the great public-service talent search
TRANSCRIPT
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The Great Public-ServiceTalent Search
Using National Service to Grow and Develop Human Resourcesor Antipoverty Programs and Other Public Needs
Joy Moses and Shirley Sagawa February 2013
WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.O
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The Great Public-ServiceTalent SearchUsing National Service to Grow and Develop
Human Resources or Antipoverty Programsand Other Public Needs
Joy Moses and Shirley Sagawa February 2013
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1 Introduction and summary
3 Public-service agencies and the need to focus on talent
8 Underutilized talent
13 National service: Addressing the needs of public-service
agencies
17 Blueprint for agencies and programs wanting to engage
national service
24 Conclusion
25 About the authors
26 Endnotes
Contents
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Introduction and summary
A his criical ime, as public-service agenciesgovernmen a all levels and
nonpro organizaions ha serve he publicare acing increased demand wih
ewer resources, having a qualiy workorce is essenial. Bu many public-service
agencies are experiencing signican human resource challenges, including high
urnover due o poor pay and sressul working condiions, aging workorces,
and shorages o skilled proessionals. Any one o hese issues can grealy impac
a programs success, and even he mos well-designed programs will no work i
hey have people problems. Tus, aciviies aimed a building and developing ourpublic-service workorce are criically imporan. Unorunaely, previous sudies
have shown ha public-service elds such as governmen, educaion, and healh
care lag behind privae-secor companies in mos areas o alen developmen.1
While a muliaceed approach is needed o address human resource issues in
public service, he sraegic expansion o naional serviceshor-erm commi-
mens o voluneer or work or limied sipends in elds ha help people and
communiies in areas such as educaion or conservaionhas much o conrib-
ue o he developmen o alen in he helping elds. AmeriCorps, he ederal
governmens larges civilian naional-service program, has been shown o have
a signican impac on members career choices. A longiudinal sudy based on
daa colleced eigh years aer members compleed heir one year o service con-
clusively demonsraes ha AmeriCorps alumni are signicanly more civically
engaged and more likely o pursue public-service careers in he governmen and
nonpro secor han heir counerpars in he comparison group.2 Evidence rom
individual AmeriCorps programs similarly suppors his conclusion.
Any expansion o naional service, i i is o successully bear rui, mus be rooed in:
Approaches ha mee he immediae human resource needs o he argeed eld
Long-erm hinking abou how o coninue o engage paricipans even aer
hey have compleed service periods
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Naional service is an ideal vehicle o connec wih underuilized alen groups,
including youh, reirees, veerans, and parens reurning o he workorceindi-
viduals who oen express an ineres in service.
A greaer invesmen in naional service produces a wealh o benes, including
helping agencies and organizaions o:
Manage scal consrains Sraegically advance program goals Build and develop a workorce Access skilled proessionals and individuals wih valuable lie experiences Spark innovaion Elevae he presige o heir elds
Nonpro organizaions and governmen agencies a all levels should inves
resources in building new service corps ha ake advanage o hese benes.Tis will ulimaely help hem o harness he alen wihin heir eld and achieve
desired oucomes such as reducing povery.
Various naional-service models are inormaive, including ones rom he emer-
gency managemen, educaion, legal services, and child welare elds. Imporan
lessons can be learned rom hem abou recruimen, raining and menoring,
reenion, esablishing avenues or innovaion, building career ladders, and
ulimaely achieving legislaive and programmaic goals ha improve he services
being oered or he people and communiies ha hey serve.
Tis paper lays ou a blue prin or esablishing and expanding service models and
provides guidance o help public agencies and organizaions gure ou how o ge
sared and how o go abou making imporan decisions concerning inended
goals, program design, and he implemenaion o culure change.
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Public-service agencies and the
need to focus on talent
People are one o he mos criical componens deermining he success o ani-
povery and oher governmen programs. For hose who work in public service,
his is inuiive and acceped as ac. Tey may know, or insance, o a childrens
program ha ges good resuls and assume ha is due o he qualiy o is organi-
zaional leader or ronline program workers, all o whom may be paricularly pas-
sionae abou heir work and helping children, demonsrae culural compeency
in working wih he populaion, or mus possess some oher qualiies ha hey
jus can pu heir nger on.
In some areas here is research o suppor he imporance o inuiion and ha i
is he people behind he programs ha can make all he dierence. Te Cener
or American Progress has produced a series o publicaions demonsraing
ha eecive eachers are crucial o suden success, and he U.S. Governmen
Accounabiliy Oce has ound ha sang is imporan o oher youh services.
I saed he ollowing in Disconnected Youth: Federal Action Could Address Some
of the Challenges Faced By Local Programs Tat Reconnect Youth to Education and
Employment: Many youh we spoke wih across programs agreed ha sa were
a primary reason hey coninued in he program. 3 Qualiy sang was key o
program success: Youh who remain engaged in he programs are able o achieve
heir inended benes.
Te imporance o successul alen managemen o public service is clear, as are he
curren exising challenges. Les examine some o hese challenges in greaer deail.
