Introduction to Senior Corps and RSVP

Session 1: Tuesday, Oct. 2

3:30-4:30pm ET
Housekeeping

• All lines on mute

• Questions via chat box

• Technical difficulties? Let us know via the chat

• Call is being recorded

• Recording and slides available after the webinar

• See www.nationalservice.gov/rsvpcompetition for 

all info and resources 
Training Calendar

Webinar Cycle 1 Cycle 2

Introduction to CNCS, Senior Corps and 

RSVP

Oct. 2 Oct. 16

Notice of Funding Opportunity Overview Oct. 3 Oct. 17

RSVP in Action: Mobilizing a Generation Oct. 4 Oct. 18

National Performance Measures Oct. 10 Oct. 23

Submitting Your Application via eGrants Oct. 11 Oct. 25

All calls at 3:30ET/12:30PT
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Agenda

• Competition Overview

• Introduction to CNCS and Senior Corps 

• How RSVP Works

– Volunteers and Stations

– Examples

– Performance Measurement

– Rules and Regulations

– Funding and Budgets

• Recap
Competition Overview

• Competition is open now!

• Notice of Intent to Apply due 

Oct. 10 at 5:00pm 

ET/2:00pm PT (Encouraged, 

not Required)

• Applications due Nov. 7 at 

5:00pm ET/2:00pm PT
Competition Overview

Areas Affected
Key Documents

Document What’s It For?

FY 2019 RSVP Competition 

NOFO

Establishes competition, application requirements, evaluation 

criteria, funding priorities and more. Start here!

RSVP Grant Application 

Instructions 

Step-by-step instructions for navigating eGrants, CNCS’ electronic 

grants management system

Appendix A: List of 

Available Funding 

Opportunities by State

Lists available service areas and associated funding amounts and 

minimum requirements of volunteers

Appendix B: RSVP National 

Performance Measure 

Instructions

Summarizes performance measurement requirements, lists 

available measures

Work Plan Development 

Worksheets

Allows you to plan Work Plans outside of eGrants

Frequently Asked

Questions

Updated periodically, provides more information on specific 

questions
Funding Priorities

• Access to Care – Opioid Abuse

• Aging in Place – Elder Justice

• Aging in Place – Independent Living

• Economic Opportunity – Workforce Development

• Education – Intergenerational Programming

• Disaster Services

• Veterans and Military Families
Agenda

• Competition Overview

• Introduction to CNCS, Senior Corps and RSVP

• How RSVP Works

– Volunteers and Stations

– Examples

– Performance Measurement

– Rules and Regulations

– Funding and Budgets

• Recap

About the Corporation for National and 

Community Service (CNCS)

• Independent federal agency 

that supports volunteerism and 

civic engagement 

• Mission: Improve lives, 

strengthen communities and 

foster civic engagement 

through service and 

volunteerism

• Works in partnership with state 

and local partners, often 

through grants
About CNCS

Boutique Programs




About CNCS

• NationalService.gov 

• https://www.nationalserv

ice.gov/impact-ournation/state-profiles

• Your CNCS State Office

• Social Media: 

https://www.nationalserv

ice.gov/newsroom/socialmedia-hub
Introducing Senior Corps

• Nation’s largest network 

of older American 

volunteers

• 220,000 volunteers in 

every state in the country, 

plus D.C., Puerto Rico, and 

the U.S. Virgin Islands

• Support more than 

70,000 organizations 

across the country
The Foster Grandparent Program

• Foster Grandparents are role models, 

mentors, and friends to children with 

exceptional needs. 

• Volunteers serve at thousands of local 

organizations that:

• Help children learn to read and 

provide one-on-one tutoring

• Mentor troubled teenagers and 

young mothers

• Care for premature infants or 

children with disabilities

• Help children who have been 

abused or neglected

• Eligible volunteers may receive a small 

stipend to defray the costs of serving.
The Senior Companion Program

• Senior Companions provide assistance 

and friendship to adults who have 

difficulty with daily living tasks, such as 

shopping or paying bills. 

