What Do I Need to Know If I M Interested in Hosting a VISTA Member?

Why partner with us to host a VISTA? A partnership with NPCNYS provides an increase in agency capacity, greater sustainability, and improved program management for organizations working to eradicate poverty and expand housing opportunities. AmeriCorps VISTA members provide behind-the-scenes, indirect service designed to build programs and practices that will last long after they complete their term. Members are permitted to write grants, work on fundraising initiatives, develop policies & procedures, recruit and manage volunteers, develop programs, build curriculums, and provide outreach on behalf of their host sites.

The goal of this project is to increase the capacity of NPCS in a region by having the VISTA develop and implement a communications and outreach plan. VISTAs will also help with grantwriting/fund development and agency communications and outreach.

What kinds of candidates apply to AmeriCorps and what is required of them? Host sites can identify candidates on their own or request. NPCNYS will recruit and screen applicants alongside host NPCs to ensure a good fit with each specific site. VISTA applicants provide at least two references, go through state and FBI background checks, and a rigorous interview process ensuring the highest quality of candidates. When members commit to VISTA they are committing to a 12-month term in which they are expected to serve at their host sites full-time. Members are allowed to have outside employment during their term of service with permission. Members are provided health coverage, childcare, student loan forbearance, an education award and a living stipend. The only financial expectation of host sites is a cash match of $1,750. NPCNYS is helping to subsidize the cash match in this first year.

What do I need to know if I’m interested in hosting a VISTA member?

We are now accepting Applications (see page 2) for VISTA projects with members starting in July or August 2017. Applications are due by Friday, April 14, 2017. Organizations interested in hosting a VISTA member should:

• Have the capacity to utilize VISTA members in an indirect service role, and make a strong connection between the organization’s work and NPCNYS’ performance goals. NPCNYS will be accepting applications for new 2017-18 VISTA projects focused on developing and enhancing communications, outreach, and collaboration among regional NPCs in order to strengthen services, increase capacity, and amplify our messages.
• Be willing to provide supervision, staff support and agency resources to ensure the success of member serving at their site.

• For the purposes of this project, only one NPC per region is eligible to host a VISTA. Applications will only be reviewed from members in good standing.

NPCNYS VISTA Project Description: What Applicants Need to Know
Overview of VISTA Project Tasks
The ten VISTAS will help support, identify, develop, and/or implement resources and tools to increase economic opportunity in the ten regions. Member sites will be selected through a competitive application process initiated by NPCNYS. VISTAs will be engaged to build the capacity of member organizations by gathering research and aiding in the creation of regional NPC –specific communications and outreach plans.
Regional communication and outreach plans will aid the work of NPCS in the following ways:

• Enable a process for shared services to be identified and developed;
• Create opportunities for NPCs to broaden partnerships, reducing competition for resources;
• Help NPCS provide a more targeted level of assistance in their communities by establishing a standardized community listening process;
• Expand opportunities for NPCS to gather shared metrics and stories for case-making in and across their communities;
• Allow for expanded communication across the entire network, as regional outreach plans and accompanying information can be shared.

VISTA members will perform activities related to the development and piloting of the regional communication and outreach plan, and will also perform site-specific duties, primarily grant writing/private foundation proposal development and communications and outreach planning and implementation. A summary of major tasks is as follows:

• Outreach: conduct outreach (phone, emails) with regional NPCs and gather service related information
• Analyze interview data and identify common services and service gaps
• Coordinate with the VISTA program manager and site supervisor to write a regional NPC communications plan
• Develop proposals to help expand the capacity of the member site and/or regional NPCs
• Organize space and time for community meetings
• Develop relevant communications materials, including newsletters, brochures, and other printed publications
• Create and develop relevant visual communications for traditional and social media
  Still have questions about the NPCNYS VISTA Program?

Contact Cara Long Corra, Urban Policy Coordinator, at | 518.432.6757

Check out our current openings. positions will begin injune/july 2017 Partner Site RFP Application for New VISTA Projects

DUE: Friday, april 14, 2017

Name of Organization:

Primary Contact for RFP process:

(Note: This person must have the authority to commit and receive funds on behalf of the organization)

Title/Department:

Phone: () -

Fax: () -

E-mail: @

Address, City, State Zip:

Authorization: The legal applicant certifies to the best of his/her knowledge that this data is true and accurate, that the filing of this application has been duly authorized by the governing body of the applicant, and that the applicant will comply with the assurances required if the proposal is approved.

