Open Government Plan 

2014
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Table of Contents

Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................... 2 

Collaboration............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 

Open Government Flagship Initiative – Expanding National Service through Partnerships to 

Advance Government Priorities ................................................................................................................................... 3 

Collaboration Updates and Plans: AmeriCorps State and National ............................................................... 4 

Collaboration Updates and Plans: AmeriCorps NCCC.......................................................................................... 5 

Collaboration Updates and Plans: AmeriCorps VISTA........................................................................................ 6 

Transparency ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8 

Participation in Transparency Initiatives................................................................................................................. 8 

Open Data – Updates and Plans .................................................................................................................................... 9 

Proactive Disclosures......................................................................................................................................................11

Privacy ...................................................................................................................................................................................12 

Whistleblower protection.............................................................................................................................................12

Websites ...............................................................................................................................................................................12 

Public Notice.......................................................................................................................................................................14

Records Management......................................................................................................................................................14

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests......................................................................................................15

Participation............................................................................................................................................................................16 

Mayors Day..........................................................................................................................................................................16 

Public Ideas .........................................................................................................................................................................17 
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Introduction

Established in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a 

federal agency that engages 5 million Americans in service through its core programs --

Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund -

- and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve.

The mission of CNCS is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic 

engagement through service and volunteering.

As we pursue our goals, we are guided by the following principles:

• Put the needs of local communities first.

• Strengthen the public-private partnerships that underpin all of our programs.

• Use our programs to build stronger, more efficient, and more sustainable 

community networks capable of mobilizing volunteers to address local needs, 

including disaster preparedness and response.

• Measure and continually improve our programs' benefits to service beneficiaries, 

participants, community organizations, and our national culture of service.

• Build collaborations wherever possible across our programs and with other federal 

programs.

• Help rural and economically distressed communities obtain access to public and 

private resources.

• Support diverse organizations, including faith-based and other community 

organizations, minority colleges, and disability organizations.

• Use service-learning principles to put volunteer and service activities into an 

appropriate context that stimulates life-long civic engagement.

• Support continued civic engagement, leadership, and public service careers for our 

programs' participants and community volunteers.

• Exhibit excellence in management and customer service.

On December 8, 2009, the White House issued the Open Government Directive which 

required federal agencies to take immediate, specific steps to achieve key milestones in 

collaboration, transparency, participation. The Corporation for National and Community 

Service is committed to achieving its mission and adhering to these three principles of open 

government:

• Collaboration improves the effectiveness of government by encouraging 

partnerships and cooperation within the Federal government, across all levels of 

government, and between government and private institutions. 

• Transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with information 

about what the government is doing. 
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• Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and expertise so that 

policies can be made with the benefit of information that is widely dispersed in 

society. 

On February 24, 2014, the Office of Science and Technology Policy issued guidance for 

agencies as they update their Open Government Plans for 2014. CNCS’s Open Government 

Plan for 2014 serves as a public roadmap detailing agency progress in integrating the open 

government principles of collaboration, transparency, and participation into CNCS’s core 

mission, and how CNCS will continue to support these activities. 

We believe the principles of CNCS and the principles of open government align. Nearly 

everything CNCS does is accomplished by working with and through others – including 

government at all levels, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, schools and higher 

education institutions, businesses – and ultimately individual citizens. 

Open Government Webpage and Feedback 

Information regarding CNCS’s open government activities can be found at 

www.nationalservice.gov/open. 

Feedback on all CNCS open government activities can be submitted to open@cns.gov. 

Collaboration

Collaboration is one of the cornerstones of the Office of Management and Budget’s Open 

Government Directive. Collaboration improves the effectiveness of government by 

encouraging partnerships and cooperation within the federal government, across levels of 

government, and between the government and private institutions and citizens. 

Open Government Flagship Initiative – Expanding National Service through 

Partnerships to Advance Government Priorities

On July 15, 2013, President Obama announced an interagency task force co-led by CNCS. 

The Presidential Memorandum established a Task Force on Expanding National Service. It 

includes representatives of 13 cabinet departments, the Peace Corps, National Science 

Foundation, Office of Personnel Management, Environmental Protection Agency, and the 

White House. Among other activities, the task force was directed to make 

recommendations on policies to expand national service opportunities, recommend ways 

to coordinate volunteering and service programs across the Federal government, develop 

opportunities for interagency agreements between CNCS and other federal agencies, and 

identify public-private partnerships to expand national service.
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Since the Presidential Memorandum was released, CNCS has laid the groundwork for the 

expansion of national service through partnerships by educating agencies on the impact of 

national service, identifying potential issue areas for increased national service activity, 

and addressing potential barriers to interagency partnerships. CNCS anticipates 

announcing new national service partnerships in 2014. 

