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AmeriCorps Alumni Outcomes 

Summary Report Executive Summary 

October 2015 
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AmeriCorps Alumni Outcomes 

Summary Report Executive Summary

October 2015 

Authors 

Gina Cardazone 

Adam Farrar 

Rebecca Frazier 

Susan Gabbard 

Trish Hernandez 

Stacey Houston 

Jaslean La Taillade 

Peter Lovegrove 

Donald Pratt 

Nicole Vicinanza 

Joseph Willey 

JBS International, Inc. 

Aguirre Division 

555 Airport Blvd, Suite 400 

Burlingame, CA 94010-2002 

Prepared For 

Diana Epstein, Ph.D 

Office of Research and Evaluation 

Corporation for National and Community Service 

Acknowledgements 

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Diana Epstein for sharing her knowledge and for 

providing comments and suggestions that improved this paper. In addition, the authors thank all the 

alumni who participated in the survey. 
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Executive Summary and Key Findings ................................................................................................................... 1

Research Methods ................................................................................................................................................... 1

Research Question One: Influence of National Service on Key Outcomes ..................................................... 2

Research Question Two: Variation in Key Outcomes by Focus Areas, Programs, and Experience ............ 4

Research Question Three: Variation in Key Outcomes by Life Stage .............................................................. 4

Conclusions and Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 5

Table of Tables and Figures 

Table 1: Key Outcome Definitions and Measures .................................................................................................. 2
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Executive Summary and Key Findings 

Do national service experiences encourage AmeriCorps members to stay civically engaged and pursue 

service-oriented careers? This question is central to this report, which examines survey results for former 

members of the AmeriCorps State and National (ASN) program, the AmeriCorps National Civilian 

Community Corps (NCCC) program, and the AmeriCorps VISTA program. 

The purpose of this study was to understand and document long-term outcomes for AmeriCorps alumni, 

particularly in four outcome areas: development of career-oriented soft skills, career pathways, sense of 

community, and civic engagement. By comparing results for cohorts of AmeriCorps alumni who 

completed their service in 2012, 2009, and 2004 (two, five, and 10 years before the survey project began), 

the study also identified outcomes at different life stages. 

The study addressed the following three research questions: 

 In what ways does participating in a national service program influence members’ a) 

development of career-oriented soft skills, b) career pathways, c) sense of community, and d) 

civic engagement? 

 In what ways, if any, do member outcomes vary by the six Serve America Act focus areas 

(disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, 

and veterans and military families), and by the particular type of service programs (ASN, NCCC, 

VISTA) and program experiences? 

 In what ways, if any, do member outcomes vary by life stage? 

Research Methods 

An online survey was fielded using the Dillman (2000) approach,1 which involved sending alumni a presurvey announcement, an email invitation, and a series of phased reminders delivered by email, phone, 

and mail. Alumni who did not respond online were offered the option to complete the survey by 

telephone or mail back a paper survey. The survey drew largely on the exit survey AmeriCorps 

administers to all members at the completion of their service, and was modified and pilot tested prior to 

widespread administration. The questionnaire items asked about demographics, life stage information, 

AmeriCorps service experience, development of career-oriented soft skills, career pathways, sense of 

community, civic engagement, AmeriCorps branding, service focus area, and willingness to participate in 

a follow-up survey. 

The sampling frame consisted of all eligible alumni in the AmeriCorps Data Warehouse, an 

administrative data system that contains records of all members who enrolled for a term of service. 

Eligible alumni were full-time, half-time, and reduced half-time former AmeriCorps members from ASN, 

NCCC, and VISTA, whose most recent service experience ended in 2012, 2009, or 2004. Analysis of the 

data showed that there were 85,777 alumni who met the survey’s eligibility criteria. JBS drew separate 

equal probability samples from each sampling stratum. Ultimately, 7,199 sample members were 

contacted, from which 1,468 alumni provided usable survey results, for an overall response rate of 20 

percent. Response rates varied by sampling stratum, program, and alumni year. 

