New Commissioner Orientation
 
Welcome!
 

“You can do what I cannot do. 

I can do what you cannot do. 

Together we can do great things.”
	

--Mother Teresa 
Orientation Contents
 

 ̈ National service legislation
 

 ̈ CNCS structure and funding
 

 ̈ National service programs
 

 ̈ State Service Commission structure 

and activities
 

 ̈ Key events in national service history
 

 ̈ Commissioner resources
 
National Service Legislation 

 ̈ The National and Community Service Act of 1990 

 ̈ Amended by the National and Community 

Service Trust Act of 1993 

 ̈ Amended by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve 

America Act of 2009 
 

National and Community Service 

Trust Act of 1993 

 ̈ Established State Service Commission 

composition requirements, created the 

Corporation for National and Community Service, 

and more 

 ̈ Details may be found on the CNCS website: 

www.nationalservice.gov/about/legislation
 
What is CNCS?
 
 

 

Why a Corporation?
 

 ̈ Part of an effort to streamline the federal 

government in the Clinton administration 

 ̈ Features include: 

 ̈ Board of Directors 

 ̈ Performance-based workplans and assessments 

 ̈ 3Flatter ́ organizational structure

 ̈ Corporate donations 

 ̈ Reduce red tape 

 ̈ Allows CNCS to be more accountable to 

Congress and the public 
CNCS Mission
 

To improve lives, strengthen communities, and 

foster civic engagement through service and
 

volunteering.
 

www.nationalservice.gov
 
Guiding Principles of CNCS 

 ̈	 Put the needs of local communities first. 

 ̈	 Strengthen the public-private partnerships that underpin all of 

our programs. 

 ̈	 Use our programs to build stronger, more efficient, and more 

sustainable community networks capable of mobilizing 

volunteers to address local needs, including disaster 

preparedness and response. 

 ̈	 Measure and continually improve our programs' benefits to 

service beneficiaries, participants, community organizations, 

and our national culture of service. 

 ̈	 Build collaborations wherever possible across our programs 

and with other federal programs. 
 

 

Guiding Principles of CNCS 

 ̈	 Help rural and economically distressed communities obtain 

access to public and private resources. 

 ̈	 Support diverse organizations, including faith-based and other 

community organizations, minority colleges, and disability 

organizations. 

 ̈	 Use service-learning principles to put volunteer and service 

activities into an appropriate context that stimulates life-long 

civic engagement. 

 ̈	 Support continued civic engagement, leadership, and public 

service careers for our programs' participants and community 

volunteers. 

 ̈	 Exhibit excellence in management and customer service. 
 

 

CNCS Strategic Plan 

 ̈	 The current strategic plan may be found at 

www.nationalservice.gov/about/strategic-plan. 

 ̈ The plan identifies these agency goals: 

 ̈ Goal 1: Increase the impact of national service on community needs 

in communities served by CNCS-supported programs. 

 ̈	 Goal 2: Strengthen national service so that participants engaged in 

CNCS-supported programs consistently find satisfaction, meaning, 

and opportunity. 

 ̈	 Goal 3: Maximize the value we add to grantees, partners, and 

participants. 

 ̈	 Goal 4: Fortify management operations and sustain a capable, 

responsive, and accountable organization. 
CNCS Structure 

Chief Executive Officer 

AmeriCorps State 

and National 

AmeriCorps VISTA Senior Corps Field Liaison AmeriCorps NCCC Social Innovation Fund Chief of Staff 

External Affairs Government 

Relations Chief Operating Officer 

Accountability and 

Oversight 

Information 

Technology 

Chief Financial Officer 

Human Capital 

Research and 

Evaluation 

Chief Strategy Officer General Counsel 

Board of 

Directors 

Inspector General 
CNCS Funding
 

President's 

Budget 

Request 

Congressional 

Budget 

Resolution 

Budget 

Enactment 
CNCS Funding
 

President's 

Budget 

Request 

Congressional 

Budget 

Resolution 

Budget 

Enactment 
CNCS Funding
 

President's 

Budget 

Request 

Congressional 

Budget 

Resolution 

Budget 

Enactment 
Types of AmeriCorps State and National 

Prime Grantees 

1. Direct Programs 

 ̈ National or multi-state programs 

 ̈ Programs managed by Indian Tribes 

 ̈ Programs managed by US Territories 

 ̈ Programs funded in states without a commission 

2. State Service Commissions 

 ̈ Professional staff
 

 ̈ Appointed commissioners
 
What are National Service Programs?
 
AmeriCorps Programs
 

AmeriCorps 

NCCC State and 

National VISTA 
National Civilian Community Corps
 
AmeriCorps State and National 
 
Volunteers in Service to America
 
Senior Corps Programs
 

Senior 

Corps 

FGP RSVP Senior 

Companion 
Foster Grandparent Program
 
Retired Senior Volunteer Program
 
Senior Companion Program
 
 

What is a State Service Commission? 

