VISTA Training (10 of 14) PSO - Overheads Pre Service Orienation

PSO Overheads
Contents
Building the Learning Environment / the Mission of VISTA — Outcomes . . . . . . . 4
Capacity Building Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
VISTA Members’ Role as Capacity Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Personal Perspectives of Poverty — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Poverty Concepts, Insights, and Strategies — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Points to Remember about Living in Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Poverty: A Lack of Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Some Areas of Financial Asset Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Models of Poverty: Absolute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Thoughts on Relative Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Types of Poverty: Situational . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Types of Poverty: Generational . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Measuring Poverty—Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Time Line of US Poverty Measures: The Poverty Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Orshansky’s Poverty Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Poverty Thresholds for 2008 (By Size of Family and Number of
Related Children Under 18 Years) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
How the Government Uses the Poverty Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2009 Poverty Guidelines (Dept. of Health and Human Services) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Problems With Official Measure of Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
US Population Density (2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Percentage of Total Population in Poverty (2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Poverty Statistics Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Thoughts on Poverty in the US . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Questions that Consider Context of Those Living in Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Understanding the Member Assignment — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
VISTA Application Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
VISTA Project Plan – Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
VISTA Assignment Description (VAD) SAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Glossary of Terms for the New Project Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The Fieldstone Alliance Framework (graphic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Capacity Building Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Reflection Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Attributes of Successful VISTAs, According to Supervisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Organizational Culture and Community Entry — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Definition of Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
VISTA National Integrated Training Program 1

PSO Overheads
Contents
Understanding Culture — Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Organizational Entry — Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Definition of Organizational Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Styles of Communication: Degree of Directness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Styles of Communication: Role of Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Styles of Communication: Importance of Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Styles of Communication: The Task or the Person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
A Diagram of Cultural Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Civil Rights and Responsibilities — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
What Is Discrimination? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Illegal Discrimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
What is Harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Illegal harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Where Can I go for more Information? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Volunteer Generation and Development — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Volunteer Mingle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
“Warm Body” Recruitment vs Targeted Recruitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Retaining Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Overview of the Sustainable Volunteerism Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Resource Mobilization — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Resource Development — Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Resource Mobilization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Fundraising vs. Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Giving Pie: Sources of Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Giving Pie: Recipient Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Criteria for Confident and Clear Introductions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
A Conversation About Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Questions About Your Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
How to Develop an Effective Resource Mobilization Plan: Stages . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Resource Mobilization Activity Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
The Stages of an ASK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The Smart ASK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
What Is a Smart ASK? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
“The ASK” Scenario Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
“The ASK” Scenario Debrief Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Partnerships — Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Instructions for Partnership Learning Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Partnership Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

PSO Overheads
Contents
Partnership Debrief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Landscape Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Membership Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Resource Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Factors that Make or Break a Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Capacity Building and Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

PSO Overheads Building the Learning Environment
Building the Learning Environment /

the Mission of VISTA — Outcomes
By the end of this session, you will be

able to:
n Meet others in a way that underscores

the importance of relationship building
n Review the agenda
n Establish working agreements
n Define capacity building and skills

transfer in relation to VISTA service

Capacity Building Definition
Tasks and activities to create,

expand or strengthen systems or
processes in order to increase an
organization’s ability to function
effectively and meet its mission.
These tasks and activities include

the transfer of skills, products and
relationships.

VISTA Members’ Role as

Capacity Builders
• VISTA members work within an

organization to build capacity
that contributes to sustainable
programs and projects.
• VISTA members are not

responsible for making a project
or program sustainable. The
overall sustainability of the
program is the responsibility of
the sponsoring organization.

PSO Overheads Poverty Perspectives
Personal Perspectives of Poverty —

Outcomes

able to:
n Articulate your perspective of relation-

ship to poverty
n Identify stereotypes and assumptions

about poverty to gain a broader
understanding of it
n Identify personal skills and life

experience you will bring to addressing
poverty as part of your service

PSO Overheads Poverty Concepts
Poverty Concepts, Insights, and

Strategies — Outcomes

able to:
n Discuss causes of poverty
n Describe models and types of poverty

and how poverty is measured
n Relate poverty data and research to

VISTA’s programmatic responses
n Describe poverty from the perspective

of those living in poverty

Points to Remember
about Living in Poverty
n People in poverty have knowledge

based on their life experiences
n People in poverty have a set of social

and cultural tools they use to navigate
the world
n People in poverty are resilient and

resourceful

Poverty: A Lack of Resources
Resources can be defined as:
n Financial
n Emotional
n Mental
n Social Capital
n Role Models

Some Areas of Financial

Asset Development
n Microenterprise
n Individual Development Accounts

(IDAs)
n Financial Literacy

Models of Poverty: Absolute

Thoughts on Relative Poverty
“Being relatively poor in a rich

country can be a great capability
handicap, even when one’s absolute
income is high in terms of world
standards.”
—Amartya Sen
Winner of 1998 Nobel in Economics

Types of Poverty: Situational

Types of Poverty: Generational

Measuring Poverty—Discussion Questions
1. Is it important to have an accurate measure of

poverty? Why or why not?
2. What problems might result from inaccurate

or incomplete measures of poverty?
3. What besides income could be used to deter-

mine poverty?