In the coming months, CNCS and the Task Force members will seek to implement strategies 

to address several key challenges related to developing agency partnerships to grow 

national service: 

• Funding: Explore creative ways to support the expansion of national service, 

coordinate existing grant opportunities to use national service as the preferred 

resource, and seek private sector support. 

• Agency Engagement: Continue efforts to engage all Task Force agencies in aligning 

their agency’s work with a national service solution and prioritizing the added 

benefit AmeriCorps and Senior Corps provide.

Collaboration Updates and Plans: AmeriCorps State and National

School Turnaround AmeriCorps

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, CNCS has developed an initiative to 

improve the nation’s persistently low-performing schools. Launched in February 2013, the 

School Turnaround AmeriCorps program is designed to support the placement of a

dedicated cadre of AmeriCorps members in persistently low-performing schools across the 

country. School Turnaround AmeriCorps members are placed in schools implementing 

school turnaround interventions. School Turnaround AmeriCorps members keep students 

on track by increasing student academic achievement, attendance, and high school 

graduation rates; improving college and career readiness; and providing college enrollment 

assistance and advice.

The School Turnaround AmeriCorps partnership reflects both agencies’ mutual 

commitment to increasing opportunities for students in disadvantaged communities by 

providing a high-quality education. The program supports organizations that serve lowperforming schools around the country, including those in rural areas, and builds on the 

efforts of Together for Tomorrow, a CNCS partnership with the U.S. Department of 

Education and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

In its first year, this initiative made grants for hundreds of School Turnaround AmeriCorps 

members to support a variety of intervention efforts aimed at addressing the unique needs 

of each School Improvement Grant and Priority school. The 13 School Turnaround 

AmeriCorps grantees have placed AmeriCorps members in approximately 70 schools in 

urban and rural communities across the country. Members will support turnaround 

interventions in 14 states and the District of Columbia. School Turnaround AmeriCorps will 

be supported by an investment of $7.5 million from each agency, for a total of $15 million 

over a span of three years.
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VetSuccess

CNCS programs also engage more than 27,000 veterans in service through AmeriCorps and 

Senior Corps, tapping their skills and experiences to meet challenges on the home front. As 

part of our support for the military community, CNCS launched VetSuccess AmeriCorps in 

FY 2013, a new partnership that brings the resources, expertise, and infrastructure of 

AmeriCorps to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ VetSuccess on Campus program.

VetSuccess AmeriCorps partnered AmeriCorps members with VA Vet Success on Campus 

counselors working on college campuses across the country to meet the many diverse 

needs of student veterans. 

Collaboration Updates and Plans: AmeriCorps NCCC

FEMA Corps

Building on AmeriCorps NCCC disaster work and a 19-year history of working together on 

disaster response and recovery efforts, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal 

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and CNCS launched an innovative five-year 

partnership in 2012 to further strengthen the nation’s ability to respond to and recover 

from disasters while expanding professional disaster management opportunities for young 

people.

FEMA Corps is a new unit of AmeriCorps NCCC whose members are devoted solely to 

disaster response and recovery efforts. The program provides for a corps of 1,600 

members annually. 

FEMA Corps was launched to:

• Enhance the federal government’s disaster capabilities.

• Increase the reliability and diversity of the disaster workforce.

• Expand education and economic opportunity for young people. 

• Achieve significant cost savings for the American taxpayer.

In FY 2012-2013, FEMA Corps teams provided vital services to survivors of Hurricane 

Sandy, including the distribution of more than 24,000 educational and preparedness kits in 

New York and New Jersey. FEMA Corps teams assisted more than 13,300 people in Moore, 

OK affected by an EF5 tornado that devastated the city on May 20, 2013. In total, FEMA 

Corps teams have served in 74 cities across 32 states and have completed more than 6,500 

damage or needs assessments, answered more than 28,000 registration or helpline calls, 

and conducted more than 65,000 case reviews for disaster survivors. 

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation 

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation in Youngstown, OH, is a 

citywide multifaceted neighborhood development organization launched to catalyze 
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strategic reinvestment in neighborhoods throughout the City of Youngstown, OH. Starting 

in 2012 and continuing through 2013, AmeriCorps NCCC members have worked in 

partnership with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation to create green 

space for the city by cleaning and clearing vacant lots of former homes and buildings. 

AmeriCorps NCCC members removed more than 12 tons of debris and trash and started 

eight community gardens. NCCC’s support ensured community gardens would provide 

affordable and accessible food to low-income neighborhoods while empowering residents 

to grow their own food.

The Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia

The Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia conducts projects and programs that 

strengthen and revitalize communities by building self-esteem, providing educational 

enhancements, and identifying employment opportunities through meaningful work 

experiences for young people. In the summer of 2013, after two years of joint planning, the 

Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia, AmeriCorps NCCC, the Boy Scouts of America, 

and other organizations launched The Initiative, a large-scale community service effort in 

which 16 AmeriCorps NCCC teams from the Atlantic and Southern Regions took part. 

AmeriCorps NCCC members assisted the Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia with 

preparation, development, and logistical planning for 320 Boy Scout community service 

projects. The Initiative projects engaged more than 40,000 volunteers in nine counties. 

AmeriCorps NCCC played a key organizing role coordinating the volunteers, with other 

AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs pitching in. AmeriCorps NCCC’s collaborative effort 

increased community members’ access to recreational areas, made schools and community 

centers safer, and restored historic sites’ aesthetic appeal.

Collaboration Updates and Plans: AmeriCorps VISTA

Building on its long history of public-private partnerships, AmeriCorps VISTA created and 

expanded collaborations with federal agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector in FY 

2013. Examples of the types of public-private partnerships AmeriCorps VISTA have 

recently developed and will continue to develop in the future are described below.

Hunger Alleviation

Since August 2010, AmeriCorps VISTA has partnered with the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to support hunger alleviation efforts in 

communities spanning 30 states. By building and strengthening coalitions of corporate, 

government, and community-based anti-hunger groups, AmeriCorps VISTA members 

raised $490,000, $3.5 million and $5.5 million in cash resources during fiscal years 2011, 

2012, and 2013, respectively. Building upon each previous year’s successes, the 

AmeriCorps VISTA members have raised $9.5 million dollars, despite fundraising being 

only a small part of each AmeriCorp VISTA member’s capacity-building assignment. In 

addition, AmeriCorps VISTA members met and exceeded project goals to create sustainable 

community resources that will outlive the initial investment resources provided by CNCS 
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and the USDA. Between August 2010 and August 2013, 364 AmeriCorps VISTA members 

and AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates improved access to affordable farmers markets 

and created community gardens, volunteer-recruitment systems, nutrition workshop 

curriculums, and nonprofit fundraising templates. As a result of AmeriCorps VISTA’s efforts 

in FY 2013, 342 local anti-hunger community organizations nationwide received capacitybuilding services from AmeriCorps VISTA members and ended FY 2013 in a stronger and 

more sustainable position than they began the year.

Together for Tomorrow

Together for Tomorrow, an initiative developed by CNCS, the U.S. Department of Education, 

and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, engages 

AmeriCorps VISTA members to expand community partnerships to improve some of our 

lowest-performing schools. Together for Tomorrow was launched in FY 2012 with six pilot 

projects that engaged 60 AmeriCorps VISTA members in five states. In FY 2013, Together 

for Tomorrow expanded to include 39 projects with a total of 215 AmeriCorps VISTA 

members in 33 states. These AmeriCorps VISTA members fostered local community 

partnerships to focus on student outcomes such as attendance, behavior, course 

performance, and college access. 

Financial Opportunity Corps

In partnership with Bank of America and the Points of Light Institute, AmeriCorps VISTA 

launched the Financial Opportunity Corps to support low- and moderate-income 

households. This initiative will place 20 AmeriCorps VISTA members at local nonprofit, 

public, and faith-based organizations throughout the country. The AmeriCorps VISTA 

members will build local capacity at their sites by launching and supporting proven 

financial coaching programs to help low- and moderate-income households achieve 

financial stability. 

HandsOn Tech

AmeriCorps VISTA has also partnered with the Points of Light Institute and Google to 

create HandsOn Tech, an initiative designed to increase the nonprofit sector’s effective use 

of technology. AmeriCorps VISTA placed 28 HandsOn Tech AmeriCorps VISTA members in 

eight cities across the country to advance the anti-poverty work of nonprofit organizations 

serving low-income communities. This project builds the capacity of nonprofit 

organizations to effectively use technology to support mission-driven strategies. 

AmeriCorps VISTA members also recruit local, skills-based volunteers who continue to 

serve in the community. This sustainable model not only provides community-based 

technology training, but also provides vital employment skills and connects local 

community organizations to technological resources. The more effective use of technology 

will provide for greater efficiencies in the service delivery of the nonprofit organizations 

and lead to greater impact on issues facing low-income individuals and families in urban 

centers.
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Promise Zones

In the 2013 State of the Union Address, the President announced the creation of Promise 

Zones to establish opportunities for the middle class and put people back to work. In early 

2014, the President named the first five Promise Zones, located in San Antonio, 

Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. 