Recession, recovery, and budget cuts
Te Grea Recession and he slow recovery have negaively impaced unding a
all levels o governmen. Te ederal governmen, burdened by he expensive wars
in Iraq and Aghanisan and he Bush ax cus, has been endeavoring o balance
he naional budge. Since 2011 he ederal governmen has achieved $2.4 ril-
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lion in deci reducion, hree-quarers o which came hrough spending cus.4
Likewise, saes aced similar scal challenges and experienced $540 billion in
budge shoral ls beween 2009 and 2012. Local governmens ared no beter.5
Meanwhile, a broad range o nonprosmany o which serve low-income
Americanshave experienced hree consecuive years o increased demand or
services ranging rom ood o sheler o job assisance, bu 31 percen o heseservice organizaions operaed in he red, and 20 percen had o grealy reduce
or eliminae services.6
A a ime when many public agencies are bese wih hiring reezes and layos,
i may seem counerinuiive o hink abou recruimen policies. Bu his is
exacly he ime o consider hese ypes o quesions. Firs, i an agency mus
operae wih limied sang or some period moving orward, here is even
more o an imperaive o nd he bes people possible. Second, smar hinking
during lean imes allows or smar growh when resources once again expand.
And nally, he ool o naional service allows or he leveraging o resources obring on shor-erm help o mee criical needs.
Low priority syndrome
In he mids o eors o balance budges, some programs or services are deemed
less criical han ohers depending on he uncion hey serve and he shared
values o policymakers a all levels o governmen. Such programs, some o which
serve he poor, are more likely o ace deeper cusor indeed, cus a allhan
programs viewed as being prioriies. Tese low-prioriy programs mus here-
ore develop creaive ways o make do wih less while sill mainaining he levels o
human resources necessary o reach heir goals.
Competition for funding
Governmens, privae oundaions, and donors increasingly wan public-service
programs o demonsrae cerain levels o success in order o be compeiive
or limied unding resources. Sang becomes all he more imporan in hisscenario. An agency can have he mos well-designed program in he world, bu
wihou an eecive sa o implemen i, is abiliy o achieve and prove success
will be limied and is curren and uure unding will be hreaened.
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Aging workforce
Some public-service proessions will soon ace a alen void as aging work-
orces ready or reiremen. Te American Way to Change: How National Service
& Volunteers are ransforming America, a book by CAP Visiing Fellow Shirley
Sagawa, explains he severe impac o he baby-boomer generaion reaching reire-men, poining ou ha over he nex decade he nonpro public-service secor
will lose more han 50 percen o is curren leadership, requiring 640,000 new
leaders. Addiionally, he repor noes ha he ederal governmen is currenly in
need o an esimaed 270,000 new workers across is various agencies.7
Turnover
Aside rom concerns abou an aging workorce, public-service agencies end
o experience lower urnover raes han privae employers, perhaps due o jobsabiliy and he qualiy-o-lie and benes acors associaed wih some public-
service proessions.8 Neverheless, here is a need o have a pool o qualiy workers
o draw upon in response o he urnover ha does occur. Tere is also a need o
ensure ha he bes possible workers are obained o ll he limied number o
spos when here are openings.
Diversity
Some elds and agencies are lacking in diversiyracial, gender, socioeconomic
background, and oher ypes. Many o hese proessions and organizaions rec-
ognize he imporance o having a diversiy o perspecives, personaliies, and lie
experiences inorming heir work, so ha sa members can hopeully nd a sense
o connecion wih hose being served.
Growing use of technology
Te growing use o echnology ha allows or he easy sorage and access orecords, or individuals o apply or benes online, and or oher conveniences
decreases he amoun o human resources needed or paperwork and suggess
he need o rehink he alen requiremens o agencies and organizaions. Ideally,
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his would ranslae ino beter uses o ime and an opporuniy or more human
resources o be spen on acually helping people and improving program resuls.
Prestige problems
Public service is oen associaed wih having lower pay han he privae secor.
For his reason as well as ohers, work in he public-service eld can be considered
less presigious han oher orms o employmen. Eors o elevae he presige
o he workby, or example, making i a more compeiive eld o enerare
needed o draw he bes possible alen o public service.
Lack of special skills professionals
Wihin some elds o public servicesuch as healh carehere is a shorage oindividuals wih specialized skills and raining: Docors, or example, and oher
healh care workers, as well as menal healh proessionals and social workers. A
hisory o resource consrains may have prevened agencies rom oering he sala-
ries ha hese ypes o proessionals ypically require; hese proessionals may no
be drawn o paricular elds or regions o he counry; or oher acors may exis
ha vary by eld. A any rae, hese individuals could be remendously helpul o
such goals as ending povery.
Small agencies and organizations
Many public-service agencies are small. As a resul, hey have limied nancial and
human resources available o develop sophisicaed means o alen managemen. Te
abiliy o band ogeher wih oher nonpros or rely on ouside eniies or direc
help and guidance wih alen managemen would be helpul o small agencies.
Given he imporance o alen managemen o public-service work a he local
levelhose who direcly inerac wih low-income cliens and program par-
icipansand he curren challenges associaed wih i, oo litle atenion ispaid o alen by hose involved in ederal- and sae-level policy developmen
and implemenaionlegislaors, adminisraive agency ocials, advocaes, and
researchers. Tose a he ederal and sae level are in a unique posiion o ideniy
wha works in alen managemen across elds, regions, and service populaions.
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Skill ses and personaliy rais helpul in working wih youh, or example, may
dier rom hose ha are helpul when working wih seniors or recen immigrans.
Federal- and sae-level workers are also in he posiion o share model pracices
and develop policies ha suppor heir implemenaion.
Undoubedly, addressing alen managemen a he local level will require muliplecomponens. Tis repor is ocused on jus one already exising and signicanly
imporan oolnaional service as one means o recruiing high-qualiy, unde-
ruilized alen o vially imporan public-service proessions ha work direcly
wih low-income people and communiies.
Naional service provides an imporan bridge beween he alen needs o public-
service agencies, as oulined above, and he imporan sources o underuilized alen.