 ̈ A bipartisan or nonpartisan state entity, approved 

by CNCS, consisting of 15-25 members who are 

appointed by the Governor or chief executive 

officer of the state 

 ̈ Commissioners are appointed to voluntary 

service, and they work with paid, professional 

staff to fulfill the service goals of the state 
Commission Structure
 

Appointed commissioners 

include: 

 ̈	 A Chairperson elected by 

the voting members 

 ̈	 A CNCS representative 

 ̈	 Membership defined in 

federal law 

Commission professional 

staff include: 

 ̈ An Executive Director 

 ̈ Program Officer(s) 

 ̈ Fiscal Officer(s) 

 ̈ Outreach Manager 

*Note that the commission staff 

titles will depend on the 

organizational structure. 
Commission Responsibilities
 

Commission 

Stewardship of 

Public 

Resources 

National Service 

Plan 
 

 

 

Special Role of Commissions 

 ̈ It is important to note that State Service 

Commissions may lead other significant functions 

within their states, including disaster response, 

state volunteer centers and networks, and more 

 ̈ Commissions are invaluable partners in 

AmeriCorps grantmaking with CNCS 
AmeriCorps Grant Terms and Conditions
 

Issued by CNCS Guiding 

Principles 

Program and 

Financial 

Grantee and 

Subgrantee 

General 
 

 

 

State Commission Members
 

§2550.50 (b) Required voting members on a State Service Commission. A 

member may represent none, one, or more than one category, and each of the 

following categories must be represented: 

 ̈	 A representative of a community-based agency or organization in the state 

 ̈	 The head of the state education agency or his or her designee 

 ̈	 A representative of local government in the state 

 ̈	 A representative of local labor organizations in the state 

 ̈	 A representative of business 

 ̈	 An individual between the ages of 16 and 25, inclusive, who is a participant 

or supervisor of a service program for school-age youth, or of a campus- based or national service program 

 ̈	 A representative of a national service program 

 ̈	 An individual with expertise in the educational, training, and development 

needs of youth, particularly disadvantaged youth 

 ̈	 An individual with experience in promoting the involvement of older adults 

(age 55 and older) in service and volunteerism 

 ̈	 A representative of the volunteer sector 
Organizational Structures
 

Commission 

Host Office of the Governor Agency 

Other State Government
 

Nonprofit
 
 

Commission in the Office of the Governor
 

 ̈ Operating office within structure of Governor’s 

Office or housed within a larger agency in the 

Governor’s Office

 ̈ Examples include commissions in Maryland, 

Florida, and Montana 
 

Commission in Other State Government
 

 ̈ Stand-alone agency within state government or 

housed within a larger agency within state 

government 

 ̈ Examples include commissions in Alaska, 

Indiana, and Kentucky 
Commission in a Nonprofit 

 ̈ Incorporated as 501c3 nonprofit organizations 

 ̈ Examples include Nevada, Massachusetts, and 

Wyoming 
 

 

 

A Context for National Service in America
 

Excerpted from the Moral Equivalent of War, published in 1910: 

“If now there were, instead of military conscription, a conscription of the whole 

youthful population to form for a certain number of years a part of the army....To 

coal and iron mines, to freight trains, to fishing fleets, to dishwashing, clotheswashing, and window-washing, to road-building and tunnel-making, to foundries 

and stoke-holes, and to the frames of skyscrapers, would our youths be drafted 

off, according to their choice, to get the childishness knocked out of them, and to 

come back into society with healthier sympathies and soberer ideas. They would 

tread the earth more proudly...they would be better teachers of the following 

generation.” 

--William James 
A Context for National Service in America
 

National service as transformational experiences:
 

 ̈ Service participants of all ages
 

 ̈ Communities and citizens in need
 

 ̈ In times of natural or man-made disaster
 
Key Events in National Service
 

1930s 1960s 

 ̈ 1933-1942: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) 

 ̈ 1961: Peace Corps created 

 ̈ 1964: VISTA created; Senior Corps 

demonstration projects launched 
 

Key Events in National Service
 

1970s 1980s 

 ̈ 1973: Domestic Volunteer Service Act authorized 

Senior Corps programs 

 ̈ 1989: White House Office of National Service 

and Points of Light Foundation created 
 

 

Key Events in National Service
 

1990s 2000s 

 ̈ 1990: National and Community Service Act 

 ̈ 1992: NCCC created 

 ̈ 1993: National and Community Service Trust Act; CNCS 

and AmeriCorps created 

 ̈ 2007: First annual AmeriCorps Week 

 ̈ 2009: Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act 
Key Events in National Service
 

2010s Beyond 

 ̈ 2010: Social Innovation Fund launched 

 ̈ 2011: CNCS 5-Year Strategic Plan published 

 ̈ 2012: FEMA Corps launched 
National Service Timeline
 

The key events presented in this orientation represent 

only a brief glimpse of the long and rich history of 

national and community service.
 

Please explore a more detailed national service 

timeline on the CNCS website:
 

www.nationalservice.gov/about/who-we-are/our-history/national- service-timeline 
 

Additional Resources for Commissioners
 

CNCS National Service Knowledge Network:
 

www.nationalservice.gov/resources
 

AmeriCorps Alums:
 

www.americorpsalums.org
 

The Association of America’s Service Commissions: 

http://statecommissions.org
 
Orientation Review
 

 ̈ National service legislation
 

 ̈ CNCS structure and funding
 

 ̈ National service programs
 

 ̈ State Service Commission structure
 

and activities
 

 ̈ Key events in national service history
 

 ̈ Commissioner resources
 
Thank You!