Commonwealth Corps

Orientation for

Site Partners

Service Timeline

1933-1942: Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

1961: President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps

1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress create VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), a National Teacher Corps, the Job Corps, and University Year of Action

1960s: The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Foster Grandparent Program, and the Senior Companion Program (which today comprise National Senior Service Corps) are developed

Service Timeline Continued

1990: The National Service Act signed by President George H.W. Bush formally launches AmeriCorps

September 1993: President Bill Clinton signs the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, creating AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National Service to expand opportunities for Americans to serve their communities; VISTA and the Senior Corps become part of the new Corporation.

November 2007: Governor Deval Patrick signs state legislation creating the Commonwealth Corps

April 2009: President Barack Obama signs the Serve America Act

What is Commonwealth Corps?

The mission of the Commonwealth Corps is to engage Massachusetts residents of all ages and backgrounds in direct service to rebuild communities, address unmet community needs, and increase volunteerism.

Commonwealth Corps members will work to strengthen the bonds of common purpose and unite people in service for the common good.

In 2007, Governor Patrick and his partners in the legislature established the Commonwealth Corps.

Where do they serve?

In the 2010-2011 program year, over 150 members will serve with 20 nonprofit organizations or universities across the Commonwealth.

Programs focus on:– Community need– Volunteer generation– Member civic engagement

Commonwealth Corps Programs Across the State

Addressing a Community Need

Commonwealth Corps members address critical needs in communities throughout Massachusetts, in the areas of:

Health and elder services Literacy and tutoring Community development and strengthening Environmental education and services Nonprofit capacity building Volunteer generation Youth leadership development Workforce development Fine arts education

Volunteer Generation

Members are responsible for engaging additional community members in quality volunteer opportunities.

Members can perform volunteer generation by:– Creating volunteer projects– Recruiting volunteers– Supporting/retaining volunteers– Volunteer recognition

Member Civic Engagement

Commonwealth Corps members will have opportunities to reflect on the service they are providing to the community.

Members will gain valuable life/career skills through trainings, professional development opportunities, and their direct service.

The Commonwealth Corps experience will instill a lifetime ethic of service in members.

What is Civic Engagement?

Civic engagement has been defined as individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern.

Civic Engagement

Civic engagement can take many forms— from individual volunteerism to organizational involvement to electoral participation.

It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem, or interact with the institutions of representative democracy.

Civic Engagement

Civic Engagement is highly effective when it capitalizes on citizens' energy to gather together representatives of all different segments of the community.

Member Roles

Full-time– 1600 hours

Part-time– 800 hours

Flex-time– 400 hours

Flex-time– 300 hours

Member Roles Continued

Members will serve for a term of service up to 12 months

Members are only eligible to serve one term of service as a Commonwealth Corps member

Members can perform direct service and/or serve in a capacity-building role

Prohibited Activities

Members should not…– Serve in a position that is normally filled by a staff person

– Provide religious instruction, conduct worship services, or engage in any form of proselytization;

– Assist, promote, or deter union organizing;

– Finance, directly or indirectly, any activity designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office; or

– Impair existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements.

Benefits

Living Stipend– Paid out on a weekly, biweekly, or semi-monthly basis (depending

on the organization)

– Members will receive stipends for the period of time they are serving

– Stipends are not tied to number of hours served; not an hourly amount

– If a member does not serve any hours during a pay period they will not receive a stipend for that time

– Stipends will not be paid in a lump sum or be modified if members leave service early or start late

Benefits

Completion Bonus– Full-time: $1,800– Part-time: $900– Flex-time (400 hours): $450– Flex-time (300 hours): $338

Completion bonuses will be awarded to those members who complete their total number of required hours and all other service requirements

Members must serve until the end of their contracted service term in order to receive a completion bonus

Other Benefits

Health insurance for full-time members

Training opportunities

Personal and professional development

Networking with other members/service leaders

MSA’s Role

The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) is a nonprofit organization that serves as the state commission on community service and volunteerism.

MSA administers the state funds to Commonwealth Corps programs.

MSA oversees the management of all Commonwealth Corps programs.

Governor’s Office

The Office of Civic Engagement carries out Governor Patrick’s commitment to active civic engagement by taking the lead on community-based participation, citizen voice and public service in the Executive office.  

Office of Civic Engagement

This office facilitates and promotes engagement by increasing civic awareness, developing forums for policy discussion and valuing citizens’ opinions when they are shared.

They are committed to maintaining open communication between citizens and state government, while providing opportunities for residents to take action in shaping their government.

Corps Sponsors

Corps Sponsors were selected through a competitive community review process.

Corps Sponsors are agencies MSA contracts with to run Commonwealth Corps programs and manage members.

Corps Sponsors recruit, orient, train, support, and supervise members.

Corps Sponsors

Corps Sponsors are responsible for reporting all programmatic and fiscal information to MSA, including progress reports and grant reimbursement requests.

Corps Sponsors are ultimately responsible for ensuring compliance with grant provisions.

Site Partner Roles

Site Partners are agencies that are different from the Corps Sponsor and have a project/program where a member serves. This agency agrees to supervise and support members through their service in addition to the support provided by the Corps Sponsor.

The Corps Sponsor must clearly outline relationships with Site Partners through formal agreements and manage those partnerships.

Site Partner Responsibilities

Site Partners are responsible for on-site supervision and support to members.

Along with Corps Sponsors, Site Partners should be aware of and follow all grant requirements as stated in the provisions.

Site Partners should collect program data and relay it to Corps Sponsors for reporting purposes.

Questions?

Contact your Corps Sponsor Agency at:

(INSERT CORPS SPONSOR CONTACT INFO HERE)