Spring 2024 | News to help you engage, connect & accelerate your impact

Texans should start preparing now for what experts are calling an “explosive” 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. In recognition of Hurricane Preparedness Week, we encourage you to take action to ensure Texas communities understand the risks and are ready to weather the storms that threaten our shores. Here are a few reminders on what you can do to build resilience in your community!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Youth Mental Health Corps in Texas! With this innovative and youth-led solution, our state will be able to address barriers many young people face when accessing mental health care while at the same time creating pathways to careers in the behavioral health workforce. Starting this fall, participants will serve with local Communities In Schools programs to offer case management through weekly one-on-one or small group sessions to economically disadvantaged students. 

This new program was created by Pinterest and the Schultz Family Foundation in partnership with AmeriCorps to create on-ramps to behavioral health careers for young people across the country. Learn more about this new initiative and apply to show up for young people!

What an incredible night recognizing volunteer excellence in Texas! During Global Volunteer Month, we celebrated an extraordinary 40-year legacy of recognizing exceptional Texas volunteers at the Governor’s Volunteer Awards. We were inspired to explore the diverse and innovative ways that volunteers have transformed local communities and offered vital support to neighbors in need.

Thank you to First Lady Cecilia Abbott and Governor Greg Abbott for upholding this valuable tradition and to the legislators from across the political spectrum for recognizing the importance of service in their districts. We are also proud to acknowledge Diamondback Energy for sponsoring this year’s awards reception!

Our efforts to advocate for AmeriCorps bore fruit when the FY24 federal budget was approved this March with $1.26 billion for AmeriCorps, which represents level funding from the prior year. We are excited that our efforts to showcase the impact of national service, including visiting legislative offices in Washington, D.C., and amplifying messages to policymakers on National Service Virtual Day of Action, have built momentum.

But there is still much to fight for to ensure the continued sustainability and impact of AmeriCorps. Last week, as part of the Voices of National Service Steering Committee, we met with federal leaders in Washington, D.C., to explore creative solutions for maximizing AmeriCorps funding and visited Capitol Hill to engage Congressional decisionmakers in FY25 funding discussions. Follow us on social media or visit Voices of National Service for updates on how you can take action to protect and grow national service!

We continue to highlight the growth of the Texas nonprofit sector and the importance of collaboration amid increasingly limited resources through the Built For Texas research report, released last year through Texas Nonprofit Strong. Last quarter, OneStar presented the compelling data to audiences statewide, including:

If you are interested in sharing the Built For Texas data with your community and stakeholders, contact us to request a presenter or use the resources in our toolkit!

We are committed to advancing community engagement and are seeking a Communications VISTA member to support efforts that inspire Texans to serve. We are looking for a strategic thinker with strong storytelling instincts and experience with social media. Submit your application by Monday, June 10.

Join us in welcoming VISTA Leader Kristella Moreno to the OneStar team! As part of the OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA Project, Kristella will support and mentor fellow AmeriCorps VISTA members completing their service terms. She has a strong passion for educational mentorship and helps support nontraditional adults and students like herself achieve a higher education.

We gleaned fresh inspiration for our work at the OneStar staff retreat held in Waco in March. This annual convening provided a valuable opportunity to have challenging and invigorating conversations that catalyzed both personal and organizational growth. The full-day event was crafted to build trust, develop greater staff connection, acknowledge successes and lessons learned, and reconnect with OneStar’s purpose and values as we embark on our next chapter. Thank you to Greater for Good for helping facilitate a successful retreat!

