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| AmeriCorps Update
08.11.2014
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| IMPORTANT DEADLINES + EVENTS
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| August 13, 2014 Social Media for Nonprofit Conference (Austin, TX). See below or click here for details.
August 14, 2014 PER Processing Deadline.
August 15, 2014
August 15, 2014 Priority RSVP Deadline for AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary Event (Guaranteed Seating). Click here to RSVP.
August 18-22, 2014 20th Anniversary Special Edition Texas T-Shirt Ordering Timeframe. See below for details. All orders must be placed by 8/22 to arrive on time for Sept. 12th!
August 28, 2014 PER Processing Deadline.
September 1, 2014 Labor Day (Holiday). OneStar Office will be closed.
September 4, 2014 Deadline to Request CNCS Funding for FY14 Reasonable Accommodation Requests. See below for details.
September 11, 2014
September 12, 2014 AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary & Texas Statewide Swearing-In Event (Austin, TX). Time change to 9:30-11:30am. See below for details or
click here to RSVP.
September 18-19, 2014
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| Addition to the AmeriCorps*Texas Family We welcomed a new addition to the AmeriCorps*Texas family last week: future AmeriCorps member Jacob Daniel Gleeson! Jacob was born on August 5, 2014 to OneStar’s Senior Grants Management Specialist, Elisa, and her husband TJ Gleeson. Congratulations to Elisa and family, and welcome Jacob!
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| OneStar CEO Recognized by NonProfit Times We are very pleased to announce that OneStar Foundation's CEO, Elizabeth Darling, has been named among the 2014 NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50 Honorees. The NonProfit Times annually highlights 50 of the sector’s leaders for their innovation, influence on the broader sector and for developing organizational models that can be replicated. The NonProfit Times is the country’s leading business publication for nonprofit management. Click here for the full article or see the complete list of 2014 honorees here. Congratulations, Liz!
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| OneStar Support Update As some of you are aware, a big transition is taking place at OneStar this fall/winter. Jerry Bertrand (Fiscal Grants Officer) is moving into a half-time role at OneStar starting this month through January 2015, at which time Jerry will be transitioning out as a OneStar staff member to pursue other endeavors as a national fiscal trainer/consultant. This transition to half-time capacity means that Jerry will no longer be available to provide a full-time level of support to grantees. Effective today, August 11th, Anna Eberhardt (OneStar’s other Fiscal Grants Officer) will become OneStar’s primary fiscal point of contact until Jerry’s role is filled. However, Jerry will continue working with some grantees on certain issues, such as monitoring resolution and PER monitoring, and will still be seeing some of you in monitoring visits this summer and fall. Jerry says, “Working with you all and being a part of the important work you are doing in communities is something that I count as a deep privilege. Thanks so much for your flexibility with this transition, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with you all in the coming months!”
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| Annual Grantee Survey | Due August 15th As we close out the 2013-14 AmeriCorps program year, we are eager to learn more about how the OneStar team did in supporting our AmeriCorps*Texas grantees this past program year. In light of this, we have updated our Annual Grantee Survey. If you represent a 2013-14 AmeriCorps*Texas grantee, please designate someone from your organization (or work as a team) to complete the survey this month. It can be found online at http://www.tfaforms.com/341224 . All answers will remain anonymous unless you choose to disclose your program name at the end of the survey. Your feedback will be used for the purposes of continuous improvement and to provide insights into what OneStar can do better to serve the AmeriCorps*Texas portfolio this coming year. Please allow approximately 30 minutes to complete the survey. Deadline to finish this survey is Friday, August 15th, 2014. Thank you in advance for your feedback!
