Volunteer Generation Fund
Current VGF InitiativesLearn more about the 23 state service commissions administering Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) initiatives below, totaling $5.4 million:
AZ: ARIZONA GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON SERVICE & VOLUNTEERISM CA: CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS Since 2000, seven of the top ten most destructive fires in California's history have devastated the state, claiming fatalities and entire neighborhoods in their wake and leaving the state and residents grappling with rebuilding communities and lives. As the state lead in volunteer and donations management, CalVolunteers (CV) recognizes the important role local businesses, nonprofits, and volunteers play before, during, and after disasters. CV is requesting $197,235, which will be matched by $55,399 in match, for a total investment of $252,634 to launch a strategy that will effectively connect the knowledge and access of the public sector, the resources of the private sector, and the community-driven missions of the nonprofit/faith-based sector to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. After reviewing the after action reports (AARs) and the lessons learned from the recent disasters in California, CV proposes leveraging the Volunteer Generation Fund to build three distinct products that will help California better respond to disaster needs by: 1. Developing a CalVolunteers volunteer platform. California community members need to be able to access information about disasters and related volunteer opportunities through web vehicles as well as mobile friendly applications. 2. Creating the California Preparedness Network (CPN), a network of disaster trained corporate leaders that will educate local nonprofits and faith-based organizations in disaster preparedness and volunteer management, and 3. Building a group of well-prepared nonprofit/faith-based organizations who have continuity of operations plans (COOP) and a baseline understanding of their own operational bandwidth and can pre-identify volunteer opportunities when called to scale their operations. CO: SERVE COLORADO Serve Colorado and Spark the Change Colorado/ Metro Volunteers propose a two-pronged approach to expanding volunteer services in the state of Colorado. We propose: 1) an expansion of mental health services to low income individuals including children and seniors by engaging Pro Bono volunteers to southern Colorado, specifically in Pueblo and surrounding counties and northern metro counties specifically Broomfield; and 2) Spark the Change Colorado will conduct the capacity building Volunteer Management Training Series and provide an online connection tool to organizations in Southern and Rural Colorado. This grant will expand existing Pro Bono Mental Health Counseling programs in Pueblo county. The program coordinates services of pro bono licensed mental health professionals to provide free mental health services to low-income and poverty level individuals and families. In Pueblo, Spark the Change Colorado serves approximately 325 individuals per year through the volunteer efforts of 16 pro bono mental health counselors working at Host Sites and in Private Practice settings. This programming is powered by volunteer licensed mental health professionals and is slotted for expansion to more sites across Pueblo County, especially in middle schools. Our request will assist in implementing and expanding the Pro Bono program in counties surrounding Pueblo County. This includes engaging additional pro bono counselors for the professional volunteer network. Next, Spark the Change Colorado will expand their Volunteer Management Training series to expand the capacity of nonprofits to recruit and retain volunteers. The Volunteer Management Training Series (VMTS) consists of six modules created by the Points of Light Institute, and is designed to give a comprehensive understanding of the major components of a nonprofit Volunteer Management program. Spark the Change Colorado will also provide its online volunteer matching tool for nonprofits to recruit new volunteers. DC: SERVE DC - MAYOR’S OFFICE ON VOLUNTEERISM FL: VOLUNTEER FLORIDA Volunteer Florida will engage the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) to support 24 sub-grantees to generate 9600 skills-based volunteers and contribute 72,000 hours of service, with a focus on Disaster Services and the Opioid Crisis. Volunteer Florida will provide Disaster Response Management of Spontaneous Volunteers training to all sub-grantees with a disaster services focus, resulting in increased knowledge of management of volunteers in disaster. In addition, VGF will support increased capacity for volunteer management by providing one statewide training supporting 24 sub-grantee organizations to increase effective volunteer management practices. Sub-grantees will opt into one of the six CNCS Focus Areas. The CNCS investment of $495,443 will be matched with $495,443 supporting all CNCS focus areas. IA: IOWA COMMISSION ON VOLUNTEER SERVICE The mission of Serve Kentucky is to engage Kentuckians in volunteerism