Each of the five has put forward a strategic plan on how they will partner with local 

business and community leaders to make investments that reward hard work and expand 

opportunity. Five full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members will be made available to each 

Promise Zone. These AmeriCorps VISTA members will recruit and manage volunteers and 

strengthen the capacity of Promise Zones to expand economic opportunity.

Transparency

Transparency is one of the cornerstones of the Office of Management and Budget’s Open 

Government Directive. Transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with 

information about what the government is doing. 

Participation in Transparency Initiatives 

Data.gov: CNCS has submitted three datasets regarding the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act.

Regulations.gov: For a major rule concerning provisions relating to the National Service 

Trust, AmeriCorps applications, and Senior Corps, CNCS uses Regulations.gov, which allows 

visitors to both post comments and read what others are saying.

Recovery.gov: CNCS’s agency profile can be found at 

http://www.recovery.gov/arra/Transparency/RecoveryData/pages/AgencyProfile.aspx?a

gency_code=95

CFDA.gov: CNCS’s agency information can be found at 

https://www.cfda.gov/index?s=agency&mode=form&id=317da2a985978b59413a263fa68

5da95&tab=programs&tabmode=list&subtab=list&subtabmode=list&

SAM.gov: All vendors and grantees doing business with CNCS must be registered with SAM. 

USAspending.gov: CNCS’s agency information can be found at 

http://usaspending.gov/?q=explore&tab=By%2BAgency&fromfiscal=yes&typeofview=det

ailsummary&maj_contracting_agency=9577&maj_contracting_agency_name=CORPORATIO

N+FOR+NATIONAL+AND+COMMUNITY+SERVICE&fiscal_year=2014 
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Open Data – Updates and Plans

IT Modernization Plan

CNCS’s Office of Information Technology has developed a three-year IT Modernization Plan

and began implementation in FY 2014. This effort will transform business operations 

through improved access to data to support decision making and streamlined system work 

flows that are aligned with core business principles. Objectives of modernization include:

• Increase data quality and transparency

• Increase grant program effectiveness

• Increase staff productivity

• Decrease the burden on CNCS grantees

• Facilitate public engagement

As part of this plan, several high-priority IT modernization initiatives will ultimately 

deliver a modern, more flexible IT platform. These initiatives are:

• Grants Application and Review Process (GARP) Automation – GARP is both central 

to CNCS’s primary grantmaking mission and a key capacity factor in supporting the 

partnerships created through CNCS’s Open Government Flagship Initiative 

(Expanding National Service through Partnerships to Advance Government 

Priorities). This project will implement new IT services and capacity in support of 

the streamlined GARP process resulting in a more efficient CNCS external grant 

reviewer experience. CNCS regularly uses external professionals and peers from the 

field as reviewers to read competitive applications, provide an analysis of the 

quality of each application, and rate them based on published criteria. CNCS in turn 

considers these peer review comments and ratings along with other information, in 

determining which program applications to fund.

• Improved Analytical Support - This initiative includes a series of projects that will 

enable staff to have self-service access to data and reports from across CNCS 

programs to support evidence-based policies and decision making. New data 

management and analytical services will enhance stakeholder communication and 

information sharing, and enable CNCS to more effectively manage agency data. This 

project will add a new organizational layer to CNCS’s Data Warehouse to simplify 

how users can access agency data directly. This will result in timely, accurate, and 

consistent data outputs for reports, program decision making, oversight, and agency 

outreach. This project will also apply new data edits and validations to ensure that 

data is accurate and contributes to high-quality agency data products as well as 

developing new dashboards and reports to improve overall business intelligence.
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• Streamline Member Management Systems – This initiative will streamline the 

member management process and move supporting IT services to a common, 

modern IT platform. As a result, this effort will improve data quality, mitigate risks 

and inefficiencies associated with current member management processes, and 

offer member and sponsors access to 21st Century E-Government services.

The above modernization initiatives will apply the framework of OMB Memorandum M-13-

13, as many of the goals of CNCS’s modernization efforts align to the goals of promoting 

efficiency and producing value found in the memorandum. OMB Memorandum M-13-13 

part III, sections 1 and 2, applies to all new information collection, creation, and system 

development efforts as well as major modernization projects that update or re-design 

existing information systems. CNCS is modernizing information systems in a way that 

maximizes interoperability and information accessibility, to the extent practicable and 

permitted by law.