Time Line of US Poverty Measures:

The Poverty Threshold
1962 January 1964 May 1965 1969

President Kennedy After President The Office After other federal
asks Council of Johnson declares of Economic agencies follow the
Economic Advisors war on poverty, Opportunity uses OEO’s lead in using
to gather statistics the Council of Orshansky’s Orshansky’s method,
on poverty. Makes Economic Advisors poverty threshold the White House adopts
defining and measuring cite Orshansky’s for determining it as the official poverty
poverty a goal of his paper in a report to eligibility. measure. It becomes
administration. the President. known as the “poverty
threshold.”
1960 1970
January 1963 August 1964

Mollie Orshansky publishes Congress creates
paper that proposes the Office of
method for determining the Economic
number of poor. Her method Opportunity.
proposes poverty thresholds
that are based on the most
austere food plans set forth
by the USDA.

Orshansky’s Poverty Threshold
$3.60 x 3 x 365 = $3,942

Cheapest USDA 1950s studies Days in a Poverty Threshold
Food Plan per day showed fami- calendar year Any family of 4
for a family of 4 lies spent 1/3 of living on less than
($3.61187) income on food this amount was
considered poor

Poverty Thresholds for 2008 (By Size of Family and Number of Related
Children Under 18 Years)
Size of family unit Related children under 18 years

None One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight or more

One person (unrelated individual)
Under 65 years.................................. $11,201
65 years and over.............................. 10,326
Two people
Householder under 65 years........... 14,417 $14,840
Householder 65 years and over...... 13,014 14,784

Three people................................... 16,841 17,330 $17,346
Four people..................................... 22,207 22,570 21,834 $21,910
Five people...................................... 26,781 27,170 26,338 25,694 $25,301
Six people........................................ 30,803 30,925 30,288 29,677 28,769 $28,230
Seven people................................... 35,442 35,664 34,901 34,369 33,379 32,223 $20,955
Eight people..................................... 39,640 39,990 39,270 38,639 37,744 36,608 35,426 $35,125
Nine people or more........................ 47,684 47,915 47,278 46,743 45,864 44,656 43,563 43,292 $41,624
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

How the Government Uses

the Poverty Threshold
Orshansky’s formula = official poverty threshold
Poverty threshold = the maximum amount of pretax

cash income you can make in order to be considered
in poverty, according to the US government.
The poverty thresholds are used by the government in

two ways:
Statistics Eligibility
Gov’t agency: Gov’t agency:
US Census Bureau Dept. of Health and
Human Services (HHS)
• Tells the government • Tells the government who
how many people are in is eligible for state and
poverty. federal services.
• The data informs • States can increase
policymakers and the allowed income amounts
public. by anywhere from 105 –
400% of HHS’ maximum
to allow more people to
be eligible for services.

2009 Poverty Guidelines

(Dept. of Health and Human Services)
Persons in 48 Contiguous Alaska Hawaii
Family or Household States and D.C.
1 $ 10,830 $13,530 $12,460
2 14,570 18,210 16,760
3 18,310 22,890 21,060
4 22,050 27,570 25,360
5 25,790 32,250 29,660
6 29,530 36,930 33,960
7 33,270 41,610 38,260
8 37,010 46,290 42,560
For each additional 3,740 4,680 4,300

person, add
Source: Federal Register: January 23, 2009

Available: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/09poverty.shtml

Problems With Official

Measure of Poverty
n How it defines INCOME
n ...and therefore OVERSTATES

poverty
n How it defines EXPENSES
n ...and therefore UNDERSTATES

poverty

US Population Density (2000)
Percentage of Total Population

in Poverty (2003)

Poverty Statistics Overview
Age
Children comprise the greatest numbers
and percentages of people in poverty.
Race & Hispanic origin

The highest numbers of people in pov-
erty are white; however, people of color
have the highest percentages of their
population in poverty.
Household type
Out of the large number of married
households, a small percentage of them
live in poverty. Out of the small number
of female-headed households, a large
percentage of them live in poverty.

Poverty Statistics Overview (cont.)
Employment status
The total number of people in pover-
ty who worked full time or part time is
higher than those who did not work at
all.
Educational attainment
The more advanced one’s education is,
the less likely it is that he/she will expe-
rience high rates of poverty.

Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs

Thoughts on Poverty in the US
n Poverty in America is internalized.
n Immigrants see the USA as the land

of opportunity and often do better
than Americans born into genera-
tional poverty.
n Americans are socialized to believe

that poverty is a basic flaw in
character.
—Paulo Freire
Noted educator and theorist

Questions that Consider Context of

Those Living in Poverty
Contextualizing how people in poverty live is long over-
due. Helping professionals and volunteers can ask the
following questions to improve success:
n Does the intervention that I am suggesting or imple-

menting make sense in their current context?
n Am I setting the people I serve up for success?
n Am I considering their situation, resources, and

health before asking them to follow through with my
organization’s programs or policies?
n Are there supports that I need to build in and help

people connect to that will increase their ability to be
successful?
n If these questions are asked, outcomes for moving

people forward will dramatically improve.
(Dr. Donna Beegle, See Poverty…Be the Difference! Discovering the Missing Pieces
for Working with People in Poverty, 2005)

PSO Overheads Member Assignment
Understanding the Member Assignment —

Outcomes

able to:
n Describe your service responsibilities

and activities, based on your assign-
ment descriptions
n Relate your assignment to capacity

building and to addressing poverty
n List skills and competencies required

to successfully carry out your assign-
ment
n Create a plan for getting started,

including communication with your
supervisors

VISTA Application Narrative
n Executive Summary
n Past Success as a VISTA Sponsor
n Community Need (This is where we

address and define the anti-poverty
mission and targeted community)
n Strengthening Communities
n Recruitment and Development
n VISTA Assignment Description
n Project Management
n Organizational Capacity

PSO Overheads Understanding
Building the
theLearning
MemberEnvironment
Assignment
VISTA Project Plan – Example

Column A Column B Column C
AmeriCorps*VISTA Project Plan Date(s)
Community Need: Describe the community need to be addressed in relation to the problem(s) identified in
your project narrative (Need).
• Studies have found that more than 500 children and youth in Waketa County have at least one
incarcerated parent.
• About two-thirds of these children and youth (61%) live in households with incomes below the
Federal poverty line and are more inclined to suffer drug use, diminished high school graduation
rates and unemployment.
• Waketa Community Services (WCS) currently provides mentoring services to children and youth
of incarcerated parents; however, WCS has had difficulty finding enough volunteers to meet the
demand for mentors.
Goal Statement: Describe the impact your project will have in addressing the community need identified
above. This goal statement should cover the three-year project period.
To help ensure that children and youth of incarcerated parents receive the educational, social and emotion-
al support they need to help them escape the cycle of poverty, the WCS VISTA project will build the capac-
ity of the organization by developing a sustainable Volunteer Recruitment and Management system for the
mentoring program.
Performance Milestone
At least three Volunteer Recruitment and Management system components will be created and/or revised.
Indicator: System components created and/or revised. These may include but are not limited to: vol-
June 2009
unteer recruitment database, screening procedures, mentor training curricula, and volunteer sup-
port resources.
Target: Three system components will be created and/or revised.

PSO Overheads Understanding
Building the
theLearning
MemberEnvironment
Assignment
VISTA Project Plan – Example (cont.)

Column A Column B Column C
AmeriCorps*VISTA Project Plan Date(s)
How Measured: Volunteer Recruitment and Management System Checklist.
Description of Data Collection: The VISTA supervisor will use the Volunteer Recruitment and
Management System Checklist approximately twice per month to track the status of each system
component VISTA members are working on.
New/revised recruitment systems are operational: 45 Volunteers are recruited.
Indicator: Volunteers recruited using new volunteer recruitment systems.
Target: 45 volunteers will be recruited. Sept 2009
How Measured: Volunteer Recruitment Log
Description of Data Collection: Volunteer Recruitment Log, completed after each recruitment event
by VISTA member.
New/revised Volunteer Recruitment and Management systems are effective: 75% (30 of 40) volunteers
recruited, trained and managed using the new/revised Volunteer Recruitment and Management system will
serve as mentors for at least 9 months.
Indicator: Volunteers recruited and managed using the new/revised Volunteer Recruitment and Sept 2010
Management system serve as mentors for at least 9 months.
Target: 75% of volunteers will serve as mentors for at least 9 months.
How Measured: Mentoring Logs.
Description of Data Collection: Mentoring Logs, completed weekly by mentors.

VISTA Assignment Description (VAD)

SAMPLE
VISTA Project: VISTA Member Name:
Waketa Community Services (WCS) Sam Smith
Site Name: Assignment Area: Date:

Brownville Volunteer Development November 10, 2008
Planned Period
VISTA Member Activities and Steps Checklist
of Work
Goal: To help ensure that children and youth of incarcerated parents

receive the educational, social and emotional support they need to help
them escape the cycle of poverty, the WCS VISTA project will build
the capacity of the organization by developing a sustainable Volunteer
Recruitment and Management system for the mentoring program.
Activity 1: Research the history of volunteer programs at WCS. Jan. 09

Step 1: Interview current staff involved in volunteer program.
Step 2: Interview current and past volunteers as well as current and
past mentees.
Step 3: Identify strengths and challenges of the current program.
Based on this report, make a plan for improvement.
Activity 1 Comments/Summary of Accomplishments: Activity 1