Authorizing Official:

Signature: ______Date: //

NPCNYS VISTA New VISTA Site ApplicationDue: April 14, 2017

AmeriCorps Member Request (only one per organization):

1. Who will be the on-site supervisor(s) available to the member(s)? Please remember that the supervisor assigned to the member(s) must have regular contact with the member and be available for meetings, site visits, questions from NPCNYS VISTA staff and sign off on bi-weekly timesheets:

NPCNYS VISTA New VISTA Site ApplicationDue: April 14, 2017

Supervisor:

Title:

Email Address: @

Phone: () -

Supervisor 2 (Optional):

Title:

Email Address: @

Phone: () -

NPCNYS VISTA New VISTA Site ApplicationDue: April 14, 2017

1. Facilities(please check each appropriate category below to indicate your ability to meet the following match requirements):
   Work Space Training Computer Phone Fax Supplies
   
2. Will you be able to post AmeriCorps signage at your site to indicate that an AmeriCorps member(s) is serving there?  YES  NO
   
3. Will the AmeriCorps member(s) be able to identify themselves as AmeriCorps at the service site (wear AmeriCorps shirts, or lapel pins)?  YES  NO
   
4. Will it be possible to place a link to npcnys.org on your organization's website?
    YES  NO If so, who will facilitate this process?
   
5. Will it be possible to do a news story about the service an AmeriCorps member is accomplishing at your site (for example, can a reporter come to the site and interview the member and clients/beneficiaries)?
    YES  NO

Cash and In-Kind Match:

Congress and The Service Collaborative of WNY require both cash and in-kind matching resources for each member placement to support a portion of the member living allowance, associated fringe benefits and support costs, uniforms, supplies and other expenses. If an organization has limited financial resources and cannot afford a portion or the entire required cash match, then the applicant must define how they plan to help support the cost of their VISTA member(s) and submit financial records for the organization that demonstrate the need for assistance. Limited financial resources do not affect the selection process.

In the event that a member leaves the program or is transferred to another site, the organization may request a pro-rated refund based on the number of weeks/months completed by the member. If the VISTA member completes 30% or more of the required days of his/her term of service and is then terminated, resigns or abandons his/her term of service, the cash match commitment becomes non-refundable.

Cash and In-Kind Match:

1. Cost Sharing: Required cash matching funds for the services of each VISTA member. The full-time member (365 days of service) cost share is $1,750 per member. All payments are made to the Neighborhood Preservation Coalition of New York State, Inc.
2. Where will the cash match come from? (Please provide a detailed description of where the cash match will come from and who/what will be providing the funding.)

• Federal government funds (please note that not all federal funds may be matched to other federal funds, please review any guidelines related to possible funding to be used for SNY VISTA program cash match prior to partnership):
• Local or state government funds:
• Private funds:
• Other (please describe):

Type of payment plan for NPCNYS VISTA program cash match:

One payment Semi-Annual Quarterly

1. Who should the invoices be sent to?
   Name: Title:
   E-mail: Phone/Fax:
   Address, City State, Zip:
2. Are there any special circumstances related to your cash match availability? For example, do you need your invoices sent according to a specific schedule related to a grant award, or will you need your invoices sent at a particular time of the partner year? Please detail below.
   

Please provide a brief narrative (no more than two pages) about how your organization will be able to utilize the services of the VISTA member for the project and tasks described.

a)SUSTAINABLY STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES THROUGH VISTA:

1. Anti-poverty connection: State in quantifiable terms the specific poverty-related need(s) associated with the community to be served by the AmeriCorps VISTA project. Use current statistical data to substantiate the problem, and please cite the source.

1. Indirect Service: Describe the roles and responsibility of key individuals or groups involved in your VISTA project, including the VISTA member. Keep in mind the tasks of VISTA members must be indirect in nature and always work toward building capacity and sustainability for the project.
   

b)PROJECT & MEMBER MANAGEMENT: Describe plans for daily supervision of VISTA member(s). Specify the percentage of each supervisor’s overall time that will be spent on VISTA member supervision. Describe your specific plans for evaluating progress toward reaching your project’s identified performance measurements and VISTA member’s individual performance.
Note: NPCNYS will aid in supervision and will conduct phone calls with supervisors as well as annual site visits.

For assistance with this application please contact Cara Long Corra(518) 432-6757 or

NPCNYS VISTA New VISTA Site ApplicationDue: April 14, 2017