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Creating a Service Opportunity Listing in My AmeriCorps

What you will need to have

❑ An eGrants user account (for more information read the Creating an Account in

eGrants resource)

❑ Enough details about your organization and the AmeriCorps VISTA position to

complete the Service Opportunity Listing

❑ A short, two-line description or “teaser” for the VISTA position

❑ A concise program description

Process Overview

1. Gather details about your organization and VISTA position(s) by reviewing the

Service Opportunity Listing Step-by-Step instructions below.

This document mirrors the Service Opportunity Listing form in My AmeriCorps

including all fields and drop-down menu options. Use this document as a worksheet to

gather information. Collecting this information in advance of logging into the system

ensures you have all the details needed to complete your listing the first time.

2. Draft content in advance.

Review the Marketing for Recruitment resource on the VISTA Campus for ideas and

suggestions for crafting a compelling two-line teaser and program description.

A. The two-line teaser is limited to 200 characters. The more complete and enticing

your listing is, the more applicants you will attract.

B. The program description is limited to 2,000 characters.

3. Enter the Service Opportunity Listing into My AmeriCorps.

My AmeriCorps is the member portal for eGrants. Applicants will view and apply for

VISTA positions through the portal.

Step-by-Step Instructions for entering a Service Opportunity

Listing into My AmeriCorps

Hints

• Log in to eGrants using Internet Explorer (IE) for best results.

• Copy and paste text from an existing document into My AmeriCorps rather than directly 

entering your text into the system. We recommend you develop an opportunity listing sample 

as indicated in the Marketing for Recruitment resource. Pay attention to the language you use 

and avoid acronyms and insider language. 

• Avoid using special characters in the description, including hyphens or apostrophes. These

often appear as the character “¿” in the final listing.
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1. Log in to eGrants at: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp.

2. On the right side of the page, click on Portal Home.

3. Click on Recruitment Workbasket. (Note: You must have either the “Grantee 

Administrator” or “Grantee Recruiter” role to create or edit opportunity listings.)

4. From the Recruitment Workbasket choose Service Opportunities and then

click Create Opportunity Listing.

5. Enter Listing Details (screen 1).

a. Do you want to make listing available now?

❑ Yes

❑ No

Hint

To publish your listing and begin receiving applications immediately, click “Yes” to the

question “Do you want to make this listing available now?” If you click “No” the listing will

not be “live” and thus hidden from potential applicants.
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b. Enter project name.

Hint

This will serve as a title of the VISTA position and is the first thing an applicant will see.

Include both the name of your organization and the VISTA member role here (ex. 

Harvesters Volunteer Coordinator).

c. Enter project type from the drop-down options:

❑ AmeriCorps NCCC

❑ AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leaders

❑ AmeriCorps State/National

❑ AmeriCorps VISTA

❑ AmeriCorps VISTA Leaders

Hint

Check either AmeriCorps VISTA or AmeriCorps VISTA Leader.

d. Program code: Select your grant number from the drop-down list.

e. Enter start and end dates:

Start date: (mm/dd/yyyy)

End date: (mm/dd/yyyy)

Hints

Insert the start and end dates for the VISTA member service year, not for your project. 

For full-year VISTA members, the dates should reflect the 365-day term of service; for 

Summer Associate positions, the 8, 9, or 10-week term. It is essential that your start dates 

reflect real-time dates in the portal, as these are among the first pieces of information 

that prospective applicants search for when looking for programs to apply to. If you 

have a rolling start date, update your desired start dates on a quarterly basis. 

6. Enter term of service.

❑ Full-Time

❑ Part-Time

❑ Summer

a. Enter contact information for recruiter:

First Name Last Name

Street Address 1

Street Address 2

City State Zip +4 

E-mail _

Fax Number

Website http://

Hint

Enter either Full-Time or Summer for Summer Associates. Parttime terms are not available in the VISTA program.
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Hint

Enter the name and contact information for the person who can answer questions

from applicants about the VISTA position and the recruitment process.

b. Choose the state(s) or territory(ies) in which you will have members from the

drop-down options (choose multiple selections if applicable):

Alabama

Alaska

American Samoa

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Guam

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

Saipan

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virgin Islands

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Hint

Hold the CTRL key while clicking to select multiple states, territories, or metropolitan 

areas. 

c. Choose the metropolitan area(s) in which your members will serve from the

drop-down options (choose multiple selections as applicable):

Atlanta

Boston

Chicago

Cleveland/Akron

Dallas/Ft. Worth

Detroit/Ann Arbor/Flint

Houston/Galveston

Los Angeles/Orange County

Miami/Ft. Lauderdale

New York City (including Long Island,

CT, NJ, NY)

Philadelphia/Wilmington/Atlantic City

Phoenix/Mesa

Pittsburgh

San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose

Seattle/Tacoma/Bremerton

Washington/Baltimore

Hint

This section is optional but strongly encouraged if your metropolitan area is listed.
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7. Create Listing (screen 2).

a. Enter a brief two-line description of the program (200 characters or less).

Hints

This “two-line teaser” will be the first thing an applicant sees when they view your 

opportunity listing. Use language to stand out from the hundreds of other listings on the

site and include a “hook” to attract your ideal applicants. For examples of compelling 

teasers, refer to the Crafting Compelling Opportunity Listings webinar on the VISTA 

Campus. Be cautious about entering special characters pasted from a Word document, as 

they will not save correctly.

b. Enter your program description (2,000 characters or less).

Hints

This section includes the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of your position.

Create this listing based on the VAD and your ideal candidate profile. Consider the

following when crafting your listing:

• Who are you? (What is your organization, mission, history, and role in the community?)