and service to positively affect our communities. In 2015, Kentucky ranked 36th in the US, with just 23.5% of its residents engaged in volunteering (CNCS, 2015). Serve Kentucky proposes the utilization of the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) support to implement a strong, consistent infrastructure for nonprofit organizations, volunteers, and national service participants. Serve Kentucky will establish our role in Kentucky with emergency management and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Serve Kentucky will develop a disaster plan in coordination with the state’s Volunteer Agency Liaison that supports statewide preparedness for, response to and recovery from disasters. The plan will include the need to request and deploy national service resources in partnership with the state and local VOADs. LA: VOLUNTEER LOUISIANA With the 2018 Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) grant, the Volunteer Louisiana Commission will collaborate with Governor's Office on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) on a multi-phase initiative to address volunteer recruitment, retention, and management in three phases of the disaster cycle; preparedness, response, and recovery. Volunteer Louisiana will address disaster preparedness through a statewide media campaign targeting unaffiliated volunteers, the development of training and resource videos for volunteers, and the recruitment of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Citizen Corps teams. Volunteer Louisiana will address disaster response by utilizing online volunteer management and social media tools to connect volunteers with volunteer opportunities. Volunteer Louisiana will address disaster recovery by recruiting and training government and corporate volunteer teams and establishing a sustainable pool of disaster volunteers statewide. Volunteer Louisiana will also provide volunteer management best practice training to non-profit and disaster focused organizations throughout the year. ME: VOLUNTEER MAINE The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC) is using the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) to strengthen the infrastructure and capacity of nonprofits, corporations, and state government to utilize best practices that lead to increasing the number of volunteers recruited and managed across the state in both rural and urban environments. The project will expand skills-based volunteerism through mentorship, coordination and employee engagement programs. These goals are in alignment with MCSC's State Service Plan and with the CNCS focus areas of Education and Capacity Building. The MCSC has received an investment of $319,183. MCSC is matching that investment with $320,056 to bring the total annual program budget to $639,239. MN: SERVE MINNESOTA MS: VOLUNTEER MISSISSIPPI Mississippi nonprofits tackle a myriad of serious social and economic problems that face our rural state, as well as those arising from weather-related disasters. They need access to the people and resources that build their capacity to shape stronger, more disaster-resilient communities. Currently, there is not one organization that offers volunteer recruitment and engagement, networking for potential funders and nonprofits, and training and technical support as a comprehensive package, and, in many regions, only one or none of the services is offered. Through established partnerships with the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits (MCN) and the Mississippi Association of Grantmakers (MAG), the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service (Volunteer Mississippi) proposes to provide regionally accessible, comprehensive capacity building services to nonprofits as well as disaster-resiliency programming to communities through strategically placed Volunteer & Nonprofit Resource Hubs (Hubs). Hubs will provide volunteer connection and nonprofit resource center services, give nonprofits access to potential funders and funding resources, and provide Volunteer Response Center (VRC) training and disaster support; from locations accessible to outlying rural areas. To increase volunteer connection efficiencies, Hubs will network with and support existing volunteer centers, college/university volunteer programs, employee volunteer programs, and other volunteer connector organizations within their regions. Up to 5 Hubs will be created in the first year that will generate 10,400 total on-going and episodic volunteers serving 67,600 hours, which include 400 skill-based volunteers serving 2,600 hours; provide VRC training to 100 volunteers and provide response/recovery support in the aftermath of a disaster; and provide capacity building services to 400 nonprofits, with 25 organizations implementing 3 effective volunteer management practices. NH: VOLUNTEER NEW HAMPSHIRE Through this initiative, the state will raise its ranking in the "Volunteering in America" survey from its current 46th position to 40th at the end of three years; college volunteerism, currently ranked 50th will rise in ranking to 44th. The NJ Commission proposal includes five eligible