Completed
(date):
Activity 2: Plan for outreach and recruitment June 09

Step 1: Identify skills, abilities and experiences sought in volunteers.
Step 2: Write volunteer task descriptions that include: qualifications,
activities, benefits, time commitment, and other expectations.
Step 3: Develop partnerships with community organizations whose
members are possible volunteers or who can support the orga-
nization in other ways.
Step 4: Develop partnerships with people or organizations that under-
stand the needs of children of prisoners and can support the
training and support of volunteers.
Step 5: Market the program to targeted audiences.
Activity 2 Comments/Summary of Accomplishments: Activity 2

Completed
(date):

Glossary of Terms for the New Project Plan
The Community Need is the problem or issue in the community that your project will
address.
The Goal Statement describes the impact that the AmeriCorps*VISTA project will have on
the community need during the term of the project, which is typically three years
A Performance milestone is an anticipated result that the agency hopes the VISTA will
achieve over the course of one year. Each performance milestone is followed by:
• Planned Period of Accomplishment

The anticipated date performance milestones will be completed for that program
year.
• Indicator/Evidence of progress
The information that will be collected to determine if performance milestones have
been achieved.
• Target
The level or amount of change expected to achieve as measured by the indicator.
• How measured
The method that will be used to collect data.
• Description of data collection or measurement process

A description of the data collection process including who will collect the data,
from whom, using which instrument, when and how often.

The Fieldstone Alliance Framework (graphic)
According to the Fieldstone Alliance, organizational ca-

pacity consists of six interdependent components, all of
which interact with the external environment.
From Strengthening Nonprofit Performance: A Funder’s Guide to

Capacity Building by Paul Connolly and Carol Lukes. Copyright
2002 Fieldstone Alliance, Inc. Used with permission of the pub-
lisher. For more information about this and other Fieldstone Alliance
nonprofit and community resources, visit www.fieldstonealliance.
org or call 1-800-274-6024

Capacity Building Activity
As a group, complete the following:
n Define the component.
n Explain why the component is important

to the sustainability of the
project/program/organization.

Reflection Questions
n What are three competencies or qualities you have

that will make you successful this year?
n What are three things you will need to work on to be

more successful this year?
n What are your personal and professional goals for

the next 12 months?
n How can your VISTA service help you achieve these

goals?
n What do you need to share with your supervisor to

ensure your service is supporting your goals?
n What do you need to share with your supervisor

about the skills, training and support you will need
to achieve the VAD and your goals?

Attributes of Successful VISTAs,

According to Supervisors
n Flexible
n Take initiative–“self starters”
n Match the project plan to their long-term person-

al goals – want something out of the experience
for themselves
n Enthusiastic
n Motivated
n Strong networkers within the organization and

the community
n Self-confident
n Good communicators
n Work well with people from a variety of back-

grounds
n Understand the importance of the incremental

steps on the project plan while aware of the
vision of the elimination of poverty
n Effectively advocate for themselves and the

community

PSO Overheads Organizational Culture and Poverty
Community
Concepts
Entry
Organizational Culture and

Community Entry — Outcomes

able to:
n Clarify aspects of your own culture
n Articulate the dimensions and

communication styles of workplace
and community culture
n Strategize effective organizational entry,

applying specific tools and concepts

Community
Concepts
Entry
Definition of Culture
“The shared set of

assumptions, values, and
beliefs of a group of
people by which they
organize their common life.”
~ Gary Wederspahn ~

Community
Concepts
Entry
Understanding Culture — Questions
n How did you know you were in a dif-

ferent culture?
n What differences did you notice

between the culture you had entered
and your own?
n What about the new culture challenged

you?

Community
Concepts
Entry
Organizational Entry — Questions
1. Think about an organization that you

know. What are the characteristics/fea-
tures of its organizational culture?
2. Which of the organization’s values,

beliefs and practices are similar or
different to your own? What challenges
did the cultural differences create?

Community
Concepts
Entry
Definition of Organizational Culture
“Underlying values, beliefs

and principles that serve as a
foundation for the organiza-
tion’s management system, as
well as the set of management
practices and behaviors that
both exemplify and reinforce
those principles.”
~ D. Denison ~

Community
Concepts
Entry
Styles of Communication:
Degree of Directness
Direct Indirect
n People say what they mean and n People are indirect.

mean what they say.
n They imply/ suggest what they
n You don’t need to read between mean.
the lines .
n Understatement is valued.
n It’s important to be direct and
tell it like it is. n You need to read between the
lines.
n Honesty is the best policy.
n Telling the truth, if it hurts,
n The truth is more important should be tempered.
than sparing someone’s feel-
ings.
Adapted from Culture Matters

Community
Concepts
Entry
Role of Context
Low Context High Context
n Low context, heterogeneous n High context, homogenous and

and individualistic cultures: little collectivist cultures: much is
is already known. already known.
n The message must be explicit n The spoken word is not

and spelled out. the primary means of
communicating.
n Words are the primary means of
communication. n Much is implied but little needs
to be said.
n Nonverbal cues are not the key
to understanding. n Nonverbal cues and the context
are key.
n What is not said may be the

message.