• Where are you located? (What are the unique features and benefits of your location?)

• What will members do? (Use the VAD to develop a brief list of tasks. Use active

words that convey challenge and excitement, and that describe the capacitybuilding activities your members will do.)

• What specific attributes and skills are you looking for? (Examples: Do you need

someone with advanced public speaking skills or “x” number of years’ experience in

disaster services?)

• Why should people join your project? (What are the benefits? What will they learn?

What will they accomplish? What do you offer that’s unique? Will there be

opportunities for travel, networking, or professional development trainings?)

• What are the start and end dates of your project?

• How does someone get more information? (Examples: Mail, organization website, 

phone, email)

• If candidates are moving from out of town, what would you want them to know

about your city/town/community?
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c. Are you accepting applications now?

❑ Yes

❑ No

d. Include the dates for acceptance of applications:

Accepting applications from: (mm/dd/yyyy)

Application deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy)

Hints

Consider setting your application deadline well in advance of your AmeriCorps Regional

Office deadline so you have time to interview and screen applicants before the deadline. 

If you miss the deadline you may be unable to fill your VISTA position(s). The VISTA 

Member Recruitment Calendar Tool on the VISTA Campus can help set application 

acceptance and deadline dates. If you have a rolling application deadline, you must 

update your listings regularly to push the new deadline forward. If your deadline is in the 

past, applicants will not be able to submit applications.

e. Do you accept the AmeriCorps application? Yes  No

Hint

To publish your listing click “Yes” to the questions “Are you accepting applications now?”

and “Do you accept AmeriCorps application?”

f. If your organization requires a separate application, outside of the My

AmeriCorps system, how do applicants get it?

Phone:

Email:

Website: http://

g. Select information about the benefits your program offers.

Standard benefits to select for VISTA members include:

• Childcare assistance if eligible

• Choice of education award or end of service stipend upon successful completion

of service

• Health coverage

• Living allowance

• Relocation allowance

• Training

• Other: 

Hints

Hold down the CTRL key while clicking to select 

multiple benefits. 

For details about AmeriCorps VISTA healthcare

benefits, visit http://www.vistacampus.gov/healthcare.

Hint

Select “Yes” so individuals can submit 

applications to your listing.
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Other benefits can be entered into a text box. These might include

optional benefits provided by your organization such as:

• Housing

• Meal plans

• Transportation

Hint

Never include “SNAP” or “Food Stamps.” It is always a great idea 

to list benefits specific to your program such as housing 

supplements or transportation assistance. 

h. Select terms and conditions of member service that apply to your program.

Hints

All VISTA members are expected to comply with the standard terms of service.

Consider listing these terms in your description.

• 18 years old

• U.S. citizens, nationals, or legal residents

• Successfully complete a criminal background check

• VISTA service is a full-time commitment

• Political advocacy, organizing, and/or demonstrating while on VISTA duty, or while

perceived to be on duty, are prohibited

Other conditions requested by your organization might include:

• Carrecommended

• Permits part-time employment and attendance at school during off hours

8. Complete Listing Information (screen 3).

a. Enter minimum age.

Hint

18 years old is the minimum age for a VISTA member.
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b. Select desired education level from the drop-down options:

Associates degree (AA)

College graduate

Some college

Graduate degree (e.g., MA, PhD, MD, JD)

High school diploma/GED

Less than high school

Technical school/apprenticeship/vocational

c. Enter information about skills would you like potential members to possess

from the drop-down options:

Counseling

Architecturalplanning

Business/entrepreneur

Communications

Communityorganization

Computers/technology

Conflictresolution

Education

Fine arts/crafts

First aid

Fundraising/grant writing

Law

Leadership

Medicine

Public health

Public speaking

Recruitment

Teaching/tutoring

Trade/construction

Writing/editing

Youthdevelopment

General skills

Environment

Nonprofitmanagement

Social services

Urban planning

Disaster

services

Veterans

Teamwork

Hint

Applicants use these fields as keywords when searching 

for positions, so be sure these are accurate. 

d. Enter language requirement (if any) from the drop-down options:

Arabic

American Sign Language

Chinese

Creole

English

French

German

Greek

Hmong

Italian

Japanese

Korean

Polish

Portuguese

Russian

Spanish

Thai

Vietnamese

Hint

Be careful you are not excluding 

qualified members of the community by 

requiring an education level that is not 

needed for the VISTA assignment.
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e. Provide details about what your AmeriCorps VISTA members will do and other

information about the position and community (limited to 1,000 characters).

Hint

This text appears in the “Member Duties” section of the posting and outlines what the

members will do during their year. Try to capture activities from the VISTA Assignment 

Description in a way that will help draw in your ideal applicant.

f. Define the field of service areas in which your members are serving from the

drop- down options:

Community and Economic Development

Community Outreach

Children/Youth

Disaster Relief

Education

Entrepreneur/Business

Elder Care

Ex-Offender Reentry

Environment

Health

Hunger

Homelessness

Housing

Homeland Security

Neighborhood

Revitalization

Public Safety

Technology

g. Submitted by: Include your contact information for the AmeriCorps staff reviewer 

to use if they have questions about the opportunity listing.

h. Click Save to complete the creation of your opportunity listing. After you click 

Save, the opportunity listing will show up in the My AmeriCorps Portal 

workbasket for your AmeriCorps Regional Office to approve. The listing will be 

reviewed to ensure that all VISTA member activities are appropriate and 

allowable.

Disclaimer: The fields and options listed in this document are subject to change. 

Consult the Service Opportunity Listing in My AmeriCorps for the current list of options.

(Updated May 2021)