CENTER ON NONPRO FITS AND PHILANTHROPY 

A Pathway to Economic Opportunity

for Communities and AmeriCorps

Members

Nathan Dietz, Deondre’ Jones, and Brice McKeever

January 2019

The Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) AmeriCorps program offers individuals the opportunity to

serve communities and engage with residents while also developing skills that can benefit their future

career paths and educational goals. But how can sites where program members are placed and local

LISC offices ensure these members have a positive experience and see lasting benefits from their

service?

The Urban Institute (Urban) contracted with LISC to examine the effects of AmeriCorps service

and the occupational and educational outcomes tied to service and civic engagement in an effort to

design and implement improved programming and technical assistance for our partners. This study is

the third commissioned by LISC in recent years. LISC has previously contracted with external

evaluators to conduct evaluations focusing on (1) the impact of the LISC AmeriCorps program on

organizations that serve as host sites for members, and (2) the impact of the program on recipients of

service provided by Financial Opportunity Centers. The purpose of this study is to focus on the

benefits of service to the AmeriCorps members themselves, and how the structure, design, and

management of the LISC AmeriCorps program contribute to members’ outcomes.

This study addressed the following research questions:

1. What occupational and educational outcomes post-service do members attain, and do

members experience changes in attitudes and behaviors pertaining to personal efficacy and

civic engagement that appear to be related to their volunteer experience?

2. What, if any, social, demographic, and attitudinal attributes of individuals are related to these

outcomes?
3. What attributes of the LISC AmeriCorps site recruitment and selection process influence, if at

all, the types of members selected into the program and their match to placement sites?

4. What characteristics of the placement partner are associated with positive member outcomes,

including the type of assignment and varieties of member management and supervision?

5. What aspects of national and local LISC program management, including the supports given to

both the member and the placement partner, are associated with different placement partner

practices and member outcomes?

This evaluation used the following methodology and survey instruments:

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Pre-post design for member outcomes

Quantitative and qualitative analysis

Member data: baseline survey (response rate: 70.6%), end of year survey conducted by CNCS

(response rate: 66.3%), and follow-up survey 6 months post-service (response rate: 48.5%)1

Placement site data from web-based survey (response rate: 71.3%)

Operating site (local LISC office) data from semi-structured interviews

Administrative data as a source of member demographics

A quasi-experimental comparison, using propensity score matching and data from the CNCS

exit survey, to compare outcomes for LISC AmeriCorps members to those of other

AmeriCorps programs

Structure and Management of LISC AmeriCorps

Programs

The Mission and Role of LISC

LISC is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Together with locally based not-forprofit partners, LISC strengthens local economies to attract and expand business, improve housing

quality and affordability, create living wage jobs, and prepare talent for quality employment. LISC has a

multi-layer operating structure that includes collaboration among those who work at the national level

and local level.

LISC employs a multi-layered approach to delivering resources including: loans, grants and equity

investments; local, statewide and national policy support; and technical and management assistance.

Delivered primarily through a local LISC office structure, LISC has 33 local offices, and works in rural

communities in 1400 counties in 44 states. Locally based LISC staff in these offices work with not-forprofit partners, government agencies, and other philanthropic entities to help identify local priorities

and challenges to deliver the most appropriate support to meet the needs.

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LISC AmeriCorps’ Connection to LISC’s Overall Mission

The AmeriCorps program is a critical component to LISC’s overall Catalyzing Opportunity strategy.

LISC sponsors a national LISC AmeriCorps program. LISC first received AmeriCorps funding in 1994

and is currently in its 24th year. The program helps improve the capacity of not-for-profit community

development agencies working in underinvested communities.

The AmeriCorps members are placed in a variety of not-for-profit organizations that help lowincome and underinvested people obtain employment, achieve housing stability, build affordable

housing, engage community members in efforts to create safer and healthier neighborhoods, and

develop community plans. These organizations are the backbone of underinvested communities, and

AmeriCorps members help these organizations expand their capacity to increase the opportunity for

the people they serve.

The LISC AmeriCorps program is directly aligned with the Corporation for National and

Community Services’ AmeriCorps mission to “engage AmeriCorps members in direct service and

capacity-building to address unmet community needs. AmeriCorps members also mobilize community

volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations where they serve.”