Community
Concepts
Entry
Importance of Face
Face is Less Important Face Is Key
n Face has moderate importance. n Face is paramount.
n The facts and expediency are n Saving face/not losing face

more important than being takes precedence over the
careful about what you say. “truth.”
n Getting/ giving information n Maintaining harmony is

is the overriding goal of the the overriding goal of the
communication exchange. communication exchange.
n Criticism is straightforward. n Confrontation is avoided.
n It’s okay to say no, to confront n Saying no is difficult.

people.
n Criticism is handled very delicately.
n What one says and what one

feels often are not the same.

Community
Concepts
Entry
The Task or the Person
The Task The Person
n The task is separated from the n The task and the person can’t
person. be separated.
n Do business first and then have n Begin with small talk and then
small talk. move to business.
n Establishing rapport and a n A personal relationship is a

good personal relationship are prerequisite to getting the job
not essential to getting the job done.
done.
n The goal is building the
n The goal is accomplishing the relationship.
task.

Community
Concepts
Entry
A Diagram of
Cultural Adjustment
Acceptance,
Adaptation, Integration
Acceptance,
Some Adaptation Further
Adjustment
Excitement, Initial
Enthusiasm
Adjustment
Initial
Enthusiasm
Further
Shock
Initial
Shock
Frustration,
Vulnerability

Community
Concepts
Entry
Civil Rights and Responsibilities —

Outcomes
able to:
n Recognize the key characteristics of

discrimination and harassment
n Know where to go if you experience or

witness an act of discrimination
or harassment
n Know how to check one’s own

assumptions, dialogue and attempt to
resolve an issue before moving to the
next step.

PSO Overheads Civil Rights and Responsibilities
What Is Discrimination?
Discrimination is treating people differ-
ently because of who they are, where they
come from, or the groups they belong to.
Discrimination in a VISTA service setting is
illegal when it targets a person or group
based on non-merit factors which the
Corporation for National and Community
Service defines as the following:
Race, color, or national origin

Sex/gender
Disability (physical or mental)
Age
Religion
Political affiliation
Sexual orientation

Illegal Discrimination
BOTH targets a person or group

because of a difference AND singles
them out for different treatment
May be a one-time occurrence or part
of an ongoing pattern
Can happen to anyone

What is Harassment
Harassment is verbal and/or non-

verbal communication relating
to an individual’s gender, age,
race, ethnicity, religion, or any
other non-merit basis. Behavior
is harassment when it is severe
and pervasive and interferes
with a VISTA’s performance,
creating an intimidating, hostile
or offensive service environment.

Illegal harassment
Includes – but is not limited to – sexual

harassment
Can be spoken words or unspoken
actions
Is more than just annoying or uncom-
fortable behavior
Generally happens over a period of
time
Creates a hostile, intimidating, or offen-
sive service environment
Prevents a VISTA from serving effec-
tively
Can happen to anyone

Where Can I go for more Information?
The Corporation for National and Community

Service takes discrimination and harass-
ment very seriously and makes the following
resources available to you:
Corporation State Office Contacts –

A list of state offices can be found in
your Participant Manual and online at
the VISTA Campus at www.vistacam-
pus.org
Contact Information for OCRI –
Contact OCRI via mail, phone,
fax or email at
1201 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 10800
Washington, DC 20525
(202) 606-7503 (hotline)
(202) 606-3472 (TDD)
(202) 606-3465 (fax)
eo@cns.gov (email)

PSO Overheads Volunteer Generation Poverty
and Development
Concepts
Volunteer Generation and Development —

Outcomes

able to:
n Identify reasons why volunteers are

key to organizations’ sustainability
n Sequence steps in sustainable volun-

teer program development
n Gain experience with the strategies

VISTAs use in key phases of volunteer-
program development

and Development
Concepts
Volunteer Mingle
n How many of you have volunteered?
n How many of you come from a family

that has a tradition of volunteering?
n How many of you have managed or

coordinated volunteers?
n How many of you have as your

assignment to develop a volunteer
program from scratch?
n How many are joining an existing

volunteer program?

and Development
Concepts
“Warm Body” Recruitment

vs Targeted Recruitment
“WARM BODY” RECRUITMENT

A more foolproof
source of volunteers
vs.
TARGETED RECRUITMENT
A source of more
foolproof volunteers
—Steve McCurley, 101 Tips

for Volunteer Recruitment

and Development
Concepts
Retaining Volunteers
You are more likely to retain volunteers if:
n Their skills are being used in a meaningful way
n They are placed in activities which meet their

interests and skills.
n They can see how their service activities are tied

to the mission of the organization.
n They get feedback and information that reinforces

how their efforts are making a difference in the
lives of the clients and the community.
n Their logistical needs have been considered,

e.g., a place to work, parking, flexible work hours,
etc.