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Underutilized talent
Public-service programs can grow and urher develop sraegies o ake advan-
age o Americas underuilized alen pools. Cerain subgroupssuch as youh,
reirees, veerans, parens, and people reenering he workorce aer an exended
breakhave much o oer.
Youth
Young people beween he ages o 16 and 24 mus compee in he job marke
wih more seasoned workers or nd designaed enry-level opporuniies. A he
end o 2012, 24 percen o people ages 16 o 19 and 14 percen o people ages 20
o 24 were unemployed.9 Furhermore, here is a subse o young peopleoen
reerred o as opporuniy youhha experiences he greaes challenges.
Tese young people have no signican or lasing connecions o eiher work or
school; here are an esimaed 6.7 million o hem, and hey are more likely ha
oher youhs o be poor and have limied educaion.10
Public-service agencies should be paricularly ineresed in youhul workers because:
Youth are interested in them. Many young people wan o be involved in public
service. A survey o graduaing college sudens revealed ha he op hree
areas in which hey wan o work are governmen, human services, and educa-
ion.11 Similar inclinaions may exis among hose young people who don have
degrees or who have ye o complee one. Despie his ineres, relaive o he
general populaion, youhs aged 16 o 24 are under-represened wihin govern-
men service. Las summer 16 percen o all workers were in governmen service
compared o jus 7 percen o hose workers who were 16 o 24 years old.12
Energy and innovation.Youhul energy is someimes helpul in reinvigora-
ing oces and eors. Fresh ses o eyes on old siuaions can help bring abou
change and innovaion in places where here is sucien encouragemen and
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space or new ideas. Age diversiy is especially imporan in he anipovery
world. Te eld largely arges young parens and children. Engaging workers
closer o he age o he arge group is likely o advance program goals.
Affordability. Young workers moivaed by an opporuniy o give back o heir
communiies and gain valuable work experience are oen willing o serve inexchange or a modes living allowance. Tis group has suden loan challenges:
Aordabiliy is he mos common reason young workers cie or no being in
school, and an esimaed 40 percen o people under he age o 30 have ou-
sanding suden loan deb.13 Tus, increasingly beter opporuniies ha allow
sudens o earn educaional scholarships or heir service or o bene rom
loan-paymen deerrals or excused deb or heir servicea policy decision
ha is wihin he power o governmencan prove o be relaively inexpensive
means o building a srong public-service workorce.
Retirees
In 2011 he oldes baby boomers reached he reiremen age o 65. Tere are
76 million people in his generaion, made up o people born in he period
aer World War II. Curren rends sugges ha an increasing percenage o his
demographic will coninue working even aer hey reire. In a 2011 American
Associaion o Reired Persons, or AARP, poll ound ha ully 81 percen o
baby boomers expec o be engaged in some orm o work once hey reire.14
Par-ime work was he mos popular expecaion, alhough some researchers
sugges ha mos working reirees have ull-ime posiions, wih some working
more han 40 hours a week.15
Public-service agencies and naional service agencies should be paricularly iner-
esed in his alen pool because hey:
Have a desire to serve. eaching, nursing, and child care were among he op 10
mos popular pos-reiremen jobs.16 Since hese elds can oer naional-service
opporuniies and are experiencing criical worker shorages, reirees desire o
work in hese areas provides a remendous opporuniy.
Possess experience. Older workers obviously oer in-deph proessional
experience rom a diversiy o elds. Tey also have lie experience ha may be
remendously valuable o human services agencies. A grandmoher, or example,
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may have a lo o wisdom o share abou childrearing wih paricipans in a pro-
gram or eenage mohers.
Appreciate supplementary income. Only 14 percen o baby boomers are
compleely saised wih heir reiremen savings, and a growing number44
percendon hink ha hey will be able o aord he liesyle hey wan inreiremen.17 Tus, hose who have oher primary sources o income appreciae
par-ime opporuniies ha allow hem o earn a litle bi exra. Ohers don need
he income bu jus wan somehing meaningul o do. In engaging older workers
on a par-ime basis, agencies can bene rom heir experience while sill paying
hem less han hey earned beore reiremen since hey are working ewer hours.
Are happier workers and improve work environments.Job saisacion
increases wih age, and reirees are happier wih heir work han hose who
have ye o reire.18 Reirees may hereore bring more posiive energy o heir
work and workplaces.
Veterans
Many veerans are doing well in he workorce. Unorunaely, his isn always
he case or veerans who served during he mos recen Gul Warsa group
ha coninues o be associaed wih some roublesome saisics. By he end o
2012, 10.2 percen o hese veerans were unemployed compared o 7.4 percen
o nonveerans.19
Younger veerans ages 18 o 24 warran paricular concern: 1 in 4 were unem-
ployed a he end o 2012.20 Tis is due in par o he increased numbers leaving
acive miliary duy, suggesing an evolving group o people in need o work. Bu
oher acors are also relevan, such as young veerans being more likely han non-
veerans o paricipae in he job marke, eiher by working or looking or work;
a relucance by some employers o hire individuals who could be called o duy;
and he general challenges aced by youh in he job markechallenges largely
semming rom a lack o work experience, which hinders heir abiliy o compee
or jobs wih more seasoned workers.
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Public-service agencies and naional-service programs should be ineresed in
veerans because hey:
Possess useful skills and work experience.Veerans represen a broad range
o educaional and work backgrounds, oering experise o a diverse area o
issues. Teir miliary service requires hem o develop cerain skills ha areuseul in public service and oher work siuaions such as he leadership and
problem-solving skills and he abiliy o work in high-sress siuaions and
in a eam. Finally, given he naure o recen miliary eors, here is reason
o believe ha some veerans experience wih naion building abroad could
ranslae o domesic communiy-developmen eors.