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| Monthly Grantee Call Next Week – Updates from the Field Join OneStar next Thursday, August 21st from 1:00-2:00pm Central for our Monthly Grantee Call. This month’s theme will be Updates from the Field, hosted by Emily Steinberg, Director, National Service Programs. Topics will include: Planning for the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary, Disability Inclusion/Reasonable Accommodation Funding, AmeriCorps Health Care, Texas Nonprofit Summit, CNCS IPERA Monitoring, Preparing Your Final APRs and FFRs, and more. The call is required; each grantee must designate a staff member to participate. No advance registration is needed. To join, simply dial: Dial: 1-800-944-8766 Participant Code: 36027 Mark your calendars now for the following calls in 2014 (all third Thursdays from 1-2pm Central): - September 18 – Informal Peer-led Call: CANCELLED DUE TO TX NONPROFIT SUMMIT
- October 16 – OneStar Updates from the Field
- November 20 – Informal Peer-led Call
- December 18 – OneStar Updates from the Field
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| Funds Now Available for Accommodating Members with Disabilities We are happy to let you know of an opportunity to obtain Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) funds to cover the costs of reasonable accommodations for AmeriCorps State and National members with disabilities. This funding is available to AmeriCorps programs currently enrolling members with disabilities who need or would benefit from an accommodation. Grantees are eligible to submit requests for costs of products and services connected to disability accommodations or for the reimbursement of the costs of reasonable accommodations that were provided within the last 90 days – and for which you have the required documentation. CNCS has set aside $100,000 to fund reasonable accommodations for members with disabilities during the current fiscal year. The last day in the fiscal year you may submit a request is Thursday, September 4, 2014. You may begin sending requests for FY 2015 on October 1, 2014. Grantees must provide CNCS with the following information: - Type of disability;
- A bill for the accommodating services or, following implementation of the accommodation(s), documentation of the purchase (as long as the purchase documented occurred within the last 90 days);
- An explanation of how the reasonable accommodation will assist or has assisted the AmeriCorps member. The process of selecting the accommodation should be an interactive collaboration between the AmeriCorps member, his or her supervisor, and program managers. Free technical assistance regarding disability accommodation is available through the Job Accommodation Network: www.askjan.org
If fewer than three different accommodations providers are/were available for assessing the price of the accommodation, grantee must explain what they did to assess and select the accommodation vendor. Grantees must retain and be prepared to provide documentation for each member for whom reasonable accommodation funds are requested. The documentation must show that: - At least three different accommodation/services were priced and the basis for selecting the accommodation if the lowest priced accommodation was not selected. If fewer than three different accommodation providers are/were available, grantee must explain this and notify CNCS in the application for accommodation funds.
- Verification by the member that the accommodation was provided.
You will receive a response to your request for disability accommodation funds within a few weeks of submitting it to accommodations@cns.gov. NOTE: Do not include personally Identifying Information in your request. Submission of this application for reasonable accommodation funds serves as a certification by the Grantee that the AmeriCorps member for whom the accommodation funds are sought has a disability as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (“A person has a disability if they have a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”) You are not required to obtain documentation that the service member has a disability if the disability is apparent. You should obtain documentation from a medical or rehabilitation expert to better understand the need for the reasonable accommodation for service member requests where a disability is non-apparent or the accommodation request is not straightforward. These professionals can also verify that someone meets disability status. There is much broader coverage under the ADA after the Amendments in 2008. If you have questions pertaining to this process or need additional assistance, please contact your assigned OneStar Grants Officers!
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| Important Updates: AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary / OneStar 10th Anniversary Hopefully, you have all received OneStar’s formal invitation to the OneStar 10th and AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary event in Austin, Texas on September 12th. If you, your program staff, and members can attend, please RSVP at the link. You may register your organization for the event with up to 100 tickets. CNCS has also just launched a new website with all things AmeriCorps 20 – check it out and ensure you and your members have signed up online to pledge your commitment to service!
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| Need your Photos / Logos / Alum stories by Friday 8/1! To help keep you up to date on 20th Anniversary event progress, OneStar has created a special edition newsletter for all current AmeriCorps Texas grantees with information specific to you regarding the 10|20 Anniversary. Gabriella Medina, OneStar’s Strategic Communications Specialist, will be your point of contact for all things 10|20 Anniversary. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions and share with her what you have planned for Friday, September 12, 2014. Below is some important information for AmeriCorps*Texas programs regarding t-shirts, photos, stories of service, and program area events.
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| Event T-shirts Thank you to all AmeriCorps Texas programs who have provided their logos for our special event t-shirt for all AmeriCorps Texas members to wear to the event in September. Our design is almost ready and t-shirt ordering information will be available by next week for programs to order special edition t-shirts between August 18-22! You may expect to pay $6.75/shirt sizes S-XL and $8.75/shirt for sizes 2XL and up. Ordering instructions will be sent to you once we have approved the proof. Stay tuned for ordering information in the coming week!
Photos Photos Photos OneStar is still collecting archival photos of AmeriCorps members and alums in Texas for the 20th Anniversary event. The photos will be submitted to the corporation by OneStar through the proper channels. See below for example photos, photo use by OneStar, and submission directions. - Example Photos: Please have AmeriCorps gear on or the AC logo somewhere in the photo. We would love group photos of all the members or on-site photos of AC members in action. If you can, please scan older photos if you were a grantee many years ago. We desperately need photos circa 2009 or earlier.
- Photo Use: OneStar plans to use these photos at the anniversary event, share via social media, and submit to CNCS who is also gathering photos for their records. We would love if you shared your photos over social media by using the #TBT (throwback Thursday) and #americorps20 hashtags. This will allow for the corporation to see them AND if you tag @onestarfdn we will retweet you and/or share via Facebook.