LISC has successfully trained members through service with the skills to become employed post

service. The hope is that service coupled with intentional training will prepare individuals—primarily

people who self-identify as from a community of color and live in the neighborhood that they serve—

to take on careers in the field.

Since 1994, LISC has trained and placed over 3,000 members in the community development

industry across the country. These members have helped over 7,500 people obtain employment,

supported the development of over 10,000 units of housing, and helped stabilize the housing situation

of over 49,000 families.

The LISC AmeriCorps Program Model

LISC operates a national direct program grant where LISC National (National) works with local LISC

offices and programs (Operating Site) to place a cohort of AmeriCorps member(s) with local partner

organizations (Host or Placement Site). Local LISC offices receive an allocation of member slots/

positions with a suggested minimum size of seven– five full-time positions and two quarter-time

positions. There is no maximum size; however, National provides guidance to Operating Sites on time

and effort implications for larger cohort sizes.

LISC National is comprised of four FTE positions. Operating sites have one staff person

responsible for the management of their cohort that spends anywhere from 20 percent to 80 percent

of their time on the program based on size of the cohort. Host sites have one person on staff

designated as the member’s immediate supervisor.

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LISC National provides Operating Sites with competitive selection materials, including

standardized materials related to member service descriptions and goal setting, for the selection of

host sites. LISC operating sites are responsible for the competitive selection of partner sites, vetting of

member candidates, and supervision of the local AmeriCorps team. Operating sites are also

responsible for relationship management with the partner site as it relates to the AmeriCorps program.

Host sites are responsible for recruitment of and the day-to-day management of the AmeriCorps

member. All three play a role in ensuring member compliance and participation eligibility. The LISC

AmeriCorps program aims to expose women and people of color to the community development field

while simultaneously building the capacity of the placement partners. The LISC AmeriCorps program

starts on October 1 and seeks to have all members end service by September 30. However,

accommodations are made for operating sites and host partners to have full-time and half-time

members serve beyond September 30.

LISC AmeriCorps members fall into four categories:

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Full-time members serve 1,700 hours for a 10-month term starting on October 1;

Part-time members serve 900 hours for a 10-month term starting on October 1;

Quarter-time members serve 450 hours and can serve as few as three months and as many as

10 months starting as early as October 1 and as late as July 1; and,

Minimum (or summer) time members who serve 300 hours for as many as five months or as

few as two months starting no earlier than May 1 and as late as August 1.

Both the local operating sites and National provide members with required and optional

opportunities for training and development. LISC National requires all members receive an onboarding

to AmeriCorps service by the operating site at the onset of the term. National budgets for and

provides a one and a half day, in person onboarding utilizing a cohort training (day one is members

only and on day two immediate host site supervisors join members). National budgets for and requires

that all full-time and half-time members attend the annual Leadership Conference, which is the second

training hallmark. Local operating sites require all members enrolled to attend monthly meetings and

trainings as identified by the cohort and supervisor. Host sites provide structured training

(NeighborWorks, local industry training, etc.) and “on-the-job” training (staff meetings, community

meetings, etc.). Host site supervisors are expected to have regular check-ins.

Key Findings

2016-2017 Program Year Characteristics

Our evaluation of 15 operating sites and 128 placement sites found:

 Of the 166 members at the start of the program, 133 successfully completed their terms

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Nearly 81 percent of placement sites are community-based organizations, and 30 percent

operate other AmeriCorps programs

Local office staff raised the following challenges:

Low stipends make it difficult to recruit quality members with the appropriate skills to

meet the needs of the potential placement site

The expectations or needs of placement organizations may not match the amount of

funding dedicated to pay candidates who can meet those needs

LISC AmeriCorps members have the following self-identified characteristics:

Most (69 percent) are female

Most are black/African American (41 percent) or white (34 percent)

Most (51.5 percent) have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher at the time they apply

About half are between the ages of 22 and 29 at enrollment; the average member is 30.6

years old

Most have six or more years of work history (only 17 percent enter the program without any

work history)

Two -thirds of entering members reported they earn less than $20,000 a year

Nearly two-thirds (67 percent) reported living in the same neighborhood where they served

About 83 percent of members earned an education award (a post-service benefit awarded to

service members who complete an approved term of national service through AmeriCorps)

Evaluating Outcomes for LISC AmeriCorps members

We studied members’ outcomes in four categories—occupational, educational, civic engagement, and

personal efficacy—to evaluate what elements of the program contributed to their success.