Are already inclined toward service. Governmen is already he larges employer
o veerans. In 2010 30 percen o veerans who served in he mos recen
Gul War worked or ederal, sae, or local governmens, and according o he
online job service Monser.com, veerans mos desire o work in governmenor he miliary.21 Veerans o he recen Gul wars are paricularly inclined
oward cerain issues: 95 percen wan o serve wounded veerans, 88 percen
wan o paricipae in disaser relie, 86 percen wan o serve a-risk youh,
and 82 percen wan o help senior ciizens. 22
Require a period of transition. Fory percen o veerans rom he mos recen
Gul wars indicae ha hey are experiencing diculies readjusing o civil-
ian lie. 23 Tose who voluneer, however, are more likely o repor ha heir
ransiions are going well. Tus, naional service is likely a good opion or
many, generally helping reurning veerans readjus and providing hem wih an
opporuniy o gure ou wha o do nex beore making any long-erm commi-
mensand some will cerainly decide o coninue in public service.
Parents re- entering the workforce
Career-oriened parens o young children are anoher underuilized pool o al-
en. Tese parens sruggle wih decisions balancing work and amilyhey wan
o advance in heir careers while also making he parening choices ha are besor heir children. An esimaed 43 percen o highly qualied working mohers
sep ou o he workorce a some poin and say ou or an average o wo years.24
ime los in building proessional experience and neworks ranslaes ino lower
uure earnings and, or some, re-enering he workorce aer an absence can be
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challenging.25 Tus, a growing number o parensand especially 48 percen
o career-oriened moherswan o work par ime during heir childrens
preschool years, and mos wan o reurn o ull-ime work aerwards.26 Public-
service employers and naional-service programs ha allow parens o mainain
connecions o he work world while building and developing valuable skills could
be very atracive o career-ambiious parens. Some parens may even desire oconinue in public service once hey reurn o ull-ime work.
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National service: Addressing the
needs of public-service agencies
Naional service is one vial ool ha can help public-service agencies address
heir alen needs. Imporanly, i can help build a bridge beween hese agencies
and he underuilized alen groups described above who are excied abou public
service and who oen possess valuable skills and lie experiences. Naional service
is urher associaed wih oher angible benes ha ulimaely advance program
goals and he achievemen o desired oucomes.
o ully undersand is value, i is imporan o undersand he basics o naionalservice, as well as is origins and how i has been shown o creae muually bene-
cial resuls or public-service agencies and underuilized ale.
Tis year marks he 20h anniversary o he signing o he Naional and
Communiy Service rus Ac by ormer Presiden Bill Clinon. Tis legisla-
ion auhorized a large-scale naional-service program, which was subsequenly
expanded by ormer Presiden George W. Bush. In 2009 Presiden Barack
Obama signed he Serve America Ac o ie naional service o imporan priori-
ies and o increase he number o people serving annually in AmeriCorps o
250,000, alhough unding has been inadequae o achieve hese arges. In he
years since he signing o he Naional and Communiy Ser vice rus Ac in
1993, more han 750,000 Americans have served in AmeriCorps and become
eligible or Segal Educaion Awards, which can be used o pay educaion coss a
qualiying insiuions o high educaion.27
Over he years a number o service models have emergedsome unded under
he ederal naional-service legislaionha are inormaive o eors o develop
programs ha advance he immediae needs o public-service agencies and
organizaions while also being mindul o he long-erm human resource needs oparicular elds. Examples can be ound in elds such as emergency managemen,
educaion, legal services, and child welare. (see ex boxes below)
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When Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast at the end o last year, the
ederal response teams included members o the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agencys service arm FEMA Corps, which was
created in March 2012. These individuals helped survivors register
or disaster assistance, cleared debris, processed donations, and
distributed supplies, among other things. According to one Corps
member, Many [storm survivors] were appreciative to see us and
relieved just to have someone just to talk to.
FEMA Corps represents a partnership between the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency and the Corporation or National and
Community Service whose goal is to create 1,600 member slo
or youth 18 to 24 years old. Not only was it designed to grow
nations capacity to respond to disaster, but it also has an exp
goal o creating pathways to work or young people through
ing, experience, and educational opportunity. The intention i
prepare youth or careers in emergency management and to
some workorce development goals such as increasing divers
reliability within the eld.
Sources:FEMA, An Innovative Cost-Saving Partnership to Strengthen Disaster Response and ExpOpportunities or Young People(2013); Deanne Criswell, FEMA Corps, Expanding OpportunitieYoung Adults(Washington: FEMA, 2012).
National service: Emergency management
Moreover, he lis o noed benes associaed wih agency engagemen in naional
service is long.
Manage fiscal constraints. Public-service agencies commonly experience bud-
geary consrains while rying o address needs ha ar oupace heir resources.
Te Grea Recession and subsequen recovery period have only exacerbaed his
norm. Under such condiions, naional service provides manpower o mainain
and grow he work o agencies.
Strategically advance program goals and improve outcomes. Programs can be
houghul abou heir approaches o service, shaping he work o service par-
icipans o advance he agencys mission and esablished goals. In doing so, hey
provide paricipans wih relevan raining, menoring, and oher ools designed
o achieve desired oucomes. Agencies and organizaions can measure he ou-
comes achieved by service paricipans and deliberaely make course correcions
ha beter he oucomes achieved by service members.