organizations to be the pilot group for our VGF program: the United Way of Northern NJ (covering a 5-county region); NJ Campus Compact (including 10 colleges in 7 urban regions); the Volunteer Center of South Jersey (covering a 7-county region); the New Start Career Network (statewide);and the Volunteer Center of Burlington County (covering the largest county of NJ). A $283,333 investment by CNCS in NJ will support the recruitment of 5,000 unique volunteers and over 150,000 hours of direct service each year. The new volunteers and new volunteer management infrastructure will support delivery of additional and sustainable direct services throughout the state. The Commission is proud to continue the spirit of volunteerism that started with a VGF grant in 2010. Over the past seven years, the Commission has built regional volunteer centers to broaden the reach of New York's most generous residents, deployed thousands of volunteers to help families who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy, and generated thousands of new volunteers to combat poverty throughout the state. This year, the Commission is excited to build on these successes to address an urgent issue in our state: ending hunger and food insecurity. The 2017 VGF program is designed to engage volunteers in our mission to make nutritious food available to all New Yorkers, and to address the root causes of hunger. The Commission will accept proposals from interested nonprofits that aim to alleviate short- and long-term hunger. Successful applicants will act as flagship organizations that recruit, train, place and/or manage volunteers within their own organizations and in partner organizations in their communities. Emphasis will be placed on engaging skilled volunteers who can work to alleviate the root causes of hunger. Applicants must identify how they will build capacity within organizations to more effectively utilize volunteers to address these issues, and make a demonstrable impact related to hunger in NYS. OH: SERVE OHIO ServeOhio is requesting $157,592 to expand volunteering in Ohio by strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations to recruit, manage, support, and retain skills-based volunteers. To achieve this, ServeOhio will develop and implement a Skills-Based Volunteerism Training Program which will equip 10 Ohio nonprofits per year with intensive training and ongoing support to effectively engage skills-based volunteers in highly-defined projects to increase organizational capacity. Selected nonprofits will 1) attend an intensive 2-day SBV Boot Camp; 2) identify, develop, and manage at least one skills-based volunteer project by the end of year 1; 3) participate in monthly coaching calls; 4) participate in quarterly cohort webinars; and 5) attend an in-person Skills-Based Volunteerism workshop at the Ohio Conference on Service & Volunteerism. At the end of the program year, 10 Ohio nonprofits will develop one high-impact skills-based volunteerism project each, which will engage a total of 60 skills-based volunteers in 2,880 hours of service. Additionally, ServeOhio will administer 40 grants to grassroots and community nonprofit organizations to support volunteer projects organized for MLK Day, Global Youth Service Day, ServeOhio Day, and Make a Difference Day. At the end of the program year, the national days of service projects will engage a total of 2,600 volunteers in 7,480 hours of service. SC: UNITED WAY ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA / SC SERVICE COMMISSION The United Way Association of South Carolina, serving as the alternative administrative entity for the state's Commission on National and Community Service, proposes to implement the South Carolina Volunteer Generation Fund (SC-VGF). This initiative will use evidence-informed principles to increase both overall volunteer engagement throughout the state, as well as enhance the ability of key stakeholders to utilize the talents of skilled-based volunteers to support the services provided by the nonprofit sector. The volunteers engaged as a result of this initiative will serve to support all six CNCS Focus Areas, which include disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans and military families. Overarching project goals for the FY 2018-2019 SC-VGF program include the following: 1) Provide partner agencies with the necessary financial resources needed to support the implementation of evidence-based strategies that will increase volunteer engagement; 2) Facilitate renewed collaboration and engagement between organizations, agencies, and corporations active in volunteer engagement across the state; and 3) Provide increased technical assistance regarding corporate and skill-based volunteer engagement. Through the activities listed above, SC-VGF will increase the capacity of 180 organizations, which will enable them to manage a total of 9,080 general and skill-based volunteers who will serve at least 36,320 hours towards working to meet the state's most pressing needs. The CNCS investment of $255,956 will be matched at an equal rate by private resources that will also be used to support the project. Using