- Submission Directions: Time leading up to and to create a spectacular event OneStar wants to highlight AmeriCorps Texas members, staff, and alumni at the highest quality. To do that please submit photos (JPEG or PNG) at the highest resolution. Since high resolution phots are large file sizes, the best thing to do is put all photos into a folder then compress the folder on your computer. Email the compressed/zipped folder to americorps@onestarfoundation.org and copy americorps20@cns.gov ASAP with the subject line “[Program Name] Photos”. The deadline to submit photos won’t be until later in August, but the earlier you send them the easier it will be to shuffle through them and pick quality photos for social media and event purposes.
- FYI: By submitting your photos you are agree to rights of use and have gained proper permissions from all parties photographed. Also note that submitting your photos does not guarantee it will be used.
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| Share your Stories! OneStar has been supporting AmeriCorps Alums in their effort to recruit Alums from AmeriCorps Texas programs, but we need your help! AmeriCorps Alums has built a new micro-site , twenty.americorpsalums.org, which asks individuals to share their stories as an AmeriCorps member, pledge 20 hours of service in honor of the 20th Anniversary, and join the AmeriCorps Alums national network. We highly encourage you to pass along this website link to all AC alums you know and get them to share their stories. Although the priority deadline has passed, the link is still live for you to submit your Alumni stories (whether your own or nominating someone else for their story of service) If you have Alums on staff, please consider taking a group photo and submitting it as well! By submitting your story through this website, you are nominating yourself or a friend for a leadership award on behalf of the AmeriCorps Alums organization. Another awesome thing about this micro-site is that OneStar will be given all data after submissions are finalized. The stories and photos you share to AC Alums will be given to us and we hope to highlight some amazing AmeriCorps Texas alumni at our anniversary event in September in Austin, TX. This information will also be helpful in finding a STAR ALUMNI to be a spokesperson at our event. Please visit the site and click on the “Submit your story now” button to see what they are looking for in the nomination process. OneStar would LOVE for every program to submit AT LEAST one person for the award and to possibly be a spokesperson. This may be an alum from 5 years ago or someone who is finishing their service this year! Planning your own Anniversary Event? If you are planning your own anniversary event in your city/region, please email me at gabriella@onestarfoundation.org with a list of all grantees/programs involved, event details and the contact information for your communications coordinator. OneStar would like to coordinate a conference call where all programs brief us and others what they are planning for their event and how OneStar can be of assistance. OneStar expects all AmeriCorps programs to align related marketing/PR messaging with our state and national PR campaign efforts and will be providing Press Release and related templates for your local use. This nationwide celebration is an important time for AmeriCorps to inform the U.S. how exactly AmeriCorps is the leader in National Service and as a statewide celebration, gives us the opportunity to share with Texas exactly how OneStar operates as the Texas state service commission. Please contact Gabriella Medina before any press release or other media announcements are made to ensure all messaging concerning AmeriCorps and OneStar is correct. Thank you all for your participation and help in making this a superb event. We look forward to showcasing your amazing programs! Let us know if you have questions.
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| CNCS Issues New Evaluation Plan Guidance As part of CNCS’s commitment to collecting and sharing knowledge, they have just released this new Evaluation Plan Guidance for Social Innovation Fund (SIF) and other grantees. This is a version of the step-by-step planning document CNCS shares with SIF grantees, and we hope it can be helpful to all organizations who are considering rigorous evaluation. Whether you are a newbie or a pro – this document outlines all the key components to an evaluation plan that will meet CNCS approval. As more and more agencies get on board the “fund what works” bus, we hope nonprofits can use this resource – not just to make sure they have what it takes to be competitive for funding but more importantly – so we can make sure the programs serving our communities and families are producing meaningful results.
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| Free Lesson Plans for 9/11 9/11 Day, the nation's largest annual day of charitable engagement, is again offering FREE lesson plans to help educators and families teach 9/11 to children in constructive ways. These plans provide teacher-inspired ideas for projects and activities your students can do together with your guidance.
To access and download lesson plans for this year, visit our new website and check out our toolkits, lesson plans, and videos, along with links to other educational resources provided by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and other great partners.
Look for regular updates as we get closer to 9/11! If you haven't already, follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest info fast. Email us at info@911day.org if you have questions.