Table 1: Key Outcome Definitions and Measures

Outcome

Occupational Outcomes: the extent to which

AmeriCorps helped to define and shape an

individual’s professional goals

Measures

Survey question asking what the member had

done in the 6 months immediately following

LISC AmeriCorps

Self-assessed influence of service on forming

and making progress toward professional goals

Improvement of job skills

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Educational Outcomes: the extent to which

AmeriCorps helped define and shape an

individual’s educational goals.

Degrees earned

Self-assessed influence of service on forming

and making progress toward educational goals

Civic Engagement: Attitudes, beliefs, and

behaviors consistent with active involvement in

community life, such as participating in

community organizations or voting in national

and local elections

Participate in community organizations (school,

religious, issue-based, recreational)

Keep informed about news and public issues

Volunteer for a cause or issue that you care

about

Donate money or goods to a cause or issue that

you care about

Participate in an activity or group to keep the

community safe and clean

Vote in elections

Personal Efficacy: the ways in which service

helps members increase their effectiveness at

working with others

Connection to community

Innovation and teamwork

Interpersonal relations

Management skills

Problem-solving abilities and techniques

Occupational Outcomes 

After exiting the program, most LISC AmeriCorps members (79 percent) were satisfied with the

professional training that they received on the job, reporting that it was either excellent or good. Most

members also reported that the program helped them develop 21st century workforce and

management skills.

Participation in LISC AmeriCorps had a positive influence on members’:

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Professional goals: Eighty percent of members said their service affected the pathways they

chose; 97 percent said their service made them more interested in the types of jobs they

pursued, and 86 percent said their service helped them develop or expand their personal goals

for occupational attainment.

Career-oriented soft skills: Most members credited their service experience with helping them

improve their innovation and teamwork skills, as well as helping them build management skills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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and other essential job skills such as planning, funding, budgeting, and staffing an organization;

effectively communicating with diverse populations; project management; time management;

and critical thinking.

 Employment six months post-service: Seventy-three percent reported being employed or

self-employed six months after their service ended (with most being employed in the

nonprofit sector). Ten percent reported continuing another term of AmeriCorps service either

with LISC (6.3 percent) or with another AmeriCorps program (3.8 percent). And 7.2 percent

reported being unemployed and not in school.

In general, member demographic and pre-service characteristics had little to no effect on

employment outcomes, suggesting that these positive gains were broadly distributed among different

kinds of people Some of these variables, however, did account for variation in career oriented soft

skills including innovation and teamwork, management skills, and problem-solving ability. The most

common demographic factors related to differences in these outcomes were earning an education

award and prior work experience. For instance, those who earned an education award were more

likely to figure out the next steps for their career and professional goals.

HOW PLACEMENT SITES CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE MEMBERS’ CAREERS

Catalyze members’ enthusiasm and provide them opportunities for broadening their

networks: Sites with higher ratings of member enthusiasm and interest, and sites where

members fostered partnerships with other organizations were less likely to have members

unemployed six months after their service ended.

Maintain stability: Sites with more leadership stability had greater impacts on their members’

career choices.

Cultivate an environment where members can thrive: When sites described their members’

attributes more positively, members reported at higher levels that their service had an impact

on their career choices.

Partner with other organizations and offer members opportunities to participate: Sites where

members contributed toward fostering partnerships with other organizations were more likely

to have members report higher scores on innovation and teamwork measures.

HOW LOCAL LISC OPERATING OFFICES CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE MEMBERS’ CAREERS

Encourage collaboration with other groups: Research question 5 asks how the working

relationship between the local operating offices and the placement sites can influence the

management practices used by placement partners, and the outcomes experienced by

members. When placement sites report more interactions with other organizations through

their involvement in LISC AmeriCorps, members are more likely to report that their service

increased their innovation and teamwork skills.

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Educational Outcomes

Members overwhelmingly reported that participating in LISC AmeriCorps was a worthwhile

experience for their educational, professional, and personal goals.

Participation in LISC AmeriCorps had a positive influence on members’:

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Education pathways: Nearly 86 percent of members responding to questions focused on LISC

AmeriCorps’ impact on their education pathway said the education award made it possible for

them to continue their education. Eighty-two percent said it helped them develop or expand

their personal goals for education.