Access skilled professionals who would otherwise be unaffordable. Service can
be used o engage individuals recenly compleing relevan graduae school pro-grams. Full-ime service opporuniies help jumpsar heir careers by giving hem
valuable, real-world work experience and proessional developmen while helping
hem pay or heir educaion hrough Segal Educaion Awards and college loan
orgiveness opporuniies oered hrough boh public and privae sources.
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Access workers with valuable life experiences. Naional-service paricipans
may have lie experiences ha are paricularly valuable o he work o service
agencies. Some workers, or example, may have experienced povery or lived in
he neighborhoods being serviced by a program, or youh service paricipans
may nd i easier o relae o eens in an agencys youh program.
Move beyond accessing workers to developing a workforce. As previously
noed, service programs help agencies access diverse workersvarying in such
acors as age, race, socioeconomic background, gender, educaion and skills
atainmen, and lie experience. Once hese individuals have been exposed o a
eld and acquired knowledge and proessional conacs, many decide o pursue
a career in he service eld. Tis is a denie plus or agencies cognizan o long-
erm alen managemen and acing human resources challenges.
Spark innovation. Bringing new and diverse individuals ino a eld is a pahway
oward innovaion. Individuals wih dieren lie experiences view hings in dier-en ways, and hey may also have new ideas abou how o expand and improve pro-
gramming. And he fexibiliy oered by naional service provides room or service
paricipans o ake new approaches, work across silos, and innovae in oher ways.
Reduce poverty through creating opportunity.Agencies creaing service pro-
grams ha engage opporuniy youh and oher low-income people help o reduce
povery among hose individuals. In he shor erm, paricipans have access o living
sipends, educaion awards, and healh care. Bu hey are also developing long-erm
skills and a work hisory ha improves heir uure oulook or work and earnings.
Take advantage of new funding opportunities. Programs ha incorporae ser-
vice ino heir work may become eligible or new unding opporuniies. Some
governmen programs, or example, reward granees who are able o eecively
leverage resources hrough such means as incorporaing service ino heir work.
Funders may be paricularly enamored o unding service-employmen oppor-
uniies or paricular groups o people such as youh or veerans.
Elevate the prestige of a field. Paricipaing in naional service is a compeiive
process ha draws highly alened people rom across he counry. Atracingindividuals who boh desire o serve in a paricular program and are highly
alened helps o elevae he respec or he eld and he work. Also, processes
ha are more compeiive raise he bar on he alen ha eners a specic eld
and program oucomes are sure o improve relaive o he exen ha individuals
seleced remain involved over he long erm.
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Much can be learned rom the legal services eld. One signicant
example is the service program developed by the nonprot organiza-
tion Equal Justice Works, which has some o its service opportunities
unded through the Corporation or National and Community Serviceand each year places upward o 70 to 80 attorneys in civil legal ser-
vices organizations across the country. Participants are largely recent
law school graduates who agree to two years o service using their
legal education to help low-income Americans. It has been trans-
ormative or the eld, recruiting rom law schools, helping to train
participants, and providing them with stipends and education awards
to serve at nonprot organizations. Many participants continue in
the eld o public service even ater their service period, substantially
contributing to the talent pool o public-service lawyers and becom-
ing an unocial gateway into the eld.
One notable aspect o Equal Justice Works is that it identies a
specic project or the service participant to take ownership o, carv-
ing out a space or him or her to develop and implement new ideas
and methods o service. During the process, the service participant
benets rom advice and assistance rom a supervisor. Importantly,
they also spend part o their time contributing to previously existing
projects and client work, helping to reduce some o the burden o the
work load or existing staf.
Operating on a much smaller scale is the DC Volunteer Lawyers
ect, which provides legal assistance to domestic violence surviv
in the District o Columbia, helping them to obtain civil protect
orders and deal with other amily law issues. Volunteers receiveorm o compensation. The organization is inormative in that i
provides one example o a good way to use one group o unde
lized talentstay-at-home moms who want to remain connec
to, or transition back into, work that allows them to make use o
legal degrees. The model was so appealingallowing volunte
do some o their service rom homethat hundreds o volunte
came orward largely through word o mouth. Some o the mo
returned to ull-time work in the eld o domestic violence and
orms o public service. In the meantime, the DC Volunteer Law
Project has become the largest resource o amily law pro bono
sistance in Washington, D.C.
Sources: Interview with Kerry OBrien, Director o Federal Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Equ
Works, June 26, 2012; Interview with Jenny Brody, Founder and President o the Board o DirectoVolunteer Lawyers Project, July 11, 2012.
Field: Legal services
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Blueprint for agencies and programs
wanting to engage in national service
Tis secion provides inormaion or agencies ineresed in exploring service as a
means o advance heir missions. I covers he major areas ha hey mus consider.
Naional service reers o ull-ime civilian service; AmeriCorps is he ederal
governmens major naional-service program. Paricipans in he program ypi-
cally receive a modes living allowanceone ha is a leas equal o minimum
wageand hey may receive oher benes as well, including healh insurance and
an educaion award or oher bene a he end o heir erm o service. Naionalservice is ypically a ull-ime endeavor, so individuals require nancial suppors
o enable heir paricipaion. In some cases, par-ime service may qualiy as
naional service.
Te unding sreams o he Corporaion or Naional and Communiy Service, he
ederal agency responsible or he naions major naional service programs, include:
Grant-funded AmeriCorps. Grans are awarded on a compeiive and ormula
basis o saes and nonpro organizaions o operae AmeriCorps programs.
Education award-only AmeriCorps. Nonpros and public agencies may com-
pee or Segal Educaion Awards, which are ypically accompanied by modes
xed grans.
Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA. VISA posiions are allocaed
direcly by he Corporaion or Naional and Communiy Service, eiher
hrough is sae oce srucure or a he naional level. VISA projecs mus
ocus on building permanen inrasrucure in organizaions o help hem more
eecively bring individuals and communiies ou o povery.
VISTA cost-shares. Cos-shares are VISA posiions ha are paid orin ull or
in parby a source oher han he Corporaion or Naional and Communiy
Service, such as privae donors or oundaions.
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National Civilian Community Corps, or NCCC. Te NCCC is he only
AmeriCorps program direcly operaed by he Corporaion or Naional and
Communiy Service. A residenial program, he NCCC provides housing, living
allowances, benes, and educaion awards o members, who may be deployed
on projecs hroughou he counry.
AmeriCorps gran unding is limied, and governor-appoined sae commissions
or naional nonpro organizaions usually award i based on compeiion. In he
pas, however, ederal agencies have developed parnerships wih he Corporaion
or Naional and Communiy Service, which has esablished experise and exis-
ing srucures or running naional-service programs, o secure VISA posi-
ions or use heir own resources o pay he coss o AmeriCorps programs. Te
Corporaion or Naional and Communiy Service, or example, operaes FEMA
Corps wih resources provided by he Federal Emergency Managemen Agency
o he Naional Civilian Communiy Corps. Sae and local public agencies may
access AmeriCorps hrough heir sae commissions, which receive some undingbased on a ormula and may apply or addiional unds on a compeiive basis.
Agencies ineresed in pursuing naional service as a sraegy o address alen
challenges migh ake he ollowing seps:
Assess your needs
Agencies should begin he process wih a needs assessmen o he human resource
challenges o heir elds. Sudies ideniying curren or uure gaps in workorce
qualiy or size may poin o areas in which a naional-service sraegy migh be
benecial. I such sudies are no available, a survey o agency granees, personnel,
or oher daa may be colleced o deermine where gaps may be emerging.
Develop goals
Based on he needs assessmen, ideniy specic goals or your eor. Goals may
speciy he specic jobs or regions o be argeed or he ypes o individuals obe recruied. When possible, goals should include measures o success, including
numbers o individuals o be engaged.
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Identify models
Early in he process, i may be useul o reach ou o he Corporaion or Naional
and Communiy Service or advice regarding ways ha naional service could
address idenied needs. Te corporaion may help ideniy exising models,
which may also be o assisance in concepualizing a larger-scale eor.
Identify resources
Creaing a program akes resources o pay or living allowances, benes, and pro-
gram inrasrucure. Some agencies have used discreionary money or his pur-
pose or idenied privae-secor sources o suppor program coss. Agencies migh
also ideniy unding sreams in heir conrol ha could suppor naional service
hrough curren law or wih minor legislaive or regulaory changes. Inorming
agencies and organizaions unds may be used or naional service programs, using
he bully pulpi, and liing up model programs may also spur a eld o publicservice o consider naional-service sraegies.
Teach or America is probably the most well-known service program.
It aims to recruit high-quality talent to teaching with the goal o im-
proving the outcomes associated with that eld. Its participants make
a two-year commitment to teach low-income students in schoolsacross the country. They benet rom training and a vast peer and
alumni network.
Much has been said and written about Teach or America; in this
report, the ocus is on two aspects o their model. First, it has
been successul in drawing signicant numbers o recent college
graduates, many rom elite institutions, to commit to a period o
servicethe program currently has more than 10,000 members
in the eld. By creating a high demand or spots, competition has
increased as well as the prestige associated with participating
program and teaching low-income students. Second, the pro
has put an emphasis on diversity. In doing so, it has recruited
romand ormed partnerships withan extensive list o coand organizations predominately consisting o people o colo
result has been a diverse group o participants, 38 percent o
are people o color. Thus, Teach or America demonstrates ho
service can help to draw diverse and high-quality talent to a
need o workorce development.
Source: Teach or America, About Teach For America, available at https://www.teachorameric
sites/deault/les/2012-13_press_kit_updated_12_21_12.pd(last accessed February 2013).
National service: Education
https://www.teachforamerica.org/sites/default/files/2012-13_press_kit_updated_12_21_12.pdfhttps://www.teachforamerica.org/sites/default/files/2012-13_press_kit_updated_12_21_12.pdfhttps://www.teachforamerica.org/sites/default/files/2012-13_press_kit_updated_12_21_12.pdfhttps://www.teachforamerica.org/sites/default/files/2012-13_press_kit_updated_12_21_12.pdfhttps://www.teachforamerica.org/sites/default/files/2012-13_press_kit_updated_12_21_12.pdf -
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Fine-tune program designs
When developing a service program, agencies should consider he arge popu-
laion o be recruied; he eecive mehods o reaching and atracing hese
individuals; he bes mehods o orien and rain hem; he bes ways o supervise
heir work; and he bes ways o assess he impac o he program. Deciding i heprogram should be operaed hrough a gran srucure or oher unding model and
who are naural parnerssuch as universiies, naional associaions, or exising
service programsare oher quesions ha mus be answered.
Assess cost-benefit
Agencies may wan o assess he cos eeciveness o service sraegies as a way o
jusiy heir pursui o any sakeholders who migh see such sraegies as ouside
he mainsream and hereore unwise. A a minimum, agencies should be able oprovide he expeced value o he service o be provided and o show how much
he service migh cos i unded hrough radiional means.
Connect to the larger national-service network
Finally, agencies should consider wheher heir programs would bene rom
being par o he Corporaion or Naional and Communiy Service nework. In
some cases, he Corporaion or Naional and Communiy Service may be able
o provide Segal Educaional Awards o program members, which may help wih
agencies recruimen.