Nonresponse bias analysis was conducted to determine if nonresponse was random or biased due to 

 

1

 Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and Internet surveys: The tailored design method (2nd ed.). New York, NY: John 

Wiley and Sons.
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systematic differences in characteristics between respondents and non-respondents.2 Among the variables 

examined, the relative bias was as low as three percent of the sample mean for age and 2009 alumni but 

was 23 percent for VISTA alumni and 2012 alumni, 24 percent for alumni who used their education 

award and 27 percent for ASN alumni. Two steps were taken to adjust for nonresponse: 1) nonresponse 

weights were applied to each sampling cohort to correct for nonresponse bias across programs and years, 

2) regression analyses were used for assessing outcomes, which held constant the effect of demographic 

and service characteristics. 

Research Question One: Influence of National Service on Key Outcomes 

Research Question 1 asks, “In what ways does participating in a national service program influence members’ a) 

development of career-oriented soft skills, b) career pathways, c) sense of community, and d) civic engagement?”

Table 1: Key Outcome Definitions and Measures 

Outcome Measures 

Career-oriented Soft Skills: The wide 

range of skills and abilities needed to 

succeed in the workplace. Essential 

personal attributes needed for success in 

almost every job. 

 Cultural Competency scale (α= .85 pre and .83 post)

 Self-efficacy scale. (α=.90)

 Career-specific Skills (self) scale (α=.89)3

 Career-relevant Skills (others) scale (α=.96)

Career Pathways: The extent to which 

AmeriCorps members maintain a service 

orientation in their choice of careers, and 

whether serving with AmeriCorps helped to 

define and shape an individual’s 

professional goals. 

 Career Pathways scale (α=.90)

 Item asking how service fit into the alumnus’ career pathway 

 Two items asking what the alumnus had done in the six months immediately 

following AmeriCorps, and whether the alumnus obtained a job directly related 

to AmeriCorps service in the six months after his/her service ended 

 Item asking about the alumnus’ current career activities

Sense of Community: The formation and 

maintenance of strong bonds with 

communities and investment in the 

community’s welfare.

 Item related to trust in community members. 

 Three items asking about confidence in corporations, the media, and public 

schools 

 Sense of Community scale (α=.80)

Civic Engagement: Attitudes, beliefs, and 

behaviors consistent with active 

involvement in civic and community life, 

such as participating in community 

organizations or voting in national and 

local elections. 

 Civic Participation in the last 12-months scale (α=.68)

 Political and Community Engagement in the last 12 months scale (α=.71)

 AmeriCorps Effect on Civic Participation scale (α=.90)

 Civic Self-efficacy scale (α=.91)

 Voting Behavior index with items on registration and voting 

 Item measuring boycotting behavior 

Career-oriented Soft Skills: AmeriCorps alumni report having high levels of career-oriented soft skills 

including cultural competency, self-efficacy, and career-specific skills for interacting with others and for 

self-management. In each skill area, alumni reported that their skills had increased from before 

AmeriCorps service or that AmeriCorps service had helped build these skills. 

 Nine out of ten alumni agreed or strongly agreed that they enjoyed exploring differences with 

others and interacting with different people, respected others’ values, and were confident 

 

2

 Researchers used a relative nonresponse bias measure that is derived by dividing a measure of the effect 

of the response rate on the difference in respondent and non-respondent means by the mean of the entire 

sample. Assessing Nonresponse Bias in the Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey King SL, B 

Chopova, J Edgar, J M Gonzalez, DE McGrath, and L Tan. Paper Presented at the Joint Statistical 

Meetings 2009 accessed at http://www.bls.gov/osmr/pdf/st090220.pdf 

3

 The career-specific skills scale consists of two factors, one pertaining to managing self and another 

pertaining to interacting with others. 
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interacting with diverse people. Alumni showed gains in all these areas compared to before 

service, with the largest gains in confidence interacting with diverse people. 

 Nine out of ten alumni agreed or strongly agreed that they could solve difficult problems, persist 

when opposed, accomplish goals, handle unexpected events and unforeseen situations, remain 

calm, cope with difficulties, and identify multiple solutions. Alumni rated their current skills as 

higher than at pre-service, with the greatest gains being in their abilities to deal with unexpected 

events and unforeseen situations. 

 Most alumni rated themselves as having good or excellent career-specific skills, including written 

and oral communication, teamwork, collaboration with diverse individuals, professional 

conduct, independence, planning, time management, prioritization, conflict management, 

adaptability, persistence, and goal orientation. On average, 85 percent of alumni reported good or 

excellent skills in interacting with others and 95 percent reported good or excellent skills in selfmanagement. On average, alumni said that AmeriCorps helped somewhat or a great deal in 

building their skills in interacting with others (85 percent) and in self-management (95 percent). 

