Unlock $800K for Volunteer Growth & Impact

The Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) announces the availability of up to $800,000 for grants to support the efforts of national and statewide nonprofit organizations to increase volunteer retention and expand the use volunteers to address societal challenges. Grants may range in size from approximately $50,000 to $200,000. The purpose of this grant competition is to assist national, regional, and statewide nonprofit organizations in planning for and implementing activities within their networks and communities to:• increase volunteer retention;• expand current use of volunteers by creating new volunteer roles and recruiting the appropriate volunteers to fill them; • improve both the impact of volunteers’ activities and how that impact is measured; and• develop strategies that sustain the impact and results associated with the project after the conclusion of Corporation funding.Examples of the types of activities this grant may support include:• assessing current volunteer use and management practices; • designing competency-based volunteer roles and descriptions;• engaging stakeholders in collaborative planning and implementation processes; • developing new or improved measurement systems to track the impact of volunteers; • conducting recruitment activities or developing strategic partnerships to attract the appropriate volunteers to fill newly created volunteer roles; and• implementing volunteer management practices -- such as screening, orientation, training, and recognition -- to increase retention. Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed project would, over a two-year period, significantly improve retention, expand their current use of volunteers, and help them improve and better measure the impact of their volunteers.

Organizations are encouraged to collaborate with existing volunteer connector organizations in planning and implementing their proposed activities. Volunteer connectors are organizations that specialize in assisting individuals or groups with finding appropriate volunteer opportunities while also providing organizations that use volunteers with services such as recruitment support and training and technical assistance related to volunteer management.