Prepare existing workforce for a sea change
Inroducing a service program and is paricipans ino he work o your eld may rep-
resen a sea changeand someimes, change is dicul. Some hough mus be given
as o how o creae a welcoming and supporive environmen or his new eor.
Leadership is keyleaders a he ederal and sae level mus be demonsrably
invesed in hese eors and convey enhusiasm and commimen or successully
moving hem orward. Tis mus be suppored by well-designed raining and ech-
nical assisance, including model examples rom paricular elds o public service.
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Local-level all-sarsprogram adminisraors wih proven success in implemen-
ing oher iniiaivesshould be idenied and suppored wih he expecaion
ha hey can creae new models ha can be replicaed by heir colleagues. Tese
ousanding individuals have he abiliy o be paricularly persuasive in encourag-
ing ohers o ollow heir pah.
Consan communicaion will also be key and is vial o ensuring ha all sa
members are aware o he goals, poenial, and deails o he service program.
Clear communicaion avoids conusion, addresses concerns, and promoes a sense
o shared invesmen in he success o he program. I will be paricularly impor-
an o heavily promoe successes and achievemenssuch as he advancemen
o program goals and he paricularly successul acions o alened voluneers
hroughou individual agencies and he eld.
Finally, agencies should brainsorm oher eld-specic, agency-specic, or
oce-specic ways o eecively achieving he goal o managing sea changesince work culures vary.
Create room for innovation
Wih he inroducion o new alen ino public-service workplaces and he
capabiliy o work across silos, naional service has grea poenial o spur innova-
ion wihin work elds. Fully realizing his poenial, however, will require some
sraegic planning.
New inernal and cross-secor parnerships could be buil wih he aim o deer-
mining how service paricipans will help o ll gaps in service delivery. I will
also be imporan o build avenues or service paricipans o innovae ino he
srucure o he program. Equal Jusice Works, or example, requires ha parici-
pans work wih hos organizaions o creae heir own projecs, giving hem space
o innovae and assume leadership over all aspecs o he work.
Consider long-term talent management
Naional service brings valuable and underuilized alen ino public service agen-
cies. Bu o have maximum impac, i will be imporan o reain hese individuals
over he long erm by connecing hem o career ladders and addiional educaion
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Childrens Corps is an emerging service model operating in New York
City that is patterned ater the Teach or America model. Established in
2011 by a nonprot organization that partners with local child welare
agencies, it aims to develop the child welare workorce. Participantsare largely recent college graduates who commit to serve or two years
as caseworkers or amilies involved in the oster care system.
Targeting a eld that has high turnover rates, the ounders o Childrens
Corps were extremely thoughtul in their approach. They went through
an exhaustive process o determining what types o qualities are best
suited or the job, including holding ocus groups with amilies who
had been involved in the child welare system. The resulting prole
they developed is utilized in the screening o potential candidate
Childrens Corps. The program also employs structured mentorin
the development o peer networks. Getting the right people invo
in service and providing them with valuable social supports lays oundation or reducing turnover within the proession.
Some Childrens Corps members look to pursue graduate studi
social work with the support o the program, adding another e
aimed at workorce development.
Sources: Interview with Barry Chakin, Chie Executive Ofcer, Fostering Change or Children (A2012); Barry Chakin, It Takes a Village . . . Fostering Families Today (Windsor, CO: 2011).
National service: Child welfare
and raining opporuniies. Tis is especially rue or hose agencies experienc-
ing human resources challenges ha are hindering he mission, such as an aging
workorce, high urnover, a dearh o skilled proessionals, low enhusiasm, and
minimal innovaion or creaiviy, and i will allow hem o provide he bes pos-
sible assisance o hose who come o hese agencies or help.
Ulimaely, agencies acing grea challenges in he areas idenied above need o
rehink wha hey are doing and develop comprehensive alen-managemen sra-
egies, o which naional service can only be one componenalhough a poen-
ially imporan one. Bu even hose agencies ha are already doing relaively well
wih human resources should hink abou how o bes ake advanage o he alen
coming hrough heir doors via naional service.
Here are some quesions or agencies engaging naional service o consider.
Career ladders. For service paricipans who may coninue working wihin
your agency or your eld, have you idenied or creaed sucien permanen
employmen opporuniies? Have you hough abou how hose iniial employ-men opporuniies could progressively lead o opporuniies or advancemen?
Are you eecively communicaing he availabiliy o hese career ladders o
hose who are ineresed?
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Training.Are you developing raining proocols ha ensure ha paricipans
are inormed o he various ypes o work you do hroughou your agency and
wihin your eld? Tis will allow paricipans o ully evaluae wheher hey may
have coninued ineres in he work. Are you eecively prevening any service
paricipans rom working on an isolaed ask while no gaining a ull picure o
he work o your eld?
Education.Are you creaing an environmen ha is supporive o paricipans
relevan educaion and raining? Are you providing hem wih inormaion,
advice, and assisance abou uure educaion and raining opporuniies ha
hey may wan o pursue in order o excel a your agency or wihin your eld?
Are you allowing ime wihin heir day or paricipans o pursue hose oppor-
uniies i ineresed? Are you able o connec paricipans o Segal Educaion
Awards or oher scholarship and loan-orgiveness programs ha help hem wih
heir educaional deb? Are you parnering wih insiuions o higher educa-
ion in creaing your service program? Are sudens a he local universiy, orexample, your service program paricipans, and are some considering perma-
nen posiions wih your agency once hey graduae?
Mentorship. Are you ensuring ha service paricipans are involved in eecive
and organized menoring wih individuals who can answer heir quesions and
provide hem wih uure career advice and assisance i hey desire i?
