From the VISTAs - What are we actually doing this year?
While we wrote a brief post introducing ourselves during our first week of service at NPower Northwest, we thought a more in-depth description of our goals and overall mission for the year might be in order. Because the Americorps VISTA program never bothers to go halfway with its mission to “build capacity in non-profit organizations and communities to help bring individuals and communities out of poverty,” we have some pretty ambitious goals for the year. However, thankfully we are being hosted by NPower Northwest, whose mission -- “to strengthen the nonprofit sector by catalyzing innovation and driving adoption of technology solutions” -- dovetails nicely with our specific assignment. So what is that work exactly, you might ask? Here is a brief summary of our mission for the next 12 months:
While we wrote a brief post introducing ourselves during our first week of service at NPower, we thought a more in-depth description of our goals and overall mission for the year might be in order.
Because the AmeriCorps VISTA program never goes halfway in pursuit of its mission to “build capacity in nonprofit organizations and communities to help bring individuals and communities out of poverty,” we have some pretty ambitious goals for the year. Thankfully we're being hosted by NPower , whose mission - “to strengthen the nonprofit sector by catalyzing innovation and driving adoption of technology solutions” - dovetails nicely with our specific assignment.
So what is that work exactly? Here is a brief summary of our mission for the next 12 months:
- Coordinate one of the teams on the NPower Best Practices project in order to contribute to the creation of a model for nonprofits - a comprehensive guide that will ultimately provide invaluable assistance for decision-making (check out this post by Alison Carl White for more information).
- Toward this end, kick-start and conduct the Capacity Building Assessment of the Puget Sound region nonprofit community to develop a comprehensive assessment of organizational infrastructure for nonprofits in the area.
- Perform in-depth technology assessments for 30 local nonprofits, develop technology plans, and work to implement them.
- Cultivate relationships with skill-based volunteers from corporations, universities, and HandsOn Action Centers.
- Conduct technology trainings for community leaders and nonprofit staff.
How you can get involved
Obviously, these ambitious objectives means we are going to be busy folks! We're going to need partnerships. If any aspect of this mission interests you, there are a number of specific ways you can plug in to our work. More details will be coming in the next few weeks:
- If you're connected to a nonprofit organization and would like to help shape our Best Practices work and gain a glimpse into your organization’s specific technology strengths and needs, you can sign up to participate in our Best Practices Assessment Survey (more details on sign-up coming soon!).
- If you have technology skills you would like to contribute, you can consider joining our team as a skills-based volunteer (more info on how to get involved will be posted on this blog as it comes available).
- If you know of nonprofit or community organization staff interested in receiving technology training, you can participate in the free workshops we will be conducting this year. We would love to get your input on what kinds of tech training you or your nonprofit might be interested. Please consider filling out this short (less than 5 minutes) survey to help shape the content and location of the trainings we will be offering during the next 10 months.
A little more information about the program partners
AmeriCorps VISTA is coordinating the assignment of VISTAs and providing training and support on our mission to alleviate poverty in the United States.
HandsOn Tech is a national program focused on increasing the nonprofit sector's effective use of technology to increase community resources and improve outcomes for low-income communities. It is an initiative on the HandsOn Network (the action arm of the Points of Light Foundation) that is in its inaugural year. Eight teams around the country are working to “develop technology plans and create a vital infrastructure of volunteer leadership” in Atlanta, NYC, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Google has provided funding for the program, including 24 VISTA positions. All of the program staff were flown to headquarters in Mountain View, California, for a week of training on cloud computing resources and nonprofit change management.
- Abby Nafziger, Elissa Thomas, Stephen Eggers