high-quality volunteer recruitment, training and management practices, the Tennessee Volunteer Generation Fund Coalition will engage 525 volunteers to address education issues, 750 volunteers to address disaster services issues and 420 volunteers to address economic opportunity issues. The Coalition will provide capacity building services to 60 organizations across Tennessee. WA: SERVE WASHINGTON Serve Washington, the state commission on national and community services, (ServeWA) was created through executive order in 1994 under the vision that national service, volunteerism, and civic engagement are the foundation for caring communities and a thriving Washington. ServeWA intends to use the Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) to build upon the successful long-term partnerships with 501 Commons, and the Volunteer Centers of Washington (VCW) network to support high quality volunteer opportunities for all Washingtonians. Specifically, ServeWA will utilize VGF resources to 1) expand the capacity of volunteer organizations to recruit, manage, support and retain skilled or high-need volunteers, 2) expand volunteer connector organizations' infrastructure to increase volunteerism statewide, and 3) develop statewide resources, working directly with volunteer centers, nonprofits, government organizations and the public. 1. Developing a Comprehensive Rural Volunteer Management Training Curriculum to include a Rural Spontaneous Disaster Volunteer Management training and exercise module modelled after the current FEMA curriculum and tailored to meet the needs of rural, mountainous states. 2. Training Volunteer West Virginia Staff and local partners as Instructors in the curriculum. This Train-the-Trainer design will expand the capacity and sustainability of the program in the future. 3. Granting funding of up to $30,000 (including 20% local match) to local nonprofits or cities for expanding, developing, and strengthening volunteer infrastructure which will increase the ability of local organizations to successfully recruit, mobilize and retain volunteers. This project will operate for three years. In the first year of the project Volunteer West Virginia will utilize $262,295 in federal funds and match with $69,840 state and local cash and inkind resources. In the first year 30 individuals will receive training in Volunteer Management best practices and participate in the development of a new rural volunteer management curriculum which will be available to organizations statewide. At least 10 local organizations will receive capacity building services and those same organizations will generate at least an additional 1,500 volunteers who are placed in high quality volunteer assignments locally and serve a total of 7,500 hours. WY: SERVE WYOMING ServeWyoming's mission is to improve lives and strengthen Wyoming communities through volunteerism. To accomplish this mission, ServeWyoming established a single resource and central clearinghouse for helping communities and individual organizations with volunteer support-related services, called Volunteer Wyoming. The goal of Volunteer Wyoming is to increase the number and effectiveness of volunteers in Wyoming and to support nonprofits with volunteer recruitment and management. Through a mutual partnership with Wyoming community colleges and nonprofits, ServeWyoming is re-launching the Professional Volunteer Network (PVN) Initiative. PVN is designed to lead, mobilize and engage Wyoming volunteers and degree-seeking community college students to give their time, professional expertise and applied learning to nonprofits in need of volunteer management and capacity building support, in the form of short-term, training-focused projects known as Service Grants. To re-build the PVN Initiative, ServeWyoming will leverage the education and expertise of community college students participating in service learning curriculum, pair them with a professional volunteer who will mentor them through a short-term project with a local nonprofit in need of capacity building support. By partnering with Wyoming community colleges that support service learning curriculum, students are offered the opportunity to give back in a truly meaningful way that utilizes their skills and education in a real-world setting, while nonprofits stand to receive volunteer management and capacity building assistance from skilled professionals that they would otherwise be unable to afford. |
Volunteer Maine, the Maine Commission for Community Service, will leverage the Volunteer Generation Fund to increase effective citizen engagement through volunteering that is skill-based and skill-building. To do this, MCCS will 1) support expanded local and regional volunteer efforts in three impact areas; 2) Develop high level volunteer management practices through expanded Service Enterprise and other Volunteer management training; and 3) launch a statewide public awareness campaign to promote increased volunteerism. At the end of the first program year, these activities will result in 12 organizations receiving high quality volunteer management capacity building (Service Enterprise). 
