Join us for the San Francisco Net Tuesday on September 9:
Involver: How Nonprofits Can Create Video Campaigns for Social Networks.
NetSquared is an initiative of TechSoup
NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.
- Home
- The CTC VISTA Project
The CTC VISTA Project
Voting Summary (Elevator Pitch):
The CTC VISTA Project—the most popular program in AmeriCorps' online recruitment system—coordinates the recruitment, placement, training, and support of VISTAs (domestic Peace Corps volunteers) in nonprofits using technology to help poor people.
Supporting organization:
UMass/Boston - College of Public & Community Service
URL:
www.ctcvista.org
City:
Boston
State/Region:
MA
Country:
USA
Project Vision Statement & Potential Social Impact:
The Community Technology Centers (CTC) AmeriCorps*VISTA Project coordinates the recruitment, placement, training, and on-going support of VISTAs (full-time supported domestic Peace Corps volunteers) in nonprofits across the country that are using media, information and communications technologies to address the needs of poor and underserved communities. CTC VISTAs provide key human support for developing this work — recruiting volunteers, writing grants, researching and designing training programs, and implementing capacity-building technology projects.
Social networking tools — email, discussion lists, blogging, tagging, and shared video, all contributing to the VISTA resource wiki — support the collaborative self-help ethic that project administration and VISTA Leaders provide in sharing and developing program content and VISTA life survival pointers. The Project's Grassroots.org Techie award-winning application simplifies the application process for applicant organizations and integrates it with an overall management and support system.
Collaborations with national community media and technology organizations are supplementing the initial partnership with CTCNet. The project's growing community wireless support is provided in collaboration with the Association for Community Networking (AFCN). The NTEN-CTC VISTA Project is underway, working to expand resources for the nonprofit technology assistance provider community. The ATA-CTC VISTA Project with the Alliance for Technology Access is placing VISTAs in organizations that make use of assistive technology and extend technology tools, resources, and skills to people with a variety of disabilities.
The Project has grown into the most popular program in the entire AmeriCorps online recruitment and placement system, so the pool of national applicants is an incredibly talented and committed one. As the oldest and most successful digital opportunities program supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the CTC VISTA Project provides strategic impact for the whole field of community media and technology and has unlimited potential for growth.
Sustainability (financial) model:
The CTC VISTA Project, funded originally under the Corporation's "Digital Divide" RFP in the spring of 2000, was to have been three-years "over and out." Now in its seventh year, the Project is the only surviving program from the original RFP. It has been successful for a number of reasons including: its achievement in meeting work plan goals and submitting timely reports for central headquarters as well as participating organizations; its popularity, with both VISTA applicants and the growing number of organizations who seek to participate; the development of its VISTA and supervisor orientation and support components; taking on work supported previously by other Corporation-supported digital initiatives (e.g., Power Up and Teaming for Technology); its low-rate of attrition/drop-outs. The Project has been twice given, unsolicited, additional resources by the Corporation and currently places 60 VISTAs/year—with potential for more. In doing this, the Corporation provides over $1.2M and does so on the condition that the project provides a small cost-share portion in return, currently in the neighborhood of $165K. In this day and age, however successful, that's an incredible situation for a federally-supported anti-poverty program. To date, the project has met its cost-share obligation entirely from project fees.
Potential obstacles:
Project fees run $2,500-$3,000 for new organizations that should budget an additional $1,000-1,500 for professional development and support for their VISTAs (who in turn receive a $10-11,000 living stipend, an individual health plan, and a post-service $4,725 education award). These costs do limit the field of organizational applicants. Working with a Corporation-provided budget and these fees does limit administrative and program support.
Resource Needs:
While the Project can proceed under its current financial, administrative, and program support arrangements indefinitely, the alleviation of the restraints they provide and the provision of project fee scholarships can be addressed by the contributions of corporate and foundation partners to support the match required by the Corporation. A development effort to address these needs is currently underway.
Key Milestones:
Recruitment for both organizations and potential VISTAs is currently underway for a Preservice Orientation program currently set for June 19-23 in Lowell, MA to be held concurrent with the Organizers' Collaborative Grassroots Technology Conference. Up to 40 VISTAs will be placed at this time. The Project is currently accepting applications from organizations that want a VISTA to work in Community Networking, Technology Assistance to Nonprofits, Digital Media including projects which engage youth in media making, and Access and Inclusion programs for people with a variety of disabilities. Details available at www.ctcvista.org/guidelines.
Project Summary:
CTC VISTA — Service for the 21st Century
The Community Technology Centers (CTC) AmeriCorps*VISTA Project coordinates the recruitment, placement, training, and on-going support of VISTAs (full-time supported domestic Peace Corps volunteers) in nonprofits across the country that are using media, information and communications technologies to address the needs of poor and underserved communities. CTC VISTAs provide key human support for developing this work — recruiting volunteers, writing grants, researching and designing training programs, and implementing capacity-building technology projects. Through the Project's Grassroots.org Techie award-winning application, organizations interested in bringing a VISTA on board are guided through the application, recruitment and on-going support process. The Project has grown into the most popular program in the entire AmeriCorps online recruitment and placement system, so the pool of national applicants is an incredibly talented and committed one. Approved applicant organizations can recruit locally as well as from the national pool.