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| Scholarships Available - Social Media for Nonprofits Conference in Austin, TX Join us for the Social Media for Nonprofits (#SM4NP) Conference coming to Austin, TX, on August 13, 2014 at Austin Community College's East View Campus. The SM4NP conference is a day of learning, networking and connecting. Register now to secure your space. SM4NP is excited to partner again and co-produce this conference again with the Center for Community Based & Nonprofit Organizations at the Austin Community College. OneStar is proud to offer a limited number of SM4NP scholarships. Scholarships are available to nonprofit organizations with valid 501c(3) or fiscal sponsorship status only. A strong preference is given to organizations with budget of $500,000 or less.
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| AmeriCorps Alums: July Professional Development Opportunity In conjunction with AmeriCorps Alums, we are proud to announce an upcoming professional development opportunity for AmeriCorps members and Alums to further their Life After AmeriCorps: Thursday, July 31st, 2014, 12PM-1PM EDT (11AM-12PM CENTRAL) - Careers in Disaster Management and Relief: Many AmeriCorps Alums have created careers in Disaster Relief and/or Disaster Management, and many more will enter this field as a career choice. Join us for our July monthly professional development webinar as we explore disaster management careers. We'll convene an all-star panel of AmeriCorps Alums with experience in disaster management and disaster relief. Panelists will share tips and knowledge on a career in disaster management. Please submit any panelists questions you might have in advance to Greg Heinrich at greg@americorpsalums.org. Space is limited so confirm your spot today by registering here.
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| G-489 - Management of Spontaneous Volunteers in Disasters
OneStar is pleased to announce that the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) will be offering two upcoming G-489 certification courses on “Management of Spontaneous Volunteers in Times of Disaster”: This one-day course aims to introduce the keys to success in managing large numbers of spontaneous volunteers in disasters. Its underlying assumption is that much of the volunteer help is indeed needed, and that with basic Emergency Management coordination skills, the volunteer resources can often be put to effective use, making a positive difference in the affected community. The course will discuss the benefits spontaneous volunteers can bring to relief efforts and the challenges they may bring if not coordinated effectively. In addition, the course will examine planning considerations regarding spontaneous volunteers. Special emphasis is also placed on how to make full use of a Volunteer Reception Center—the backbone of any well-organized spontaneous volunteer management program.
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| Texas Nonprofit Summit: Collective Action for Impact!
Whether it’s the exceptional keynote speakers, unparalleled networking opportunities, or the unique sessions full of ideas and resources, the 2014 Texas Nonprofit Summit has so much to offer! When: September 18-19, 2014
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| 4-H CAPITAL AmeriCorps: Getting Things Done – with Gardening! This week’s spotlight is on the Travis County 4-H CAPITAL AmeriCorps Program, which provides high quality after-school enrichment programs that focus on science, engineering and technology as well as hands-on learning experiences that not only help youth become successful adults but also reduce risk-taking behaviors that inhibit success. Above is a recent video about 4-H CAPITAL AmeriCorps’ gardening programs at Langford Elementary in Austin, TX that will be airing on TCTV-17. Also view it at: By establishing positive relationships with youth, 4-H CAPITAL and its AmeriCorps members allow 4-H Club participants to acquire science and inquiry-based knowledge and skills, build character, and develop life skills in a fun learning environment that will enable them to become self-directing, productive members of society. For more information on the program, visit
http://agrilife.org/capital4-h/.
Congratulations to all 4-H CAPITAL AmeriCorps members on a fantastic year!
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| Civic Reflection Training Services Request Form OneStar is pleased to periodically offer Civic Reflection training services to grantees, national service programs, and eligible organizations throughout the state of Texas. The two types of services offered are Civic Reflection Discussions and Civic Reflection Facilitation Workshops. Civic reflection uses short, thought-provoking images, video or readings from literature, history, or philosophy to open up important questions in civic life and explore the underlying values and beliefs that drive our shared work in the world. AmeriCorps programs have utilized the practice of civic reflection as a tool in such areas as member development, staff development, and member retention.
Reasonable Accommodation Request Form OneStar may have funding available to support grantees with reasonable accommodation requests for members and/or potential members. If you need to request funds to provide a reasonable accommodation for a member or potential member, please complete the request form at http://www.tfaforms.com/167676.
Updating Program Contact Information If during the year, you have any changes, additions, or deletions to your program’s contacts, please update your program’s Authorized Representative Form (ARF) by visiting http://www.tfaforms.com/159770. This site allows you to add, remove, and/or update contacts at any time and you only need to enter the contact information for the person(s) you need to update. As a reminder, OneStar requires the following roles to be designated and corresponding contact information to be on file: - Legal Authorized Signatory
- Primary Program Contact
- Primary Fiscal Contact
- Secondary Contacts (Primary or Fiscal) – as applicable
Please note that it is a grantee requirement to update this form within 10 working days of a change in your program’s key personnel assigned to your AmeriCorps project.
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