AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund Bundle Evaluation and Capacity Building Project

The Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) program was authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009 and invests in volunteer management practices that strengthen nonprofit organizations and other entities’ ability to increase recruitment and retention of volunteers to meet critical community needs through service. 

To learn more about VGF grants and best practices in volunteer recruitment and retention, the AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation contracted a research firm to conduct an evaluation with a mixed-methods case study design. The evaluation assessed how 9 State Service Commissions that were recipients of the FY2020 VGF program implemented their grants to develop and/or support community-based entities to recruit, manage, and support volunteers within their states as well as the outcomes of VGF grantees’ efforts. 

The study also included delivering evaluation capacity building sessions to participating grantees. By simultaneously growing the evidence base on volunteer engagement and management practices and incorporating capacity building and dissemination activities, AmeriCorps was able to support organizations more effectively in enhancing the impact of volunteers on critical community needs. 

Goals

The study examines:

1. Program design, which will largely be descriptive and utilize qualitative methods (interviews and document review) to document the overall program designs for each selected state;
2. Program implementation, using qualitative methods to assess how program implementers work with volunteer organizations, schools, and youth programs; and
3. Program outcome, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods to look at impacts of the programs on beneficiaries (i.e., volunteer organizations, schools, youth programs, and volunteers).

Research Questions

1. What are state commissions’ approaches for utilizing VGF funds to improve volunteer recruitment, retention, and support of volunteers within their states and among volunteer organizations?
2. What are promising practices and challenges in implementing these approaches?
3. What are preliminary outputs and outcomes of these approaches on volunteer organizations and volunteers?

Materials and Resources

Final Evaluation Report

Evaluation Overview

Evaluation and Capacity Building Project Evidence Snapshot

Comprehensive Literature Review on Engaging Volunteers

Volunteer Management and Engagement Resource Guide

Case Studies

Florida

Iowa

Massachusetts

Minnesota

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

North Carolina

Utah