Lives six months post-service: Six months after their service ended, 20 percent of members

reported continuing their education in either technical training (2.5 percent),

undergraduate/community college (10.1 percent), or graduate school (7.6 percent).

Overall, there were few strong patterns between education outcomes and demographic or other

member characteristics at the start of service. Members who were living in the neighborhood where

they served were more likely to report they figured out their next steps in terms of educational goals.

HOW PLACEMENT SITES CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE MEMBERS’ EDUCATION

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Develop skills: In sites that focused on improving members’ teamwork or leadership skills,

members said their service had a greater impact on their educational choices.

Encourage a positive culture: In sites that rated their members more highly on enthusiasm and

energy, ability to work within the AmeriCorps jobs description, ability to work with others, and

effectiveness in supporting the overall mission and goals of the organization, members said

their service had a greater impact on their educational choices.

HOW LOCAL LISC OPERATING OFFICES CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE MEMBERS’ EDUCATION

 Build a reputation of respect and reliability: Members are more likely to report their service in

LISC AmeriCorps affected their educational outcomes when their placement site believes the

local LISC office takes its opinions seriously, is serving its purpose, and can be counted on to

meet its obligations.

Civic Engagement and Personal Efficacy Outcomes

Members credited their service in LISC AmeriCorps with increasing their connection to their

community and the likelihood they will participate in community organizations, keep informed about

news and public events, and volunteer for causes they care about. Participation in LISC AmeriCorps

has a positive effect on members’:

 Connection to community: The average score on the questions about members’ awareness,

attachment, and contributions to their local communities increased from 3.94 at entry (on a 1-5

scale) to 4.47 several months after completing service.

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Problem-solving techniques: At follow-up, members were asked how much their AmeriCorps

service helped them improve their ability to use several problem-solving techniques. The

average score across all these questions was 3.26 on a scale of 1 (“not at all”) to 4 (“a great

deal”).

Civic engagement: The follow-up survey also asked members whether they performed six

important civic activities more or less frequently than they did before enrolling in LISC

AmeriCorps. The average score on these questions was 2.35 on a 1-3 scale, where 1 is “less

frequently,” 2 is “about as often,” and 3 is “more frequently.”

Nearly all members reported a high appreciation for the benefits of diversity after completing their

service; the average score on four questions about appreciating diversity was 4.67 (on a 1-5 scale) at

exit, and 4.62 at follow-up. In addition, appreciation for diversity is found to be a key outcome

fostered by the LISC AmeriCorps experience. Our analysis of propensity score matching reveals that

LISC AmeriCorps members exit the program with a greater appreciation of diversity than members of

other AmeriCorps programs.

Responses related to civic engagement and personal efficacy varied by member demographics:

Respondents with lower-to-middle incomes were more likely to report that they gained an

understanding of solutions to the challenges faced by the community.

Female respondents were less likely to “strongly agree” that they were aware of the important

needs in the community or that they had a personal obligation to contribute to the

community.

Black respondents were more likely to agree with the statement that they plan to become

actively involved in issues affecting the community.

Respondents who received an education award were more likely to report they contributed to

the community.

Female respondents were more likely to report they made a difference in the community.

Respondents with higher incomes were less likely to report they reexamined their beliefs and

attitudes about other people.

 

 

HOW PLACEMENT SITES CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE MEMBERS’ CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND

PERSONAL EFFICACY

Improve relationships with other organizations: When the placement sites say members

helped the site improve relationships with other organizations in the community, members

report higher civic engagement outcomes.

Stay open to new opportunities: When the placement sites report the members helped them

expand into new program areas, members are more likely to vote.

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Focus on teamwork: When the placement sites prioritize working with others, members are

more likely to report an improvement in their ability to work with others.

 

 

HOW LOCAL LISC OPERATING OFFICES CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE MEMBERS’ CIVIC

ENGAGEMENT AND PERSONAL EFFICACY

Collaborate between offices and sites: When the placement sites say they effectively

collaborate with the local office, their members are more likely to report higher levels on the

impact of service measure relationship. This is a measure of the small but significant personal

accomplishments (e.g., “the majority of my work has made a positive difference in the

community”; “I have done things I never thought I could do”) that members might experience.

Develop a fruitful partnership: When the placement sites feel that the collaboration with the

local office has been fruitful, they are more likely to give their members high marks for ability

to work with others, ability to work independently, interest and enthusiasm for assigned work,

quality of work produced, and quantity of work produced.