and Development
Concepts
Overview of the Sustainable

Volunteerism Activities
Plan
This group’s assignment was to discuss current volunteer trends. They were to
report out on five or more trends and determine: 1) Which trends & issues will have
an impact on their organizations? 2) In what ways might these trends/issues have
an impact? 3) How can our sponsoring organizations creatively respond to this
trend? The handout they referred to is included in the binder.
Outreach
This group’s assignment was to create a targeted marketing flyer either for a non-
profit of their choice or for a mentoring program.
Recruit
This group’s assignment was to develop volunteer task descriptions for volunteers
at a community center that is developing a health care program for the home-
less. They could choose to draft descriptions for one of three different positions: 1)
Conduct the street outreach using techniques that effectively communicate avail-
able services to potential beneficiaries; 2) Conduct fundraising activities for the
health care program; 3) Secure expert trainers to provide training to volunteers on
effective ways to interact with homeless populations. For the assignment descrip-
tions they had to spell out: qualifications, activities, benefits, time commitments,
and other experiences.
Train and Support

This group’s assignment was to plan a volunteer orientation session. The presenta-
tion needed to include an overview of the plan, the content of the orientation, and
how it will be delivered. The group needed to explain the choices they made.
Sustain
This group had three choices: 1) They could create a symbol or picture of the com-
ponents of capacity building in a volunteer program 2) Create a 3-D structure of
what capacity building looks like in a sustainable volunteer program 3) Create a
table of contents of the artifacts that would be included in a sustainability binder
created by a third year VISTA. They could choose to do one activity together or
split into more than one group.

PSO Overheads Resource
Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Resource Mobilization — Outcomes
By the end of this session, you will be able

to:
n Relate resource mobilization to capacity

building in organization
n Introduce a VISTA project
n Identify the core elements of a

resource mobilization plan
n Apply the “rule of three” when request-

ing resources
n Ask for in-kind donations

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Resource Development — Definition
The effective organization successfully

secures support from a variety of sources
to ensure its revenues are diversified,
stable, and sufficient for the mission and
goals. The resource development plan
is aligned with the mission, long-term
goals, and strategic direction. The organi-
zation has high visibility with key stakeholders
and links clear, strategic messages to its
resource development efforts.
—Fieldstone Alliance - Capacity Building
From Strengthening Nonprofit Performance: A Funder’s Guide to Capacity Building by Paul Connolly
and Carol Lukes. Copyright 2002 Fieldstone Alliance, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher. For
more information about this and other Fieldstone Alliance nonprofit and community resources, visit
www.fieldstonealliance.org or call 1-800-274-6024

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Resource Mobilization
n Is people-based and requires strong relationship

building skills.
n Requires interpersonal and organizational skills similar

to those used to recruit and manage volunteers, and to
organize projects.
n Is very closely linked to marketing and communica-

tions.
n Is successful where there is a plan for diversified and

stable avenues of participation, and that plan is worked
systematically.
n Secures cash and/or in-kind resources, which are criti-

cal to the long-term life of poverty-fighting projects.

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Fundraising vs. Development
What will help build your organization’s capacity?
Fundraising Development
• Focus on money • Focus on donor

relationship
• Quid pro quo
• Interest congruent
• One shot with mission
• Instant gratification • Delayed gratification
• Where is the money? • Giving culture/envi-

ronment

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Giving Pie:
Sources of Contributions
2008 contributions: $307.65 billion
By Source of Contributions
(Dollar amounts are in billions)
Corporations
$14.50
5%
Foundations
$41.20
13%
Bequests
$22.66
7%
Individuals
$229.28
75%
All figures are rounded. Total may not be 100%.
Source: Giving USA Foundation™ / Giving USA 2009.

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Giving Pie:
Recipient Organizations
2008 contributions: $306.39 billion
By Type of Recipient Organization

(Dollar amounts are in billions)
Foundations Unallocated giving

Grants to individuals* $32.65 $19.39
$3.71 11% 6%
1%
International affairs
$13.30
4%
Environment and animals

$6.58
2%
Arts, culture, and humanities

$12.79 Religion
4% $106.89
35%
Public-society benefit
$23.88
8%
Human
services
$25.88
9%
Health
$21.64 Education
7% $40.94
13%
All figures are rounded. Total may not be 100%.

*Foundation grants awarded to individuals
Source: Giving USA Foundation™ / Giving USA 2009.

