Category Archives: Resources

04.17.09
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New Podcast: Volunteer, National Service, and Nonprofit Resources on the Resource Center

Resource Center logoThe newest Idealist podcast features the Resource Center.

The Resource Center, a website of the Corporation for National and Community Service, is the repository of over 8,000 nodes of training tools, publications, and effective practices to support volunteer programs, nonprofits, and people involved with the AmeriCorps family of programs. The Resource Center–free and accessible to all audience–boasts a 3,000-item lending library as well as a calendar of events of interest to national service programs and nonprofits.

The guests on The New Service podcast are Laura Norvig, the Resource Center’s librarian, and Jason Scott, the Training Officer and eLearning Specialist at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Listen to the podcast. Continue reading →

04.15.09
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Celebrating People in Action for National Volunteer Week (April 19-25)

National Volunteer Week 2009 is April 19-25. This year’s theme is “Celebrating People in Action.” Below are three new stories of service members or volunteers with disabilities in action, “honoring the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities.”

People First logoTiffany Hunter, AmeriCorps VISTA
People First of Nevada-Carson City Chapter, 2006-present
Quadriplegia and TBI

“The Carson City Chapter of People First [of Nevada], began with 10 people. In three years, we’ve doubled,” says Tiffany. Meeting monthly, she tracks and facilitates PFN-CC meetings and encourages those in attendance to determine the thrust of the chapter. The experience of working as a VISTA has also allowed Tiffany to increase the network of partners connected to PFN-CC. “We had a barbecue social, but we didn’thave very much money to hold the event. I looked around for donations, but wasn’t having much luck until I talked to the manager at the local grocery chain where I shop. She originally offered to donate $20, but when I went back to the store to pick up the donation, she had increased the donation to $50. With that I was able to buy everything I Continue reading →

04.14.09
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College Cost Reduction Act – Basic Facts and New Resources to Help You

Campus building

Update, July 1, 2009! Check out this post about applying for Income-based repayment from your lender!

This July 1st, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) of 2007 will take effect and includes provisions to make undergraduate and graduate education more affordable for aspiring social-impact professionals.

The CCRAA is a complicated piece of legislation that, if you take advantage of it, can help you retire college and grad school debt early.

The main programs that the CCRAA has created include:

Income-Based Repayment (IBR) — Caps monthly direct and guaranteed (FFEL) student loan payments based on the borrower’s income and family size. According to IBRinfo, “For most eligible borrowers, IBR loan payments will be less than 10 percent of their income – and even smaller for borrowers with low earnings. IBR will also forgive remaining Continue reading →

04.06.09
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Webchats to Help Prepare for AmeriCorps Week 2009

AmeriCorps Week LogoAmeriCorps Week organizers invite the AmeriCorps community to participate in a series of webinars to answer your questions and give you the tools to make AmeriCorps Week 2009 successful.

Participation is free, but you must register separately for each conversation and download the WebEx application (for free) in order to participate.

Each with its own theme, five “web chats” — conference calls that also involve following an online presentation —  will take place at the following dates and times.

Continue reading →

04.05.09
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ProInspire Helps Business Professionals Transition to Nonprofit Careers

ProInspireNew fellowship program places business sector emigres in critical roles in nonprofits in the Washington, DC, area.

Launched during the worst economic climate in generations, ProInspire eases the path of business professionals to find careers that are more meaningful to them — while helping nonprofits recruit people with the hard financial and other skills crucial for their long-term sustainability.

With the application deadline just days away (April 8th) for its first group of Fellows, ProInspire hopes to infuse the nonprofit sector with people who are trained with financial and project-management skills common in the for-profit sector. And any influx of staff may help in the long run. The nonprofit sector is projected to need to recruit 640,000 executives in the coming years as the baby boomer generation begins to retire. Continue reading →