Career Pathways: While there was some diversity in career pathways, most alumni were students prior 

to AmeriCorps (63 percent), and of those who were engaged in education six months prior to 

AmeriCorps, analysis shows that 44 percent were working in the government or nonprofit sector six 

months after AmeriCorps and 56 percent are working in the government or nonprofit sector now. 

Other alumni attended school after AmeriCorps, furthering their education goals. At the time of the 

survey, more than half of alumni reported working in the nonprofit (33 percent) or government sector (25 

percent). Following service, approximately one quarter of participants (27 percent) obtained a job directly 

connected to the organization or agency in which they served. Fifteen percent are currently in a position 

related to their service. A majority of alumni (80 percent) indicated their service experience was 

worthwhile in furthering their careers. Most alumni responded that AmeriCorps service either aligned 

with their existing career path or directed them towards a service-related field, with 34 percent indicating 

that their career path turned in the direction of service-related work following AmeriCorps. After service, 

43 percent of alumni stayed in their community of service. 

Sense of Community: Overall, alumni reported having a strong sense of community, with an average of 

82 percent of alumni agreeing that they felt a strong personal attachment to their community, were aware 

of community needs, felt an obligation to contribute to their community, planned or were actively 

involved in community issues, and voted in elections. Alumni reported a stronger sense of community at 

the time of the survey compared to before service, with an average of 22 percent more alumni having 

agreed or strongly agreed they were involved in the community. The strongest gains were in alumni who 

agreed or strongly agreed that they are aware of the important needs in their community and that they 

have a personal attachment to their community. Two thirds of alumni reported that they can trust most 

or all of the people in their neighborhood. At the same time, less than half of alumni reported some or a 

great deal of confidence in corporations (40 percent), or the media (42 percent), while a large majority (83 

percent) reported some or a great deal of confidence in public schools. 

Civic Engagement: AmeriCorps alumni reported high levels of civic engagement and civic self-efficacy 

and indicated that their AmeriCorps experience influenced their civic engagement. Almost 80 percent of 

alumni indicated that they definitely or probably had civic self-efficacy, defined as the ability to deal with 

community problems by taking a range of actions that include creating a plan to address an issue, getting 

others involved, organizing and running a meeting, identifying individuals or groups who could help, or 

contacting an elected official. More than half of alumni noted that their service experience had made them 

more likely to engage in civic activities such as volunteering for or donating money to a cause they cared 
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about. Almost all alumni (94 percent) are registered to vote and 89 percent reported voting in the last 

presidential election.

Research Question Two: Variation in Key Outcomes by Focus Areas, Programs, and Experience

Research Question 2 asks, “In what ways, if any, do member outcomes vary by the six Serve America Act focus 

areas (disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans 

and military families), and by the particular type of service programs (ASN, NCCC, VISTA) and program 

experiences?”

Overall, there were no strong patterns between outcomes and service area focus or service program. 

Generally, in each outcome area, small numbers of service focus areas or program cohorts were 

significantly associated with a few outcomes. Similarly, no set of focus areas or service program cohorts 

was significantly related to all of the outcome areas or to all of the outcomes within an outcome area.

Service experience variables were more often significantly related to outcomes. To measure the effect of 

program experience on outcomes, the survey asked alumni about several aspects of their service 

experience: how many terms they had served, in which programs they served, whether their final service 

term was full-time, whether they had completed it, and whether they had used their education award. 

Alumni also responded to questions about satisfaction with their AmeriCorps experience, as well as 

questions asking them to rate several aspects of their service experience, which were used to derive a 

positive service experience scale and a negative service experience scale. The most consistent association 

was between a positive service experience and more positive outcomes in all outcome areas. Other 

measures of service experience were significantly related to several outcomes, but there were no 

consistent patterns across outcome areas or measures within an outcome area.

Career-oriented soft skills were strongly related to having a positive service experience. Alumni that 

reported having a more positive service experience had significantly higher levels of each of the careeroriented soft skills, including cultural competency, post-AmeriCorps self-efficacy, and career-specific 

skills, both for managing self and for interacting with others. A positive service experience also increased 

alumni’s likelihood of attributing the gains in their career-specific skills to AmeriCorps, as did alumni’s 

greater satisfaction with their service experience.

