VIP began serving communities in California in 2009! VIP Fellows serve in nonprofits, schools, and community organizations.
VIP Fellows focus on these key areas to make an impact at their partner site:
Capacity Building
Members help lay the groundwork for all of the elements that make a strong volunteer program. This includes but is not limited to developing trainings, creating tracking mechanisms, making volunteer handbooks, developing appreciation strategies, feedback surveys and more. With an individualized Member Service Plan from each partner site, AmeriCorps VIP members are given specific goals and projects that will help create sustainability for their agencies long after their service term.
Volunteer Recruitment
AmeriCorps VIP members perform outreach efforts to help bring in caring, committed and highly skilled volunteers to community organizations. Members help recruit both one time and highly skilled ongoing volunteers, develop onboarding and training procedures for volunteers, and help improve the volunteer experience to ensure organizations keep the people power they need.
Fundraising/Partnership Building
AmeriCorps VIP members help solicit in kind and monetary donations in order to support volunteer programs obtain essential supplies, fund volunteer appreciation efforts, and cover the ongoing costs of managing a robust volunteer program.
Training/Professional Development
We provide our members ongoing training in volunteer management and professional development skills throughout their year of service. Through mentorship at community organizations, support from Regional Coordinators, and our NCOE staff, members gain invaluable leadership experience in the public service sector. An AmeriCorps term is a powerful resume builder and “guided entrance” into the professional work environment; building skills and confidence that last a lifetime.
As an AmeriCorps VIP member, you will:
- Gain experience in the nonprofit sector
- Receive professional development training
- Earn a certificate in Volunteer Management
- Learn a wide variety of new skills
- Serve alongside a cohort of AmeriCorps members
- Attend statewide webinars with AmeriCorps members and staff
Lindsey (VIP, CSUMB):“Before AmeriCorps, I was really not one to want to do things like leading a group. AmeriCorps definitely challenged that and pushed boundaries that I had placed on myself, thinking that I was not capable of doing things. All those walls were broken down, and I’m leading a lot of things, especially this year [in my VIP service]. It’s been a very big change of direction.”
VIP’s Impact on the Community
Since 2009,
Over 395,000 volunteers have been recruited across the state of California due to the efforts of AmeriCorps VIP Fellows.
We have served over 600 partner agencies across 19 counties
Over $3 Million has been raised to support volunteer programsService Year at a Glance
- August/September: The service year begins!
- October: Make a Difference Day of Service
- January: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
- March: AmeriCorps Appreciation Week & Cesar Chavez Day of Service
- June/July: End of service term
Application Timeline
- March: Early Bird Enrollment begins
- March-July: Applications accepted for full-time members —Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
- August/September to June/July: 11-month, Service Term!
Andres Hernandez(VIP Fellow, Cal Poly):
“I really had no idea or sense of this whole nonprofit world, so it’s really been interesting and a growing experience to see how all of these organizations work and are built.”
*Disclaimer: If you are interested in applying but the application deadline has past, please reach out to the VIP Program Coordinator.
Boost your agency’s volunteer program by hosting an AmeriCorps VIP member!
VIP is right for your agency if:
- You find yourself saying, “I wish we had a volunteer for that,” at every staff meeting
- You want to find a way to keep your current volunteers coming back & bringing friends
- You need volunteers to support a new program or expansion of your mission
- You have a current volunteer program that needs more consistency, structure, and focused attention
With over 15 years of experience supporting and managing AmeriCorps VIP members and partnering with local community organizations, we can help your program thrive.
VIP provides excellent resources, ongoing professional development for members, and volunteer management expertise so members can make a significant impact at your agency.
Want to Become a VIP Partner Agency?
Please fill out this application to apply.
Below is the list of Supervising Organizations across the state. Your application will be directed to the region nearest your organization.
Napa County Office of Education (NCOE), Napa/Sonoma/Solano/Yolo
Central California:
Hands On Central California(HOCC), Fresno/Kings
CSUMB Monterey Bay- Service Learning Institute, Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz
CalPoly Center for Service In Action, San Luis Obispo
Joy(VIP, NCOE):
“I have found strength during my service year: strength in the community and strength in what we do as an organization.”
Sierra Loredo(VIP, JFSSD):
“[Service] definitely gave me direction and showed me that there’s a lot out there in the nonprofit world.”