• We help these adults remain 

independent in their homes instead of 

having to move to more costly 

institutional care. 

• Senior Companions give families or 

professional caregivers a much needed 

time off from their duties, run errands, 

and often provide friendship for their 

clients.

• Eligible volunteers may receive a small 

stipend to defray the costs of serving.
Introducing RSVP

• Established in 1971

• Engages people 55 and older in diverse 

volunteer activities. 

• Volunteers:

• Tutor children

• Renovate homes

• Teach English to immigrants

• Assist victims of natural disasters

• Provide independent living services

• Recruit and manage other 

volunteers

• And much, much more.
Agenda

• Competition Overview

• Introduction to CNCS and Senior Corps 

• How RSVP Works

– Volunteers and Stations

– Examples

– Performance Measurement

– Rules and Regulations

– Funding and Budgets

• Recap
Key Terms

• Sponsor/Grantee: The 

organization that receives 

RSVP funding and is legally 

responsible for stewarding 

grant funds

• Station: A community 

partner where RSVP 

volunteers serve
How RSVP Works

• RSVP volunteers are 

individuals 55+

• RSVP assesses community 

needs and leverages RSVP 

volunteers to meet those 

needs

• RSVP volunteers serve at 

RSVP volunteer stations in 

the geographic service area, 

including the sponsor itself.

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Volunteer Stations

• Nonprofit organizations, proprietary 

health care facilities, public agencies

• Some sponsors may develop a wide 

range of stations, dispersed throughout 

a geographic service. Others may 

choose to focus on a couple specific 

stations or service activities.

• RSVP sponsor can also be RSVP 

volunteer station.

• RSVP sponsor organizations sign 

Memoranda of Understandings with 

local organizations and sends them 

volunteers
Partnering with Senior Corps

Senior Corps 

Grantee

Stations

Volunteers Management of 

CNCS grant

Performance 

Data

On-Site 

Assignment/

Supervision

MOU
Sponsor

RSVP 

Volunteers

Stations

Sponsor recruits 

volunteers and 

places them with 

independent stations

CNCS grants 

funds to 

sponsor 

Multi-Issue/Multi-Station RSVP
Single-Issue/Self-Station RSVP

RSVP 

Volunteers

Sponsor recruits 

volunteers and places 

them within own 

programs (sponsor = 

station)

CNCS grants 

funds to 

sponsor 

Sponsor

Sponsor Programs
RSVP Models

Singular 

Issue/SelfStation

Hybrid

MultiIssue/MultiStation
RSVP as Hybrid

RSVP 

Volunteers

Sponsor recruits volunteers 

and places them within own 

programs and at independent 

volunteer stations

CNCS grants funds 

to sponsor

Sponsor Programs

Community Partners
What’s Important

• Local presence and capacity to 

meet local needs

• Demonstrate community needs 

that are well documented and 

supported by data in the 

application

• Community partners

• Using RSVP volunteers to 

realize outcomes and make a 

difference!
Examples? 

1. Go to https://nationalservice.tumblr.com/ and search “RSVP”
Examples? 

2. https://www.nationalservice.gov/about/open-governmentinitiative/transparency/results-grants-competition
Examples? 

3. https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/seniorcorps/senior-corps-stories
Benefits to the Sponsor

• Leverage volunteers to achieve 

your mission

• Build the capacity of your 

organization

• Become part of a large national 

network 

• Strengthen other public and 

nonprofit agencies in your 

community

• Demonstrate competitive 

programming

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Benefits to the Volunteer

• Real Impact on Community 

Needs

• Friends and Connections

• Flexible Opportunities

• Health and Happiness

• Benefits:

– Insurance (Accident, Personal 

Liability, and Certain Excess 

Automobile Liability)

– Recognition

– Meals

– Transportation
Agenda

• Competition Overview

• Introduction to CNCS and Senior Corps 

• How RSVP Works

– Volunteers and Stations

– Examples

– Performance Measurement

– Rules and Regulations

– Funding and Budgets

• Recap
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Agenda

• Competition Overview

• Introduction to CNCS and Senior Corps 

• How RSVP Works

– Volunteers and Stations

– Examples

– Performance Measurement

– Rules and Regulations

– Funding and Budgets

• Recap
Performance Measurement

• All RSVP grants must use CNCS’ National 

Performance Measures to project and measure 

impact

• Volunteers allocated to two kinds of “work plans”