CNCS Research Clearinghouse 

CNCS is planning to initiate a “what works” clearinghouse repository that will provide 

wider access to the agency’s research and evaluation reports. CNCS will make accessible 

the empirical findings associated with AmeriCorps, SIF, and any other CNCS sponsored 

work. This repository will be pursued in close coordination with the Departments of Labor, 

Health and Human Services, and Education to leverage the knowledge and infrastructures 

of those agencies. CNCS is proposing a phased approach to the design and launch of its 

repository with FY 2015 representing a pilot phase to follow the FY 2014 planning phase 

and that would precede a public release. A resource such as this will provide easier grantee 

access to research-based programs and practices. As this resource is still being planned, 

CNCS has made it easier to find our current research and reports, by creating a dedicated 

link to them: http://www.nationalservice.gov/impact-our-nation/research-and-reports. 

Searchable National Service State Profiles 

CNCS has developed an interactive map at http://www.nationalservice.gov/impact-ournation/state-profiles that provides state specific information on national service 

programming in a PDF format. To enable site visitors to better analyze the data, CNCS is 

developing searchable and downloadable extracts of state profile data that we expect to 

make available to the public within the next two years.

Results of Grant Competitions 

CNCS has developed a tool that displays information pertaining to the CNCS grant 

application review process (http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/open-governmentinitiative/transparency/results-grants-competition). This tool includes a list of compliant 

applications submitted to CNCS, executive summaries for compliant applications, and a list 

of successful applicants. CNCS is working on updating this transparency tool to make it 

easier for users to access information on grant competitions.
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Social Innovation Fund Map 

In FY 2014, the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) launched a searchable map 

(http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/social-innovation-fund/social-innovationfund-map). The SIF makes grants to experienced grantmaking “intermediaries” that are 

well-positioned within communities to identify the most promising programs and guide 

them towards greater impact and stronger evidence of success. This map enables users to 

search the locations of all SIF Grantmaking Intermediaries and the communities in which 

selected nonprofits are addressing pressing challenges. Search results provide detailed 

information on the services provided, the award amount, and the nonprofits involved.

Proactive Disclosures

The bulk of CNCS’s public disclosure is accomplished through close coordination between 

the Office of External Affairs (OEA) and other offices. OEA meets frequently with the grant 

program directors, the Office of Government Relations, the Office of Research and 

Evaluation, Freedom of information Act (FOIA) personnel in the Office of General Counsel, 

and senior advisors to the CEO to discuss posting material to CNCS’s external website and 

releasing information via social media.

As a result of this collaboration, for example, CNCS’s Open Government page lists the 

results of our grant competition. The FOIA logs for previous years are posted as well, and 

the logs for the current fiscal year are updated at the end of each month. When CNCS 

receives three or more requests for substantially the same material, FOIA personnel post 

these to the FOIA reading room.

In FY 2013, CNCS posted more-detailed state service profiles than we have in the past. 

CNCS’s website now lists every service location in every state. This constitutes hundreds of 

pages of detailed information. Elected officials, the media, state service commissions, CNCS

partners, and the general public all use these profiles. CNCS also enhanced the grantee and 

program information that is posted. For example, CNCS now shows the matching dollars for 

agency grants, CNCS lists all the assignments and deployment dates for our National 

Civilian Community Corps, and CNCS state at-a-glance profiles provide detailed endnotes 

about the data contained in them. Here is an example of a state service profile. It contains 

sub-links to the various kinds of data: http://www.nationalservice.gov/impact-ournation/state-profiles/ca. As noted previously, CNCS is planning to make the data on these 

pages easier to examine by switching from a PDF format to a more searchable format.

CNCS uses several means to publicize or highlight important proactive disclosures for 

public awareness. The agency conducted conference calls to introduce state service 

commissions to the new website and all the new data available through it. CNCS routinely 

announces information about programs, events, grant funding availability, major 

initiatives, and research results in press releases and through GovDelivery. We also 
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disseminate information and seek feedback via our blog, a strong Facebook and Twitter 

presence, and Flickr and YouTube sites. Here is a link to our social media resources: 

http://www.nationalservice.gov/newsroom/social-media. 

CEO Wendy Spencer has charged CNCS’s senior staff to constantly think of ways the agency 

can improve its communication with the public. Ms. Spencer uses agency-wide staff 

meetings to promote a culture of transparency and information-sharing, and leads by 

example as she tweets, writes blog posts, and actively encourages agency communication 

initiatives. Here is a sample blog post in which Ms. Spencer promotes a key CNCS initiative, 

the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service: http://www.nationalservice.gov/blogs/2014-01-

17/mlk-day-2014-start-year-citizen-action

Privacy

CNCS is required to prepare the following privacy compliance report: the Senior Agency 

Official for Privacy report required under the Federal Information Security Management 

Act.

Whistleblower protection

CNCS has completed the U.S. Office of Special Counsel’s (OSC) Whistleblower Protection Act 

certification program. This certification will remain in effect through May 2016, provided 

that CNCS meets its ongoing information obligations under the OSC’s certification program.