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Criteria for Confident and

Clear Introductions
n Clarity
n Brevity
n Body language
n Eye contact
n Voice
n Physical presentation
n Listening ability

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
A Conversation About
Your Project
One example could include the following components
of a conversation on the go:
n Opener: “So what do you do?”
n Interest Tickler: “We address poverty through literacy

education and job training.”
n Response: “Oh? What do you mean?”
n Interest Piquer: “The literacy rate in this town is

30%. That means 70% don’t know how to read. The
Village Learning Place teaches youth literacy and job
training skills.”
n Response: “Really? How?”
n Interest Captivator: “...through the Youth

Entrepreneur Associates (YEA) Café computer job
training, and our mentoring program. We provide
homework help and tutor children in our reading ref-
erence library.”
Adapted from Campaign Consultation

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Questions About Your Presentation
n As the speaker, what were the easiest and

hardest parts of introducing yourself and
your project?
n As the listener, what worked and what were

the challenges of the presentation?
n What impact does physical presentation and

body language have on the listener?
n What strategies did you use to strengthen

your presentation?

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
How to Develop an Effective Resource

Mobilization Plan: Stages
Research Plan
Conduct Evaluate

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
Resource Mobilization Activity Questions
n How does this work contribute to the capac-

ity of the organization? What are the impli-
cations of your assignment in terms of the
transfer of skills once you leave an organiza-
tion?
n What questions do you now have for your

supervisor about your member assignment?
(List the questions in your notebook)

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
The Stages of an ASK

Adapted from Campaign Consultation
Open
n Establish relationship
n Explain mission/purpose
n Identify needs
Discover
n Their motivations
n Their frame of reference/point of view
Present “the Ask”

n Frame the presentation from their view
n Capture their hearts and minds
n Talk about what they can do to...
_ Help you and/or the organization
_ Probe current needs
_ Satisfy their interests
Listen
n Focus
n Don’t interrupt
Respond
n Draw out more information
n Attempt to overcome objections
Closure
n Check for understanding
n Do-follow up immediately
n Leave the door open

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
The Smart ASK
n Captures the person’s heart and mind.
n Focuses on the possibilities.
n Asks the right person to meet the right need.
n Responds respectfully.
n Thanks the prospect and leaves the door open.
n The Smart Asker...
• has awareness of potentials, possibilities and

partnerships.
• develops skills to capitalize on opportunities.
• is knowledgeable about individuals, organiza-

tions and communities.

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
What Is a Smart ASK?
A “Smart Ask” considers...
n What you’re asking
n Who asks
n To Whom you’re making the Ask
n When is the right time
n The Request...what do you really want?

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
“The ASK” Scenario Instructions
As a team of VISTA members, you have been assigned

to obtain as many in-kind donations as possible for
an upcoming pancake breakfast with an auction and
raffle prizes after the meal.
n Each pair will find another pair to team up with for

the ask.
n Both members of the solicitation team should have

a speaking role in the ask.
n Both pairs will take turns being both the askers

and the prospects. The prospects will assume the
role of the organization/individual on the business
card.
n Each solicitation team has five minutes to present

their “ask”. Focus on making the request(s) that
you have already listed with your partner.
n Each solicitation team critiques their own “ask”

presentation and then receives feedback from the
other pairs. Use the “Ask Observers Sheet” to help
you with the critique.

Poverty
Mobilization
Concepts
“The ASK” Scenario Debrief Questions
n Was it hard or easy to come up with items to

request for the firms on the business cards?
Why?
n What were you thinking or feeling as you

made your request? How did it feel to be the
prospect?
n What did you learn from this process?
n How can you use this experience to improve

your project?

PSO Overheads Poverty
Partnerships
Concepts
Partnerships — Outcomes

able to:
n Relate partnership building to building

capacity in organization
n Identify opportunities and challenges

you may experience in building partner-
ships
n Apply the principles of partnership

building to your service assignment
n Discuss the role that partnerships play

in capacity building

Partnerships
Concepts
Instructions for
Partnership Learning Experience
n Each table represents an organization in the Gaston

community.
n The blue sheet contains a standard description of the

Gaston community as well as a specific description of
the community organization/group your table repre-
sents.
n Carefully read the description of your community organi-

zation.
n Together your group will complete the “Action Plan”

form. The “Action Plan” forms are in your training mate-
rials (PSO binder). Work on this action plan as a team, but
each member of the organization takes individual notes,
too.
n Each group selects a leader (to facilitate the discussion)

and a scribe (to record the action plan on chart paper).
n Your organization will have 20 minutes to develop an ac-

tion plan.
n If your organization has a VISTA, it is indicated in the

description of your organization. If so, select the person
who will be the VISTA when you select the leader and
the scribe.
n The leader provides a two-minute summation of the table’s

action plan to the larger group.

Partnerships
Concepts
Partnership Selection
n Which group will be most effective in

helping the organization achieve the
goals of its action plan?
n How is this partner in alignment with

your values?