– National Performance Measure or “outcome-based” 

work plans tied to specific output and outcome 

measures

– “Other Community Priority Work Plans” for activities not 

measured by National Performance Measures

• At least one unduplicated volunteer programmed 

in NPM work plans for every $1,000 in federal 

funding
Performance Measurement

State Opportunity 

Number

Total Annual 

Funding 

Available

Start Date Unduplicated 

Volunteers

Areas 

Affected

Gulliver GU-01 $75,000 April 1, 2019 100 Lilliput and 

Brobdingnag 

Counties 

1. Divide $75,000 by $1000 =

2. Program at least 75 volunteers in NPM work plans

3. Program other volunteers in “Other Community 

Priorities,” with no less than 100 total volunteers

4. NPM volunteers + OCP volunteers >/=

75

100
Key Documents

Document What’s It For?

FY 2019 RSVP Competition 

NOFO

Establishes competition, application requirements, evaluation 

criteria, funding priorities and more. Start here!

RSVP Grant Application 

Instructions 

Step-by-step instructions for navigating eGrants, CNCS’ electronic 

grants management system

Appendix A: List of 

Available Funding 

Opportunities by State

Lists available service areas and associated funding amounts and 

minimum requirements of volunteers

Appendix B: RSVP National 

Performance Measure 

Instructions

Summarizes performance measurement requirements, lists 

available measures

Work Plan Development 

Worksheets

Allows you to plan Work Plans outside of eGrants

Frequently Asked

Questions

Updated periodically, provides more information on specific 

questions
Rules and Regulations

• The Code of Federal Regulations is the source of the 

requirements that govern Senior Corps grants. 

• The Code of Federal Regulations (abbreviated CFR), is 

the codification of the general and permanent rules 

published in the Federal Register by the executive 

departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

• Code of Federal Regulation 45 part 2553 (abbreviated 

“45 CFR 2553”) is the source of requirements for RSVP.
Code of Federal Regulation

• The eCFR 

(www.ecfr.gov) is the best 

way to access the CFR. 

– RSVP-Title 45 Part 2553 

• The Senior Corps 

Federal Regulations are 

easy to search and are 

written in an easy to 

understand question and 

answer format. 
Service Activity Restrictions

• Replacing Paid Staff

• Political Activity

• Religious Activity

• Labor and Anti-Labor Activity
Criminal History Checks

• Required for RSVP project staff

• Recommended and allowable for 

all volunteers

• Visit 

https://www.nationalserviceresour

ces.gov/national-service-criminalhistory-check-resources for details

• Include in budgeting

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Funding and Budgets

• Support a Program Director, 

other staff

• Recognition Activities

• Recruitment Activities

• Communications with volunteers 

and stations (newsletters, other 

mailings, or local travel)

• Staff Training

• Grants are subject to Uniform 

Guidance (2 CFR 200)
Match

Year Match Requirement

Year 1 10% of total project 

budget

Year 2 20% of total project 

budget

Year 3 30% of total project 

budget
Award Period

• Grant award covers three year. CNCS generally funds the first year. 

• Funding for the second and third year of the project period is 

dependent upon:

– Satisfactory performance

– Demonstrated capacity to manage the grant

– Compliance with grant requirements

– Availability of Congressional appropriations

• After three years, grant may be “renewed” – a non-competitive 

process

• If renewed, competition begins again in six years
Award Period

Performance Period 1 Performance Period 2

Budget 

Year 1

Budget 

Year 2

Budget 

Year 3

Budget

Year 1

Budget 

Year 2

Budget

Year 3

2019

Initial Award

“Continuations” –

Awarded subject to... 

Renewal 

(Non-Competitive)

“Continuations” –

Awarded subject to... 

2025

Recompete
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