Websites

CNCS understands the importance of providing clear, accessible, and up-to-date 

information on our web platforms. Transparency, participation, and collaboration are 

guiding principles for all of our work, and are reflected in our digital strategy. We use our 

websites and other digital properties to share data and information with the public, seek 

input about policies and initiatives, encourage collaboration with nonprofit, public, and 

private sector organizations, and promote civic participation by Americans. 

CNCS maintains websites that offer a wide range of information and services to the public. 

Visitors can search for volunteer opportunities, apply for funding, join a national service 

program, get news and updates, access research, connect to peers, learn about effective 

practices, get training and tools to strengthen their service program, and more. 

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve communication and customer service, we have 

undergone a complete redesign of our agency website over the past year. The goals of this 

project were to:

• Consolidate multiple websites into one
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• Improve the way our websites look, function, and communicate to our stakeholders

• Strengthen online services to better meet our agency goals and improve customer 

service

• Provide intuitive, user-friendly navigation 

• Improve branding Increase transparency, participation, and collaboration as part of 

open government goals

• Better incorporate social media, interactive tools, and video

• Improve search functionality and search engine optimization

• Stand up a content management system to involve more staff in updating content

The website redesign accomplished these goals, and transitioned the agency from a static 

web presence to a dynamic content management system (Drupal) that is utilized by staff 

across our agency on a daily basis. In the summer of 2013, CNCS’s media team trained each 

office at the agency in how to use the new site’s software. Each office can now keep its 

material up to date and has a mandate to do so. 

The agency’s website contains several features that make data accessible to the public, 

including:

• National Service State Profiles: These pages display detailed information on CNCS 

programs, participants, funding, and service locations in every state

• Results of Grants Competition: As part of our commitment to fair, consistent, and 

effective grant application review processes. CNCS begun posting detailed 

information about the grant application review process and results of all CNCS grant 

competitions.

• Data Sources: On our Open Government page, CNCS displays a variety of datasets, 

along with links to CNCS social media sources where users can get real-time 

information on news, information, grant competitions, and other subjects.

One of the ways that we have strategized around usability is by understanding analytics. 

We analyze our data each week and incorporate analytics from social media platforms like 

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr to develop a picture on what worked in terms of 

content delivery and what did not. If content did not reach the point that we expected, we 

make appropriate adjustments. This approach allows us to keep connected with our users 

and provide them what they are looking for. 

We also utilize our social media platforms to connect our community to our website. For 

instance, just recently we launched a social media blitz across our platforms to send users 

to a specific press release and other information for our annual AmeriCorps grant release. 

In just one day, we drove nearly 2,000 users to these two webpages on NationalService.gov. 

Following digital trends and understanding today’s best practices allows us to draw users 

in from several popular social media platforms. 

Our Drupal website also uses an effective interactive slideshow on the homepage and 

several other landing pages, which allows us to feature content that we deem important for 
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our user base. We frequently update these slideshows (on a weekly or sometimes daily 

basis) in addition to other feature areas on our homepage and high traffic interior pages. 

Digital engagement is one of our top priorities as an agency. We have successfully 

implemented various platforms that allow us to directly communicate with Americans in a 

very unique way. Our open rates for messaging are double the average of federal agencies 

and our social campaigns are climbing to new heights.

Finally, we maintain a philosophy that our website is to evolve overtime. The look and feel 

of our website morphs based on our analytics reports, user feedback, and usability studies. 

We are constantly finding new ways to update our site to maintain an effective and modern 

web presence for our audiences. 

By advancing transparency, participation, and collaboration, the CNCS digital strategy is 

helping create a more open and citizen-centric agency.

For more information please visit NationalService.gov/DigitalStrategy. 

Public Notice 

As part of CNCS’s new website, CNCS provides a section called Newsroom 

(http://www.nationalservice.gov/newsroom#menu-newsroom-dropdown-area) to 

support public notice of CNCS activities. In this section, CNCS lists all press releases, media 

advisories, proclamations, and official statements from the agency. Along with this page, 

CNCS also has a Federal Register Notices page (http://www.nationalservice.gov/sitepolicy-and-notices/federal-register-notices) which provides a list of all notices published in 

the Federal Register by CNCs. Notices on this page are made available on the same day that 

they are made available in the Federal Register. This includes Sunshine Act notices.

Another example of the cost-effective use of technology includes CNCS’s use of a centralized 

email communication system, GovDelivery. The system unified the multiple contact lists of 

the 500,000 Americans who have signed up to receive information from CNCS and enables 

timely delivery of information to grantees, project sponsors, and other key audiences. This 

centralization allows for coordinated communication and avoids duplicative messages, 

thus increasing the efficiency with which CNCS communicates with its stakeholders.

