1. Summary:
Aloha United Way (AUW) is an intermediary agent for the AmeriCorps VISTA program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). We anticipate positioning ten (10) AmeriCorps VISTA members at nonprofit organizations and public agencies throughout the state of Hawaii to help CNCS in its mission to support and create healthier, viable communities and move individuals and families out of poverty.
AUW is seeking Letters of Interest (LOI) from organizations and agencies who are interested in engaging one or multiple AmeriCorps VISTA members at their site to help build capacity and support expansion and growth.
Letters of interest are due to AUW by 6:00pm HST on Monday, February 29, 2016.
2. Background Information:
Aloha United Way has been supporting our community for over 95 years. Through our fundraising and funding efforts, we help to make possible the programs that address critical issues facing families in Hawaii. In the past eight years, AUW has evolved from supporting individual services to developing broader projects, striving to address not just an immediate need, but the conditions that create the need, so that our community can benefit from long-term, sustainable solutions.
Beyond financial investments, AUW also seeks ways to support our partners in the community by offering resources that strengthen their internal ability to provide services. We do this through workshops, technical assistance, and other capacity-building initiatives. Through a grant from the CNCS, AUW is offering the assistance of AmeriCorps VISTA members as another resource to support programs that improve conditions in our community.
AmeriCorps VISTA members are recruited nationwide to serve a year-long, full-time commitment on a specific project at a nonprofit organization or public agency. In return for their service, AmeriCorps VISTA members receive a modest living allowance and limited health benefit options during their service, and have the option of receiving a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award or post-service stipend after completing their service. About 6,500 VISTAs are placed each year in more than 1,200 projects in low-income communities around the country.
VISTA members generally do not provide direct services, such as tutoring children or building homes. Instead, at the direction of their host organization or agency, VISTAs focus their efforts on building the organizational, administrative, and financial capacity of organizations that
fight illiteracy, improve health services, foster economic develop, and otherwise assist low-income communities.
The goals of AUW and CNCS are well aligned and this partnership allows AUW to further extend its support of the organizations and agencies that serve the needs of the people in our state.
For more information on AmeriCorps VISTAs, visit the Corporation for National and Community Service website at http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-vista.
3. Scope of Work:
Aloha United Way invites Letters of Interest from nonprofit organizations, with or without a 501c3 designation, and public agencies that are interested in engaging one or more AmeriCorps VISTA members at their site to help develop capacity in improving community conditions.
Primarily, AUW is seeking organizations and agencies that will engage a VISTA member in establishing or developing the function of data collection and program evaluation, or the development of processes and guidelines that will incorporate evaluative activities in their service delivery.
However, to incorporate the full benefit of the AmeriCorps VISTA program for our state, AUW is also interested in organizations and agencies that will engage a VISTA member in other non-direct service capacity-building activities.
AUW’s long-term goal is to help organizations and agencies to identify and develop promising and beneficial solutions to our community’s challenges so that the greatest impact can be made to support the health of our state.
4. Anticipated Timeline:
• Due Date for Letters of Interest: Monday, February 29, 2016 at 6:00pm HST
• Review of LOIs and Follow-Up Inquiries: through Friday, March 4, 2016
• Selection and Completion of Memorandum of Agreement: Friday, March 11, 2016
• Recruitment and Placement of VISTA Members: Until Filled
5. LOI Guidelines:
By Monday, February 29, 2016 at 6:00pm HST, organizations should submit a Letter of Interest to Aloha United Way incorporating the following information:
A. Organization or agency name, address, and phone number
B. Primary point-of-contact name, title, address, phone number, and e-mail address
C. Brief background of organization or agency, to include primary mission
D. Description of proposed purpose and activities of an AmeriCorps VISTA member
E. The number of AmeriCorps VISTA members requested
F. A statement on the ability and/or willingness to contribute to the total cost-share stipend of a VISTA member, a maximum of $20,000 annually. (Please see item 6, AUW Priorities, below.)
G. A statement signifying the willingness to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Aloha United Way with regards to shared responsibilities of recruiting and supervising a VISTA member, and the acceptance of federal guidelines as to the appropriate engagement of a VISTA member.
Letters of interest should not exceed three (3) pages in length.
Letters of Interest should be e-mailed to Aloha United Way at grants@auw.org by Monday, February 29, 2016 at 6:00pm HST.
6. AUW Priorities:
As good stewards of the donations and contributions we receive, Aloha United Way has a responsibility to invest in programs that are beneficial to our community.
As such, we are primarily interested in advancing a culture of evaluation, especially to elevate the nonprofit sector’s ability to develop and implement effective service programs. Nonprofit organizations and public agencies that submit a LOI indicating an interest and/or need for an AmeriCorps VISTA member to support evaluative activities will be prioritized higher than other organizations and public agencies.
Additionally, while we understand that nonprofit organizations and public agencies often lack the resources for capacity-building, we also recognize that an investment in resources supports the commitment and genuine interest in improving services. Therefore, nonprofit organizations and public agencies that indicate an ability and willingness to contribute to the cost-share stipend of a VISTA member will be prioritized higher than other organizations and agencies.
7. Contact Information
Questions regarding the submission of LOIs or about AmeriCorps VISTA member placement can be directed to Ophelia Bitanga-Isreal at (808) 543-2214 or via e-mail at ophelia@auw.org no later than close of business on Thursday, February 18, 2016. Additionally, please feel free to contact Marc Gannon, Vice President - Community Impact, at (808) 543-2215 or marc@auw.org with additional questions.