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Conclusion
Te naion has ye o realize he ull poenial o naional service. Governmenal
agencies and nonpro organizaions mus give more hough o how o use his
imporan ool o help advance heir missions and goals. Tey mus inves in
naional and voluneer service, which has he poenial o draw increasing num-
bers o high-qualiy alen o public-service elds ha are acing signican human
resources challenges. Once involved, agencies mus give hough o how bes o
engage hose voluneers who show promise and who wan o make he work o a
eld ino a career. Ulimaely, hese invesmens in people will pay dividends inoucomes: Programs will improve, people and communiies will be beter served,
and socieal problems will be solved.
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About the authors
Joy Moses is a Senior Policy Analys a he Cener or American Progress. She
produces repors and analyses ocused on alleviaing, prevening, and ending pov-
ery. Her work has covered a broad specrum o issues including ederal saey ne
programs, access o jusice, and policies o srenghen amilies. She was previouslya sa atorney a he Naional Law Cener on Homelessness & Povery and he
NAACP Legal Deense Fund.
Shirley Sagawa is a Visiing Fellow a he Cener or American Progress. A
naional exper on children and youh policy, Sagawa has been called a ound-
ing moher o he modern service movemen or her work on naional service.
Her new book, Te American Way o Change, highlighs ways ha voluneer and
naional service are an imporan bu underuilized sraegy o solve problems in
American communiies.
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Endnotes
1 Douglas MacMillan, Talent Management: How toInvest in Your Workorce, Bloomberg Businessweek,August 13, 2008.
2 Corporation or National and Community Service, StillServing: Measuring the E ight-Year Impact o Ameri-
Corps on Alumni (2008).
3 See: Government Accountability Oce, DisconnectedYouth: Federal Action Could Address Some o th eChallenges Faced by Local Programs That ReconnectYouth to Education and Employment (2008); GlendaPartee, Using Multiple Evaluation Measures to Improve
Teacher Efectiveness (Washington: Center or Ameri-can Progress, 2012).
4 Seth Hanlon, Next Round o Decit Reduction MustTackle Hidden Spending in the Tax Code (Washington:Center or American Progress, 2013).
5 Phil Olif, Chris Mai, and Vincent Palacios, States Con-tinue to Feel Recessions Impact (Washington: Centeron Budget and Policy Priorities, 2012); National Leagueo Cities, City Budget Shortalls and Responses: Projec-tions or 2010-2012 (2009).
6 Nonprot Finance Fund, State o the Sector Survey(2012).
7 Shirley Sagawa, The American Way to Change (SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010).
8 Opportunity Knocks, Opportunity Knocks NonprotRetention and Vacancy Report 2010 (2011); Bureau oLabor Statistics, Job Opening and Labor Turnover (U.S.Department o Labor, 2013).
9 U.S. Department o Labor, Employment Situation (TableA-10) (2013).
10 Clive Beleld, Henry Levin, and Rachel Rosen, The Eco-nomic Value o Opportunity Youth (Washington: CivicEnterprises, 2012); Adrienne Fernandes and ThomasGabe, Disconnected Youth: A Look at 16- to 24-Year
Olds Who Are Not Working or In School (Washington:Congressional Research Service, 2009).
11 National Association o Colleges and Employers, TheCollege Class o 2012 (2012).
12 U.S. Department o Labor, Employment and Unem-ployment Among Youth (Summer 2012) (2012); U.S.Department o Labor, Employment Situation (TableB-1) (2013).
13 Pew Research Center, Millennials: A Portrait o Genera-tion Next (2010); Andrew Mar tin and Ron Lieber, FedStudy o Student Debt Outlines a Growing Burden, TheNew York Times, March 5, 2012 .
14 AARP, Baby Boomers Envision Whats Next? (2011).
15 AARP, Baby Boomers Envision Whats Next?; MelissaBrown and others, Working in Retirement: A 21stCentury Phenomenon (Boston, MA: Families and WorkInstitute and The Sloan Center on Aging & Work, 2010).
16 Sagawa, The American Way to Change.
17 AARP, Baby Boomers Envision Whats Next?
18 Melissa Brown and others, Working in Retirement.
19 U.S. Department o Labor, Employment Situation (TableA-40) (2013).
20 Ibid.
21 U.S. Department o Labor, The Veteran Labor Force inthe Recovery (2011); Monster Worldwide, Inc., Veterans
Talent Index: Insights and Analysis rom Veteran Proes-sionals, Recruiters and Hiring Managers (2012).
22 Mary Yonkman and John Bridgeland, All VolunteerForce: From Military to Civilian Ser vice (Washington:Civic Enterprises, 2009).
23 The Mission Continues, Service Nation, and AmericaForward, G.I. Bill Civilian Service Option. Unpublishedwhite paper (2012).
24 Working Mother Research Institute, What MomsChoose: The Working Mother Report (2011).
25 Ibid.
26 Working Mother Research Institute, What MomsChoose: The Working Mother Report ; Paul Taylor,Cary Funk, and April Clark, From 1997 to 2007 Fewer
Mothers Preer Full-time Work, Pew Research Center,July 12, 2007, available at http://pewresearch.org/les/old-assets/social/pd/WomenWorking.pd.
27 Sagawa, The American Way to Change.
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The Center or American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute
dedicated to promoting a strong, just, and ree America that ensures opportunity
or all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to
these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies relect these values.
We work to ind progressive and pragmatic solutions to signiicant domestic and
international problems and develop policy proposals that oster a government that
is o the people, by the people, and or the people.