Partnerships
Concepts
Partnership Debrief
n Is this partnership a fit?
n How will they build the capacity of our

organization?
n Do we want to continue with this part-

nership?

Partnerships
Concepts
Landscape Changes
n The Gaston Neighborhood Association is

given $25,000 by a successful realtor in the
neighborhood who has agreed to give 15%
of her commission on all sales in Gaston
(this generous gift amounted to $25,000
this year). Her rationale for doing this is
because it improves the overall neighbor-
hood, increases property values and helps
her overall income.
n The YMCA loses their lease on the space

they currently use for most of their after-
school recreation programs. They will,
however, be able to continue to house the
after-school academic programs in the
same building as their offices.
n The high school receives money from the

state to fund a teacher as an academic
coach for after-school programs that focus
on improving the school’s standardized test
scores.

Partnerships
Concepts
Membership Changes
A High School Student moves to the YMCA group after being
asked to be the “Youth Representative” on the YMCA’s board.
S/He has been participating in YMCA programs for many years.
A YMCA Staff Member is asked to move to the Gaston

Neighborhood Association. S/he lives in the neighborhood and
has been an active member of the community for many years.
One of the Gaston Neighborhood Association members is

asked to move to the High School where s/he is a teacher.
One of the members of the High School Staff group is asked

to move to the Church group. S/he is a member of the congre-
gation as well as a teacher at the school.
One of the members of the Church group is asked to move to

the Parks and Recreation Department where s/he works.
One of the members of the Parks and Recreation

Department is asked to move to the Student group. S/he has
worked the past three summers as a counselor at a Parks
Summer Camp, but is going back to school and involved with
the service learning class.

Partnerships
Concepts
Resource Opportunity
The State Fund for Youth has a large amount

of funding available for outcomes-based
youth programs addressing underserved
youth and their academic success.
The grant will be given to strong applications

addressing underserved youth and their aca-
demic success.
Discuss at your table.

Partnerships
Concepts
Factors that Make or Break a Partnership

n Ideology – Values and Beliefs: How do different
values and beliefs impact partnership building?
n Leadership: How does leadership (or lack of

leadership) affect partnership building?
n Power: How does power and privilege (or lack

of power and privilege) affect partnership build-
ing?
n History and Relationships: How can an organi-

zation’s or group’s history and relationships in
the community affect the partnership building?
n Competition and Resources: How can the per-

ception of abundance or scarcity effect the
partnership building?
n Time: How does time affect partnership build-

ing in community?

Partnerships
Concepts
Capacity Building and Poverty

“The current fragmented reactionary approach to
addressing the challenges of poverty does not work. It
falls short of helping people move out of poverty and will
keep our society from getting to the point of addressing
and eradicating the causes of poverty.
A comprehensive approach is needed to truly move

people forward. This comprehensive approach to
addressing poverty can only be achieved through
partnership between organizations that currently serve
and interact with people in poverty: educational, social
service, judiciary, law enforcement, health care workers,
etc.
Partnerships will give us power to build the capac-

ity of those living in poverty conditions and to initiate
structural changes that will alleviate some of the barriers
that hold these people back.”
(Dr. Donna Beegle, See Poverty…Be the Difference! Discovering the Missing Pieces
for Working with People in Poverty, 2005)

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PSO Overheads

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 1

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 2

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 3

Building the Learning Environment /

By the end of this session, you will be

n Meet others in a way that underscores

n Review the agenda

n Establish working agreements

n Define capacity building and skills

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 4

Capacity Building Definition

Tasks and activities to create,

These tasks and activities include

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 5

VISTA Members’ Role as

• VISTA members work within an

• VISTA members are not

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 6

Personal Perspectives of Poverty —

By the end of this session, you will be

n Articulate your perspective of relation-

n Identify stereotypes and assumptions

n Identify personal skills and life

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 7

Poverty Concepts, Insights, and

By the end of this session, you will be

n Discuss causes of poverty

n Describe models and types of poverty

n Relate poverty data and research to

n Describe poverty from the perspective

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 8

n People in poverty have knowledge

n People in poverty have a set of social

n People in poverty are resilient and

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 9

Poverty: A Lack of Resources

Resources can be defined as:

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 10

Some Areas of Financial

n Individual Development Accounts

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 11

Models of Poverty: Absolute

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 12

Thoughts on Relative Poverty

“Being relatively poor in a rich

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 13

Types of Poverty: Situational

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 14

Types of Poverty: Generational

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 15

Measuring Poverty—Discussion Questions

1. Is it important to have an accurate measure of

2. What problems might result from inaccurate

3. What besides income could be used to deter-

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 16

Time Line of US Poverty Measures:

1962 January 1964 May 1965 1969

January 1963 August 1964

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 17

Orshansky’s Poverty Threshold

$3.60 x 3 x 365 = $3,942

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 18

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

VISTA National Integrated Training Program 19

How the Government Uses