AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey 

Fact Sheet 

Upon exiting service, AmeriCorps members are invited to complete the AmeriCorps Member Exit Survey (AmeriCorps 

MES) to provide information on their service experiences. Over 350,000 AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps 

VISTA, and AmeriCorps NCCC members have completed the AmeriCorps MES since April 2015—a high response rate 

of over 75 percent of total members. By collecting data on member experiences, AmeriCorps and its partners can 

better understand how to support its members, while individuals interested in becoming a member can see the 

benefits of serving. 

What is in the data? 

• Information on members’ civic-mindedness, community involvement, cultural competency, and developed life 

and career skills (based on the AmeriCorps Member Theory of Change). 

• Measures of members’ experience and training, motivations to serve, and post-service plans. 

What types of questions can AmeriCorps MES data answer? 

• What are the most common reasons members join AmeriCorps? 

• What types of activities and leadership opportunities are common in AmeriCorps members’ service? 

• To what extent do AmeriCorps training activities help prepare members for service? 

• How do AmeriCorps members rate their civic-mindedness and cultural competency, describe post-service 

community involvement, education, and career plans, and value their developed life and career skills? 

• How do AmeriCorps members see the value of their own service? 

• How do AmeriCorps members associate their service with their program, the organization that operated their 

program, and their specific service site? 

• How does the AmeriCorps member experience vary by year, AmeriCorps program, service focus areas, 

demographics, and service completion? 

Who might find AmeriCorps MES data useful? 

• AmeriCorps programs and staff seeking to make data-driven decisions to improve AmeriCorps 

programming to meet the needs of AmeriCorps members. 

• AmeriCorps partners and service commissions looking to better understand and enhance AmeriCorps 

members’ experiences. 

• Policymakers who want to use data to support national service and civic engagement in their local context. 

• Researchers studying national service and volunteerism in the United States. 

What if I have questions about the AmeriCorps MES? 

• Email questions to americorpsMES@cns.gov. 

• Check out the report series launched by the AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation that examines the 

AmeriCorps MES data collected from 2016 to 2020. 

About the Office of Research and Evaluation 

The AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation assists AmeriCorps and its partners in collecting, analyzing, and 

disseminating data and insights about AmeriCorps programs and civic life in America. 

About AmeriCorps 

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve 

their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and 

strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, shortterm, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at https://americorps.gov/. 

Produced and published at US taxpayer expense.