2021 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition |

Press Release Template and Resource Guide 

Congratulations on your 2021 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP grant! 

You join a network of millions of national service champions who, like you, recognize the 

important role service plays in addressing some of the most critical issues in their communities. 

To better support your communication goals and highlight your impactful work, we are providing 

you with a set of resources and tips to consider as you make your own grant announcements. In 

the enclosed resource guide, you will find engagement and announcement ideas, social media 

guidance, branding and digital guidelines, and our contact information. Should you decide to plan 

a grant announcement and need assistance, please contact pressoffice@cns.gov.

Keep in mind this toolkit can serve as a resource throughout the year. We understand you may not 

be in a position to announce new funding now, but may have future opportunities in mind to 

further amplify your AmeriCorps Seniors connection later. 

We look forward to working with you and thank you for your continued support of national 

service in your community! 

In Service, 

Office of Government Relations and Strategic Engagement 
ENGAGEMENT AND ANNOUNCEMENT ACTIVITIES 

• Press Release: Send a release to local news desks, newspapers, and reporters. This is a great 

opportunity to include some recruitment language and get elected officials or community 

validators on the record saying great things about your program and the impact of 

AmeriCorps Seniors. 

• Site Visit/RSVP Volunteer for a Day: Invite an elected official or community leader to see 

firsthand the impact of AmeriCorps Seniors by having them shadow a RSVP volunteer and 

be a volunteer for the day. Pitch this story to a local reporter and ask them to join the site 

visit. If your program addresses a specific issue, find a reporter that covers that beat and 

invite them to be a RSVP volunteer for the day. 

• Swearing-In Ceremony: Have a local celebrity or elected official administer the 

AmeriCorps Seniors pledge. Send a media advisory to local press to attend and follow up 

with a press release announcing your grant award. You can even do this virtually! 

• Social Media: Announce your award using social media. Be a part of the national service 

conversation online by following AmeriCorps Seniors accounts, sharing the contributions 

of your RSVP volunteers throughout the year, and showcasing how AmeriCorps Seniors 

works for your community. 

• Blog post: Use your blog to share the impact of your RSVP volunteers, which you can 

briefly mention is thanks in part from an AmeriCorps Seniors grant award. Or consider

having a RSVP volunteer write a guest blog to highlight the impact service has on their own 

life, along with what their service looks like. Don’t forget to use compelling photos with 

visible branding. Share it on social media and with socialmedia@cns.gov for possible 

reposting on our national service blog. Before you share it with us, be sure to check our 

blog for writing style and story ideas at NationalService.Tumblr.com. 

• Newsletter: Share your award announcement in your newsletter. Or if you have 

community leaders/elected officials who work with you frequently, consider using their 

newsletter as a channel to get your announcement to a wider audience. 
Social Media Accounts 

Follow our social media channels and tag our accounts in your posts.

• Facebook: @AmeriCorpsSr

• Twitter: @AmeriCorpsSrv

• Instagram: AmeriCorps

• Tumblr: NationalService.Tumblr.com

Contact Information

Stay connected with us! We know the best stories come from our grantees and we want to hear 

from you – not just during AmeriCorps Seniors grant announcements, but throughout the year. 

Plus, we are always on the lookout for great content that we can feature on our channels. Below are 

a few ways you can reach us. 

• Send any impact or volunteer stories to engagement@cns.gov. 

• If you have a great blog post or photo, share it with digitalmedia@cns.gov. 

• Send news clips and press releases or interview inquiries to pressoffice@cns.gov. 

• If you are engaging elected officials and have questions or need assistance, please contact 

the Office of Government Relations at governmentrelations@cns.gov. 

• Please be sure to copy your AmeriCorps state office when reaching out. Your AmeriCorps 

state email is [stateabbrevation]@cns.gov. You can also find a listing of them here. 

Additional Resources

A number of digital and printed resources are also available for use by grantees. The following 

resources may be helpful in your communications efforts and can be found on AmeriCorps.gov

• Logos

• AmeriCorps Brand Guidelines

• National Service Reports

• Photo Galleries

• Marketing Materials

• National Service Gear
Below is a sample press release that may help you announce your new 2021 AmeriCorps Seniors 

RSVP grant. For state-specific national service data, visit nationalservice.gov/stateprofiles. For a 

customized quote or for additional assistance, please contact the AmeriCorps Press Office at (202) 

606-6775 or pressoffice@cns.gov. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:

DATE: PHONE & EMAIL:

[ORGANIZATION NAME] Awarded [DOLLAR FIGURE] to Support Senior Volunteer 

Service

Funding will support [NUMBER] AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteers

[STATE], [CITY] – [ORGANIZATION NAME] announced today that it has received an 

AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP grant of [DOLLAR FIGURE] from the AmeriCorps federal 

agency to support [NUMBER] RSVP volunteers serving in [CITY/STATE/COUNTY]. The 

grant will expand [ORGANIZATION’S] [RSVP – IF EXISTING GRANTEE] presence in 

[REGION], which was previously unserved by an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP project –

[OR] – where [ORGANIZATION] has been providing service opportunities for older 

Americans as an RSVP project since [YEAR]. 

[QUOTE FROM ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVE]

With this new funding, [ORGANIZATION NAME] will leverage the skills and experience 

of seniors in the [STATE/CITY/AREA] to [PROJECT GOAL]. These AmeriCorps Seniors 

volunteers will [DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES]. 

[HOW ORGANIZATION MAY HAVE ADAPTED BECAUSE OF COVID-19 OR TO 

ADDRESS COVID-19 RESPONSE]

[HOW VOLUNTEERS CAN SIGN UP]

Throughout the challenges of 2020, AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers persisted, supporting 

communities as they respond and recover from the impact of COVID-19. These dedicated 

volunteers have combatted food insecurity, helped students transition to online schooling, 

connected veterans to jobs and benefits, and responded to the community need created by 

the pandemic. AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers continue to respond creatively to the 
challenges presented by COVID-19, adapting their service models to better serve their 

communities while staying safe. These new COVID-safe service initiatives include sewing 

masks for first responders, making daily wellness calls to homebound senior citizens, and 

contact tracing. 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers stay healthy and active through service, improving their

own lives as they improve the lives of others. A growing body of research affirms the 

numerous mental and physical health benefits of volunteerism, including lower mortality 

rates, decreased rates of depression, and increased strength and energy. Findings from a 

recent agency-sponsored study show that AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serving with the 

Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs report feeling less depressed and 

isolated, along with stable or improved health scores. 

Today, AmeriCorps Seniors engages approximately 195,000 older Americans in service at 

29,800 locations across the United States and territories through its Foster Grandparent, 

Senior Companion, and RSVP programs. Established in 1971, RSVP engages Americans 

age 55 and older in service, responding to our nation’s most pressing challenges.

[ORGANIZATION BOILERPLATE]

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