# 2021 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition |Press Release Template and Resource Guide 

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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

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*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**.*

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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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