Oregon State Service Corps (OSSC)     

What is the Oregon State Service Corps (OSSC)?
What do OSSC AmeriCorps members work on?
Become an AmeriCorps member
Place an AmeriCorps member at your site

“I love helping the children with their homework.

Nothing beats the look in a child's eyes

when they begin to get it.”

–OSSC AmeriCorps member

Note: The site selection process has begun for the 08-09 program year.

Place an Oregon State Service Corps AmeriCorps member at your site

Oregon nonprofits, community and faith-based organizations, government agencies and schools have the opportunity to sponsor AmeriCorps members to address pressing needs in their communities. The Oregon State Service Corps (OSSC) is a statewide AmeriCorps program which places AmeriCorps members individually at local organizations (called placement sites). OSSC AmeriCorps members complete a specific, measurable and sustainable direct service and volunteer mobilization projects.

OSSC has developed specific performance measures that correspond to the issue areas we serve. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects address one or more of these performance measures. All applicants are urged to include a volunteer generation component of the proposed project.

1. Public Safety: afterschool and out-of-school activities
Provide safe and structured out-of-school activities including afterschool programming, fieldtrips, events and healthy activities for youth (all ages), helping ensure youth are safe and supervised during out-of–school time and building developmental assets among at-risk youth.

2. Education: support in reading, math, science or writing (in accordance with No Child Left Behind regulations)
Provide in-school or out-of-school tutoring and homework help for students identified as needing extra support in reading, math, science or writing.

3. Homeland Security: community disaster education and emergency training
Provide community disaster and emergency preparedness education targeting young people, elderly people, low-income individuals and other underserved and at-risk populations.

4. Human Needs-Youth
Provide social support services for youth such as mentoring, linking with healthcare resources, health education, post-secondary preparation, life skills training and inclusive recreation, among other support activity.

5. Human Needs-Adults
Provide social support services for adults in the area of housing, employment, healthcare, health education, hunger, independent living and other needs.

6. Volunteer Generation
Provide volunteer recruitment and support, including coordinating service learning opportunities and community service opportunities for youth and adults.

OSSC cannot serve projects in the fields of child abuse prevention, domestic violence, teen pregnancy prevention or environmental service. For information on other AmeriCorps programs that do provide members for projects in these areas, contact the Oregon Commission on Voluntary Action and Service at 503-725-5903 or visit their web site: http://www.oregonvolunteers.org

How does it work?
Organizations interested in hosting a member complete an application through a Request for Proposal process. The applications are scored in four areas:

1. Quality of Project
A strong proposal outlines a direct service and/or volunteer mobilization project which meets a documented community need, is well planned and has clear goals and enhances and expands upon the services already provided by the organization.

2. Organizational Capacity
A good project directly supports the organization's mission and long-term vision. It also embraces the idea that the term of service is a growth opportunity for the AmeriCorps member by providing a sound plan for supervising, supporting, mentoring and training the member.

3. Sustainability
A successful organization has a plan for continuing the project in the future after the AmeriCorps member's term of service is complete.

4. Evaluation
A successful proposal identifies clear outcomes specific to the member's project, as well as a strategy to measure this impact.

The selection committee may also consider other factors designed to shape the entire portfolio of programs.

What is not allowed?

During service hours, AmeriCorps members are prohibited from performing any political, religious or union activity. They cannot displace or duplicate a staff member or staff function, nor can they participate in fundraising activities for an organizations' operating budget.

Because of safety concerns, OSSC does not allow members to transport clients in their personal vehicles or conduct home visits alone.

How competitive is the site selection process?

This depends entirely on the number and quality of the applications we receive as well as the number of members we have available to place in any given year. For the 07-08 program year, OSSC received over 70 proposals and had 53 members to place. This stood out as an extraordinarily competitive year.

Each application is reviewed by volunteer Community Readers from the local community the project will serve and experts in the field of the proposed project. Reader feedback is used by a committee of staff members to make final decisions.

Please note: OSSC is a statewide program. However, we always receive a higher percentage of requests from organizations in the Portland area than any other geographic region. Because of this, it is generally more competitive for organizations within the Portland area than for organizations serving small, rural communities.

What if we are selected as a placement site?

Organizations selected as placement sites do the following during the summer before the member begins serving:

• Sign a contract and submit the required cash match (see below for more info).
• Attend a one-day site supervisor training offered in different areas of the state.
• Recruit the AmeriCorps member to serve at their organization
• Set up an appropriate space, included needed equipment, for the member.
• Plan the member's orientation to the organization, community and project.
• Create a plan for the member's first few weeks of service.

During the term of service, placement sites:

• Provide a site supervisor to support and train the AmeriCorps member in completing his or her project and to help guide the member's personal and professional growth.
• Report back to OSSC on the member's progress and performance, among other things.
• Participate in a site visit with OSSC staff and support the member in attending OSSC and AmeriCorps events and in completing additional OSSC requirements.

Matching Funds
As an AmeriCorps program, the OSSC is required to demonstrate local community support by matching 1/3 to 1/2 of the federal AmeriCorps grant funding with local funding. To raise our matching funds, we charge placement sites a cash match and ask them to demonstrate in-kind match.

Cash Match:

• Part-time placement: $3,800…For one of six 900-hour positions.
• Level 1: $6,300…Sites that have never before received a member from OSSC.
• Level 2: $6,900…Sites that have previously received a member from OSSC, regardless of whether that position was different than the position requested now.
• Level 3: $7,500…Sites that have previously received a member from OSSC for three or more years for a position that is the same as or similar* to the position requested now. *OSSC reserves the right to decide whether the requested position is similar to a previously awarded position.

In-Kind match:
In-kind match includes the value of site supervisor time directly supervising the member, the member's usage of space and equipment, donated goods for member activities and member's project-related transportation and training expenses. A documentation form will be provided when site is accepted.

• For Part-time members: documentation of at least $2,500 of in-kind match.
• For Full-time members: documentation of at least $5,000 of in-kind match.

2008-09 Application Timeline (for program year starting in September 2008)

*If OSSC is not selected in the first round in May, final notification from CNCS may not come until July.

Request for Proposal
Click here to download the Request for Proposal as a .PDF document.

Request to be added to our mailing list

If you are interested in getting on our mailing list to learn about applying to host an AmeriCorps member at your organization during the next program year (09-10), click here to send us an e-mail.

We're glad you're interested in sponsoring an AmeriCorps member. Please provide us with the information below so we can add you to our mailing list. In late January or early February of every year, we send information about our application process out to all organizations on this list. Your e-mail should include the following text:

Contact Name:

Contact Title:

Organization Name:

Mailing Address:

City, State and Zip:

Phone:

Fax:

E-mail

For more information:

Their commitment to

service is inspiring.”

— OSSC AmeriCorps member