer and discuss questions such as:

• What do you hope to learn?
• What skills do you hope to acquire?
• How will your service year be different from a job?

Use this activity during either AmeriCorps or VISTA orientations.

This activity was contributed by PCC's AmeriCorps (Oak Park, IL), an AmeriCorps*State program that provides intensive outreach and health education to individuals and families at high-risk for poor health and social outcomes.

Build group cohesion with this interactive activity

Becoming a new VISTA or AmeriCorps member can bring both excitement and uncertainty. This activity helps new members identify and express their feelings about the coming service year. Talking about positive and negative feelings builds team spirit and trust.

This Pie Chart activity was adapted by PCC's AmeriCorps (Oak Park, IL), an AmeriCorps*State program that provides intensive outreach and health education to individuals and families at high-risk for poor health and social outcomes.

Foster team building through hands-on problem solving

How do you build a 6-foot tower with paper, cups, and straws? You have only 15 minutes to plan and 10 minutes to build. New AmeriCorps and VISTA members will have fun solving this problem with their group.

This Tower Building activity was adapted by PCC's AmeriCorps (Oak Park, IL), an AmeriCorps*State program that provides intensive outreach and health education to individuals and families at high-risk for poor health and social outcomes.

AmeriCorps and VISTA members get to know each other with this name game

New members talk about their names and nicknames and tell stories connected to their names. They then introduce another member of the group with an interesting fact about that person's name.

This activity was adapted by PCC's AmeriCorps (Oak Park, IL), an AmeriCorps*State program that provides intensive outreach and health education to individuals and families at high-risk for poor health and social outcomes.

Help VISTAs get to know each other

Break the ice at your first VISTA training with this activity:

• Collect a unique fact or obscure detail from each member of your team (cull resumes for information or ask members directly)
• Include supervisors and project coordinators
• List each item without the person's name
• Hand out the lists at the initial gathering
• Give everyone until the end of the day to match each person with an item on the list
• At the end of the day, go through the answers; allow each person to tell a little bit more about their item.

This activity was contributed by Schools of Hope project (Madison, WI), a VISTA program that trains and coordinates academic tutors for low-income students and students of color in the primary grades to improve academic achievement.

Best practices for members to connect with the community

You've heard of the term "elevator speech." That's the thirty second speech you give when someone when asks, "What do you do?" or "AmeriCorps? What's that?" Delivering an accurate message takes time and practice.

AmeriCorps members are expected to dive right in and begin recruiting volunteers/partners and training. The following documents are sample networking materials that will give your members the confidence they need during those first cold calls and emails, and ensure your program is being represented appropriately. Use these documents when:

• Creating organizational partnerships
• Making first phone contact with potential partners or volunteers
• Sending follow-up emails to phone messages
• Posting information online
• Responding to calls or emails of interest in your program

These samples were contributed by Chicago Public Schools Homeless Education Program (Chicago, IL) , a VISTA program that works with low income and homeless students to assure they are provided with educational opportunities that are equal to those of other students.