A positive service experience and greater overall satisfaction with AmeriCorps were also significantly 

related to higher career pathways scale scores. Additional variables influencing career pathways included 

having multiple terms of service, having a job with an organization related to service both six months 

after service and at the time of the survey, and completing the last term of service, which was associated 

with greater frequency of alumni listing AmeriCorps on their resume and with currently having a job 

with an organization associated with the alumni’s service.

As with career-oriented soft skills and career pathways, the most consistent predictor of sense of 

community and civic participation outcomes was having a positive service experience. A more positive 

service experience was significantly related to increased sense of community post-AmeriCorps, trust in 

neighbors, trust in corporations, trust in the media, attributing changes in civic engagement to 

AmeriCorps service, increased discussion and thinking on civic issues, and increased likelihood of 

boycotting a service or product.

Research Question Three: Variation in Key Outcomes by Life Stage

Research Question 3 asks, “In what ways, if any, do member outcomes vary by life stage?” The answer to this 

research question focuses on alumni’s personal characteristics obtained from survey questions about 
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demographics, life stages, and the skills and abilities that alumni brought to their AmeriCorps service. 

In general, demographics, life stage, and pre-service skills had little effect on most alumni outcomes. 

Demographics had little effect on career-oriented soft skills, sense of community, and civic engagement. 

Alumni with less than a four-year degree were more likely to encourage civic engagement among others. 

With regard to career pathways, alumni who had less than a four-year degree at the time of the survey 

were more likely to be currently unemployed and less likely to be currently working at a public service 

job. They were also less likely to be serving in a position at or directly connected to the agency that 

sponsored the AmeriCorps program in which they served. Alumni’s life stage did have an effect on selfefficacy, with those who were unemployed, working in the public sector, at a nonprofit, or at a 

government agency, prior to service reporting higher post-service self-efficacy. Alumni’s ratings of their 

self-efficacy also decreased with age. Alumni employed in the private sector prior to service were more 

likely to be employed in the private sector post-service. Alumni who were older, in school before 

AmeriCorps, or parents or caregivers at the time of service were more likely to be currently engaged in 

service. Alumni’s post-service sense of community and civic engagement was largely independent of 

alumni’s life stage. As expected, alumni’s pre-service skills were significantly associated with their 

corresponding post-service levels. Career pathways outcomes were independent of pre-service skills. 

Higher pre-service sense of community predicted higher civic engagement, and higher pre-service 

cultural competency and self-efficacy predicted higher career-specific skills. 

Conclusions and Recommendations 

Overall, respondents indicated that there were substantial benefits to participation in AmeriCorps 

programs, including AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps NCCC, and AmeriCorps VISTA. 

Across all alumni, a vast majority stated that they felt they made a contribution to the community (92 

percent), gained an understanding of the community they served (93 percent), and were exposed to new 

ideas and ways of seeing the world (87 percent). Due to participation in AmeriCorps, a majority of 

respondents stated that they were more likely to volunteer and to participate in community 

organizations. In terms of the impact of service on alumni’s careers, respondents reported that 

participation in AmeriCorps helped them figure out the next steps of their career and increased their 

ability to work with others and to respond to unexpected challenges. In open-ended responses, 

AmeriCorps participants stated that their experience helped them to define their values, made them more 

likely to pursue a career in service, and had a positive impact on their life even after their term of service 

ended. Positive outcomes, on the whole, were largely consistent across AmeriCorps participants and 

independent of their service programs, focus areas, or personal characteristics. The key consistent driver 

of successful outcomes in developing career-oriented soft skills, having a career pathway that led to work 

in the government or nonprofit sector, and maintaining a sense of community and civic engagement after 

AmeriCorps was a positive service experience. There were also some differences in outcomes related to 

other service experience factors, but no strong patterns. 

The association between satisfaction and positive service experience with successful later outcomes 

provides support for the usefulness of measures of satisfaction and service experience quality in postservice surveys. Support for an association between satisfaction immediately following service and later 

satisfaction and positive outcomes would be strengthened by a longitudinal study following a cohort of 

AmeriCorps members. Support for survey findings may also be substantially strengthened by an impact 

evaluation using a benchmarking or comparison group that matched alumni on key characteristics.