Nonprofit BRIDGE Conference
Feb 26-27, College Station

AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting
Mar 5-6, Austin

AmeriCorps Alums Social Hour
Mar 5, Austin

OneStar Board Meeting
Apr 18, Austin

ASC National Service Training
Apr 23-26, Minneapolis, MN

ASC Disaster Convening
May 4, Phoenix, AZ

In Case You Missed It: Events & Opportunities from the Sector

May 2024
Mental Health Awareness Month was created to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. We encourage Texas nonprofits to highlight the importance of advancing mental health in your work. For free information and resources, visit mentalhealthtx.org

Thu, May 30
Virtual
The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently announced significant revisions to the Uniform Guidance that promise big, long-sought changes in how organizations access grant funding at the federal, state, and local levels. For many nonprofits, this will mean easier application and reporting processes, better funding for indirect costs/overhead, and much more. Join this free webinar with OMB officials to discuss these historic revisions, implementation timelines, and real-life implications for charitable nonprofits.

Presented by National Council of Nonprofits

Tue, Jun 4-Fri, Jun 7
Houston
TNOYS’ Annual Conference convenes thousands of diverse professionals and individuals who share a common goal: to build a brighter youth services field in which all young people can thrive. With over 40 workshops, keynotes, and panels available, the conference has something for everyone who serves youth, young adults, and families! Professionals and youth and young adults are invited to join together as attendees, putting the power of youth-adult partnership into action.

Presented by Texas Network of Youth Services

Fri, June 7
Arlington
This one-day conference highlighting Arlington nonprofits will have workshops and speakers to facilitate a deeper discussion around the gaps and opportunities in the nonprofit sector’s capacity to deliver services to the Arlington community effectively.

Presented by University of Texas at Arlington in partnership with Arlington Tomorrow Foundation and United Way of Tarrant County

Tue, Jun 11
Dallas
Tue, Jun 20
Fort Worth
The CNM Funders Forum is your opportunity to interact with leaders of prominent local organizations and learn what they look for when funding nonprofits. Highly qualified and experienced panels will share their funding priorities and processes, as well as exclusive insights to help with your grant applications. Don’t miss your chance to network with experts, hear insider discussions, and learn about current social priorities!

Presented by CNM

Tue, Jun 11-Fri, Jun 14
Houston
The Points of Light Conference brings together social impact leaders from across the sector. With more than 70 educational workshops, inspirational leadership discussions, and opportunities to connect with peers, this conference offers something for every champion of social good. Regular registration closes Friday, May 31.

Presented by Point of Light

Wed, Jul 17-Fri, Jul 19
Alpine
The event is designed, organized, funded, and planned by community leaders from West Texas. It provides rural nonprofits with access to funding sources, opportunities for collaboration, and capacity-building services to more effectively meet the needs of rural West Texas communities. Grantseekers, grantmakers, representatives of public agencies, and elected officials can explore new partnerships that lead to mutual understanding, successful grant proposals, and more financial resources for rural West Texas.

Last year, more than 17,000 Americans of all ages and backgrounds united to meet local needs, strengthen communities, and expand opportunity through national service in Texas. AmeriCorps invested more than $57 million in federal funding to support cost-effective community solutions, working hand in hand with local partners to empower individuals to help communities tackle their toughest challenges. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers served at more than 2,000 locations across Texas, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans facilities, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations. Through a unique public-private partnership, AmeriCorps and its partners generated more than $16.5 million in outside resources from businesses, foundations, public agencies, and other sources in Texas last year. 

Presented by AmeriCorps

Volunteers in the United States hold up the foundation of civil society. They help their neighbors, serve their communities, and provide their expertise. No matter what kind of volunteer work they do, they are contributing in invaluable ways. Independent Sector, with the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland, announced on April 23, 2024 that the estimate for the value of a volunteer hour was $33.49 in 2023, a 5.3% increase from 2022. In Texas, the value of a volunteer hour is $31.94, up 6.9% over the prior year.

Presented by Independent Sector

Social connectedness and recent volunteer experience are important predictors of giving that nonprofit organizations seeking to do good in the world should pay attention to, according to new research from The Do Good Institute and the Generosity Commission. The report found that people who volunteered in the previous year were more likely to give by 14.5 percent in the current year, and people who gave in the previous year were 9.3 percent more likely to volunteer in the current year.

Presented by Do Good Institute