Expand organizational networks: When placement sites feel that the collaboration with the

local office helps broaden their organizational networks, members are more likely to feel that

AmeriCorps service was a “defining” personal and professional experience.

Conclusion

Overall, members experienced substantial benefits to participation in LISC AmeriCorps and said their

service made a positive contribution to their educational, professional, and personal goals. Members

reported that participation in LISC AmeriCorps helped them figure out the next step in their career

and education choices. And participation in LISC AmeriCorps led members to be more likely to

volunteer and participate in community organizations.

In general, members’ demographics, skills, and beliefs at the start of service did not affect their

outcomes revealing these benefits were evenly distributed across demographic characteristics. The

factors affecting their outcomes included what their placement site prioritized and how it interacted

with its LISC operating office. Placement sites can improve their members’ outcomes by encouraging

enthusiasm among members, maintaining leadership stability, partnering with other organizations and

encouraging members to participate, and focusing on teamwork among members.

The study’s findings are limited in terms of generalizability because they covered outcomes during

a single program year. In addition, the limited sample size made it more challenging to detect

statistically significant associations between outcomes and member demography, host site

characteristics, and program management.

Nevertheless, the results suggest that LISC operating offices can positively influence members’

outcomes by ensuring their partner AmeriCorps placement site views their collaboration as successful

and views the operating office as meeting its obligations. LISC operating offices can also improve their

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collaboration with placement sites by offering opportunities to interact with other organizations

through participation in LISC AmeriCorps. In qualitative interviews, local offices stressed the

importance of finding potential sites that understand and can adhere to the goals, mission, and vision

of LISC. Many program administrators feel that a site that is familiar and in agreement with LISC values

is more likely to select and supervise a quality member. By following these recommendations,

placement sites and local LISC operating offices can optimize the chances that their AmeriCorps’

members will benefit from the program, even after their service ends.

Notes

1 We chose this question as our primary data source for post-service career activities over two other alternatives.

The follow-up survey also asks members what they are doing now (both questions are select all that apply),

while LISC also collects administrative data from their members after they have completed their service, but

only assigns one status to each member. We use Question Q15 as our data source because it gives all members

a six-month post-service time frame; since the term end date varies widely for LISC AmeriCorps members,

having the post-service period be six months is useful.

About the Authors

Nathan Dietz, a published scholar and experienced practitioner of quantitative and qualitative social

science research, joined the Urban Institute in April 2013. As a senior research associate in the Center

on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, he works on several projects related to program evaluation and

outcome measurement, and he helps staff from the National Center for Charitable Statistics with

research and analysis.

Before joining Urban, Dietz served as senior program manager at the Partnership for Public Service,

associate director for research and evaluation at the Corporation for National and Community Service,

and an assistant professor of political science in the School of Public Affairs at American University.

Deondre’ Jones is a research assistant in the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban

Institute, where he supports research, writing, and analysis on projects related to program evaluation

and outcome measurement. Before joining Urban, Jones served in the 23rd class of the Emerson

National Hunger Fellowship, a program hosted through the Congressional Hunger Center. He worked

on food security and national antipoverty policy issues.

Jones attended North Carolina State University, where he earned a BS in business economics with a

minor in nonprofit studies.

Brice McKeever is a research associate in the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban

Institute, where he performs quantitative social science research across a wide spectrum of public

policy initiatives related to the nonprofit sector, civic participation, and the impact of technology on

social interaction. He is the lead author of The Nonprofit Almanac: Ninth Edition and multiple research

reports related to nonprofit-sector growth and diversity.

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Before joining Urban, McKeever was a research analyst at the University of Virginia's Center for 

Survey Research, where he supported public opinion survey research using varied research designs. 

McKeever holds a BA with honors from the College of William and Mary and an MA and PhD in 

sociology from the University of Virginia, with concentrations in political and historical comparative 

sociology. 

Acknowledgments 

This brief was funded by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) as part of their AmeriCorps 

programming partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service. We are grateful 

to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission. 

The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, 

its trustees, or its funders. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and 

recommendations of Urban experts. Further information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles is 

available at urban.org/fundingprinciples. 

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Copyright © January 2019. Urban Institute. Permission is granted for reproduction 

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