Records Management

In recent years CNCS has implemented new processes and technology to support the 

transition to managing records in electronic formats. For example, two years ago, CNCS 

implemented a new electronic document management capability within its core 

Grants/Member management Application (i.e., eSPAN/eGrants/My AmeriCorps Portal) to 

enable program staff to upload documents within this system of record. Similarly, the Office 

of Procurement and the Office of Budget now require all procurement records to be 
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uploaded and maintained within Momentum, our financial management and procurement 

system of record. This year the Office of Accounting also implemented use of the 

Department of Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform which transitioned all invoicing and 

payment processing from paper to an electronic format thereby enabling electronic records 

management. 

CNCS also subscribes to a number of Federal transparency initiatives (e.g., eRulemaking, 

Grants.gov) and relies on these services to manage records electronically. Finally, CNCS 

has implemented basic scanning capabilities and shared network storage throughout the 

enterprise to enable the overall transition to electronic records storage. 

While CNCS doesn’t have an agency-wide initiative planned at this time to convert historic 

permanent hardcopy records into electronic format, many individual programs have 

sponsored digitization projects to preserve these records and make them accessible. For 

example, The National Service Trust has converted old Trust forms and actively converts

new member correspondence into electronic records stored in the Indicium Document 

Management System, an upgrade to the former Keyfile system. Also, AmeriCorps VISTA 

initiated a project to digitize historic records to support the development of anniversary

publications and promotional materials. 

In FY 2013, as part of an effort to reduce paper and improve service to employees, CNCS, in 

conjunction with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), implemented an electronic 

official personnel folder system. This transition reduced costs associated with storage, 

maintenance, and retrieval of records and maintains compliance with OPM and federallymandated employee record management regulations. As electronic records management 

processes continue to mature and budget resources become available, the Office of 

Information Technology, in conjunction with the CNCS Records Officer, will work to expand 

electronic records management capabilities and convert additional permanent record 

archives to electronic formats.

Over the next five years, CNCS plans on implementing new business processes, technology, 

and records management awareness training and guidance to achieve the goal of managing 

all permanent records in an electronic format by the end of calendar year 2019. CNCS will 

take a phased approach in meeting this requirement.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests

CNCS does not have a significant backlog of FOIA requests. At the end of FY 2013, we had 

four backlogged cases and no backlogged administrative appeals. We sent interim 

responses for one of these. Of the remaining three, one case was on consultation, one was 

involved in litigation, and one was backlogged for only 17 days before we sent the complete 

response. Once a vacant CNCS staff position was filled mid-way through FY 2013, the 

average rate of response to simple requests was 16 days.
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CNCS has posted FOIA logs from 2010 to the present, and updates the current year logs at 

the end of each month. These logs, and CNCS’s Annual FOIA Report, Chief FOIA Officer 

Report, and quarterly reports are all accessed through this link on CNCS’s Open 

Government page: http://www.nationalservice.gov/site-policy-and-notices/foia-andprivacy-act. 

CNCS’s Chief FOIA Officer and FOIA Public Liaison contact information, as well as 

information on how to submit a FOIA, and a link to agency FOIA regulations, are all found 

through this link on our Open Government page: http://www.nationalservice.gov/sitepolicy-and-notices/foia-and-privacy-act. CNCS uses a dedicated email box (foia@cns.gov) 

to receive requests and make responses, and uses electronic means of communication 

whenever possible.

Participation

Participation is one of the cornerstones of the Office of Management and Budget’s Open 

Government Directive. Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and 

expertise so that policies can be made with the benefit of information that is widely 

dispersed in society. 

Mayors Day

The nation’s mayors are increasingly turning to national service as a cost-effective strategy 

to address city challenges. By unleashing the power of citizens, AmeriCorps and Senior 

Corps programs have a positive and lasting impact – making our cities better places to live. 

The Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service was launched in 2013, and is cosponsored by Cities of Service, the National League of Cities, and the National Conference of 

Mayors. This day is designed to recognize the positive impact of national service in our 

cities and encourages citizens to give back to their communities. In 2013, 832 Mayors 

representing nearly 100 million citizens participated by hosting events at City Hall such as 

roundtable discussions, recognition events, and service projects. 

CNCS continues to focus on growing this event which promotes the Open Government 

tenants of participation and collaboration. In 2014, as a result of our efforts, the number of 

mayors participating doubled to over 1700 mayors. CNCS officials, including program 

leaders and the Senate-confirmed members of the agency’s board of directors, and leaders 

of partner organizations joined mayors of cities in multiple towns and cities. Below is a list 

of some of these events:

• Boston: Mayor Marty Walsh hosted a meet-and-greet for Senior Corps volunteers. He 

also led a social media chat with AmeriCorps members.

• Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven, Conn.: The mayors of these three cities—Pedro 

Segarra, Bill Finch, and Toni Harp— held recognition ceremonies and thanked local 
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national service participants. Social Innovation Fund Director Michael Smith 

participated.

• Denver, Colo.: Mayor Michael Hancock joined representatives from Serve Colorado, 

AmeriCorps VISTA, and Senior Corps at a local high school to thank national service 

members and volunteers for their service.

• Geneva & West Chicago, Ill.: The mayors of these cities visited AmeriCorps VISTA 

members serving at Northern Illinois Food Bank. Board member Matthew McCabe 

represented CNCS at these events.

• Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla.: Mayor Mick Cornett spoke about the impact of 

national service and presented a proclamation during a City Council meeting. Mayor 

Glenn Lewis of Moore led a recognition ceremony for national service participants who 

assisted in tornado disaster response and recovery. Chief of Staff Asim Mishra 

represented CNCS at both events.

• Philadelphia, Pa.: Mayor Michael Nutter presented a Mayor’s Award for Distinguished 

National Service to former AmeriCorps VISTA Director Mary Strasser. Myung J. Lee, 

executive director of Cities of Service, also participated.

• Salt Lake County, Utah: Mayor Ben McAdams convened all mayors in the county for a 

recognition event.

• Spokane, Wash.: Mayor David Condon participated in three site visits and presented a 

proclamation and a Mayoral Service Award. AmeriCorps Director Bill Basl represented 

CNCS at the event.

• Tucson, Ariz.: Mayor Jonathan Rothschild presented the Tucson Mayor’s National 

Service Award during a press conference at City Hall. National service members who 

earned Presidential Volunteer Service Awards were also recognized. Acting AmeriCorps 

VISTA Director Erin Dahlin represented CNCS at the event.

Public Ideas

Beyond Mayors Day, CNCS actively seeks input and ideas from the public in a variety of 

ways.

 

CNCS is governed by a bipartisan Board of Directors appointed by the President and 

confirmed by the Senate. The Board sets policies and direction for CNCS, reviews and 

approves the strategic plan, makes recommendations on programming, evaluation, and 

other operational issues, advises the President and the Congress concerning developments 

in national and community service and carries out other duties. The Board holds public 

meetings three times a year, during which time members of the public have an opportunity 

to make public comments, and minutes of the meetings are shared on our websites. Board 

members also hear directly from members of the public in other events they participate in, 

such as service projects, conferences, and site visits. The AmeriCorps NCCC program has an 

Advisory Board, which advises the National Director on issues concerning the 

administration of the NCCC and helps to further the mission of the program. 

CNCS regularly seeks public input on proposed rules, publicizing the existence of proposed 

rules and offering the public multiple ways to comment including conference calls, in-
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person sessions, fax, mail, email and online. For a major rule concerning provisions 

relating to the National Service Trust, AmeriCorps applications and Senior Corps, CNCS 

uses Regulations.gov, which allows visitors to both post comments and read what others 

are saying. 

In FY 2013, CNCS made great strides in beginning to measure the value of training 

programs and understand grantee training needs. For example, CNCS launched an 

important effort to collect knowledge gains on grantee training related to performance 

measures, financial and grants management, and program compliance for AmeriCorps and 

Senior Corps. Pre- and post-test questions were developed to survey training knowledge 

gains. The surveys were piloted at the Regional Training and Technical Assistance 

Conferences and at the AmeriCorps Symposium. The pilot data will be available in FY 2014.

As in past years, CNCS continued to provide training to and receive feedback from its 

Senior Corps network through a Virtual Conference in FY 2013. More than 1,900 unique 

registrants focused on impact and performance measures. This conference supports 

applicants for the upcoming Senior Corps competitions and trains Senior Corps program 

staff on performance measures. 

Also during FY 2013, CNCS introduced communities of practice and related forums 

addressing disaster services and the Senior Corps and AmeriCorps communities. The 

design of these interactive groups was adopted from the very successful veterans and 

military families (VMF) community of practice.

CNCS will continue exploration of a mobile application and other new engagement tools for 

Serve.gov, the online home for The President’s Call to Service, to help Americans track their 

volunteering hours and/or share their volunteering experiences. This new technology 

would be especially useful in communicating with the 130,000 Americans who pledged to 

volunteer in their communities as part of the 2013 National Day of Service. CNCS will also 

continue to use the Challenge.gov website to sponsor contests and challenges to support 

agency initiatives.