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News
Alerts - Information
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| NSCA e-News |
September 2008 |
| This is the monthly National Senior Corps Association update for all FGP, RSVP, and SCP Directors, volunteers and friends. |
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| Greetings From Our
Nation's Capital!
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Your NSCA Board has been working hard on your behalf. We want to keep you updated, and knew you'd appreciate a snapshot of what we've done and learned this past week in Washington, DC.
- The NSCA Board met with key legislators and staff regarding issues of importance to FGPs, SCPs, and RSVPs, including funding, reauthorization, and potential new national service programs and their effect on Senior Corps.
- CNCS will most likely operate under a continuing resolution for the lst, and most likely the 2nd quarter.
- Elizabeth Seale, CNCS Chief Operating Officer, announced that David Eisner plans to stay with CNCS until mid-November. Nicola Goren, Office of the CEO Chief of Staff, will serve as acting CEO and will work with the new administration's transition team.
- With the 111th Congress convening in January, the focus will be on the 2010 budget.
- The 110th Congress intends to adjourn on Sept 27. It's very important to visit your legislators in home districts about your program successes and cost-savings.
- MENTOR Grants were announced (please see your 9/15/9 NSCA email and act fast!).
- The FSR will be replaced by the FFR, Federal Financial Report, with a new category called Program Income due to an upcoming change in required federal financial reporting. The OMB expects all federal agencies to begin using the new government-wide financial reporting form in 2009. When fully implemented, the new FFR will combine data that Corporation grantees currently report on two separate forms: the Federal Cash Transaction Report to HHS (FCTR or 272) and the Financial Status Report (FSR or 269). You'll receive instructions soon to explain all of this.
- The CNCS website will soon feature updated state profiles with great, ready to use data!
- Watch your NSCA website for our fall NSCA Board minutes and valuable handouts tying program service to benefits & cost savings.
Sincerely,
Fred
Snapshot of the NSCA Board with Tess Scannell, National Senior Corps Director, and Angela Roberts, National Senior Corps Associate Director. Standing, left to right: Dolores Schwertner, Diana Slais, Jolene Niernberger, Angela Kocher, Jackie Johnson, Sherry Shively, Nancy Hess, Sue Conner, Katy Allen, Debbie Smith, Suzette Boydston, Dwight Rasmussen, Normalyn Powers. Seated, left to right: Angela Roberts, Camellia Pisegna, Tess Scannell, Fred Lugo, Jose Perez.
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| 2008 Senior Corps Project Director Survey Highlights |
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The analysis of the 2008 Senior Corps Project Director Survey is completed and available free to NSCA members on the NSCA website members-only section. The survey achieved a 29% response rate - a statistically valid sample size. The 59-page document provides information from project directors regarding their perception of programmatic and operational issues affecting their programs; identifies the level of interest from project directors in affecting policy, legislation, and strategic actions on Senior Corps issues; provides information and suggestions from project directors on needs that could be addressed by NSCA; and provides an analysis of the data, including 50 issues that should be given priority consideration. Here are a few highlights:
- the top three administrative issues facing Senior Corps projects deal with funding: 1) meeting volunteer benefits, 2) adequate funding to offer a competitive salary to the director and staff, and 3) adequate funding to employ staff other than a director;
- half of the RSVP project directors indicate that among the greatest barriers affecting volunteer recruitment are the lack of incentives for baby boomers, lack of staff, and the laborious nature of monthly reporting;
- at least two-thirds of the FGP and SCP project directors indicate that raising the income guidelines to 200% of poverty, increasing the stipend given to volunteers, lowering the age guidelines from 60 to 55, and allowing 15% of their project's volunteers to be over income would be most helpful in recruiting more volunteers.
Please be on the lookout by Wednesday of next week for the full report in the members-only section of the NSCA website. The report will be available for $25 to non-members. Inquiries may be made to fred.lugo@co.travis.tx.us. |
| Save the Date for 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service |
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Mark your calendars and start budgeting now to attend the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco, June 22-24. As you may already know, this conference is required for those projects in the Pacific Cluster. Learn from internationally recognized volunteer and service experts. Connect with your FGP, SCP, and RSVP colleagues from across the country.
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NSCA Attends ServiceNation
Summit
in New York City
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On September 11 and 12, around 600 leaders from every sector of American life - including universities, foundations, business, politics, and NSCA's Vice-President, Camellia Pisegna - came to celebrate the power and potential of citizen service, and to lay out a bold policy blueprint for addressing America's greatest social challenges through expanded opportunities for volunteer and national service. The goal of the Summit was to lay the foundation for inspiring an additional 40 million citizens by 2020 to volunteer time in schools, workplaces, and faith-based and community institutions; and to increase the number of Americans that will commit a year of their lives to national service.
One of the highlights of the Summit included a Presidential candidates' forum the evening of September 11, where Senators McCain and Obama spoke in-depth about their views on the role of citizenship and service in post-9/11 America.
A new bill was introduced, the Serve America Act, that calls for a new wave of volunteerism aimed directly at some of the most pressing problems facing the nation. The bill, written by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and Sen Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would provide $5 billion over five years to help nonprofits, community organizations and faith-based programs create volunteer opportunities. NSCA will keep you informed as we explore the opportunities for FGP, SCP, and RSVP involvement in this new bill.
For more information about ServiceNation, click here. The link will provide you with FAQs about ServiceNation.
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Join NSCA Today to Enter Drawing for
FREE LAPTOP COMPUTER
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The deadline is quickly approaching to join NSCA and have your named entered in a drawing for a free laptop computer. If you've already joined NSCA this year, your name has been entered. If you haven't, you have until October 31, 2008, to join. The winner will be announced December 1, 2008.
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NSCA
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16
Bartlett
Avenue
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Pittsfield
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MA
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01201
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NSCA
| 16 Bartlett Avenue | Pittsfield | MA |
01201
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