2023-2024�Host Site Application�Technical Assistance Webinar #2

Today’s Agenda

• Welcome and Guidelines
• Introduction to Partnership with MSA & CC
• RFP Timeline and Process
• Submission Instructions and Tips
• Narrative Sections:
• Some sections previously covered in TA webinar #1: available on our website
• RFP Attachments
• Lots of time for questions!

Guidelines for Today’s Session

Introductions

Please introduce yourself in the chat:

• Name (pronouns), Organization name
• Is this your first introduction to Commonwealth Corps?
• One question you’re hoping to have answered today

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Massachusetts Service Alliance

• The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), established in 1991, is a private, nonprofit organization. We expand volunteerism and service in Massachusetts by providing individuals and organizations with funding, training, and support, which enables them to strengthen communities and make our Commonwealth a better place to live.
• As the state commission on volunteerism and service, we generate collaboration and public-private partnerships at the local, state and federal level to grow volunteerism and service initiatives in MA.  
• Our strong partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies allow us to mobilize funding to advance service and volunteerism through the AmeriCorps, Commonwealth Corps, and Volunteer Generation Initiatives programs. 
• Learn more at Mass-Service.org

Commonwealth Corps Service Internship

Commonwealth Corps members are placed at non-profit agencies and municipalities across MA to…

• Provide direct service to communities/clients,
• Build organizational capacity,
• Recruit, organize and mobilize additional volunteers.

A state-funded program, administered by MSA, the mission of the Commonwealth Corps service internship program is to engage Massachusetts residents of all ages, backgrounds, and identities in direct service to strengthen communities, address critical needs, and increase volunteerism.

What is Commonwealth Corps?

The mission of the Commonwealth Corps service internship program is to engage Massachusetts residents of all ages, backgrounds, and identities in direct service to strengthen communities, address critical needs, and increase volunteerism.

• State-funded service internship program administered by the Massachusetts Service Alliance (different than AmeriCorps)
• Dual focus on community/organizational impact & on member growth/development
• Shared commitment to equity with our members and partners
• Combination of direct service & capacity building (including impact on volunteers)
• Focus areas: Economic Opportunity, Education, Health & Nutrition, Veterans’ Support, or Youth Development/Youth Violence Prevention.  

Host Site Partnership in Commitment to �Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Commonwealth Corps seeks partnerships with those who can help to uphold and advance our commitment to equity, who can bring new perspectives or knowledge to our community, and who are open to learning and growing together.

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This includes Creating an inclusive and welcoming culture and environment for all members and for those we serve.

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We use the Inclusive Language Guide provided by America’s Service Commission as a reference.

See RFP for more details

Host Site Expectations and Requirements

• Member recruitment, training, and management, with support from MSA throughout the year – an ongoing partnership! 
• Evaluation and reporting:
• Intake, mid-year, end-of-year progress reports, plus member support systems.
• Fiscal responsibility:
• Cash match per member: $2500 per half-time and $4500 per full-time (min. of 2 members).  This includes a $250 nonrefundable deposit per member due at the beginning of the partnership.
• Reimbursement for members for service-related travel away from their usual host site location
• Optional but encouraged additional benefits to members – ok if you’re not sure at this point what you could provide.

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See Section II of RFP for further partnership details

2023-2024 Process & Timeline

Click here to view the complete timeline

Submission Instructions �and Tips

Submission Instructions

ONLINE SUBMISSION ONLY: Email, hard copy, or fax submissions not accepted. Any application that is not complete and/or does not comply with all requirements may not be reviewed.

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Online system details:

• Applicants can save their applications and come back to edit them later IF you chose the option to create a password and save your progress. 
• Applicants can put in text as a place holder to move between pages.
• Applicants will need to share their login information if collaborating.

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Submission Tips

• Draft in a word document (using RFP guidelines) and then copy and paste into online system.
• After you complete your online application and click “submit,” the system will display it for your review, and you must then also click “confirm” for the submission to be finalized.
• Leave a spaces between paragraphs and answer the questions as outlined in the instructions. System does not allow for text formatting.
• Character limits are maximums, not required.

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Submission Links & Deadlines

• January 13, 2023 - Online intent to apply can be found here (required)

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• February 3, 2023 by 5p.m. EST* – Online submission of application here (including all attachments)

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*Applications submitted after this time will not be reviewed.

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Selection Criteria

Preference will be given to projects that:

• address a well-documented community and organizational need;
• will produce measurable outcomes;
• have a robust and thoughtful recruitment plan in place to find members that will best meet the needs of their organization and the community;
• build a sense of team/community across their members;
• show an appropriate balance between the importance of service impact and member development (provide environment that supports professional growth);
• provide geographic or programmatic diversity to MSA's program portfolio;
• demonstrate meaningful impact within one year; and
• (for returning sites) show a history of successfully engaging Commonwealth Corps members and partnering with MSA.

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MSA encourages applications that:

• Focus on the areas emphasized by our previous Governor Charlie Baker: substance abuse prevention/treatment and employment and workforce development for populations experiencing chronically high rates of unemployment. These will likely shift in the future to reflect Governor Healey’s priorities.
• Address the immediate and ongoing impacts of Covid-19 on MA communities.

Restrictions

MSA will not support projects that:

• Provide religious instruction, conduct worship services or engage in any form of proselytization;
• Assist, promote, or deter union organizing;
• Finance, directly or indirectly, any activity designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office;
• Impair existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements;
• Advocate to impact public funding or for a change in public policy as part of members’ service; or
• Use corps members to replace staff positions or reduce overtime, hours of work, or opportunities for advancement.

Application Instructions

Follow these guidelines when writing your proposal:

• Complete all sections, include all required attachments, and answer every section clearly and in order.
• If you are applying for members to serve on different projects/with different agencies:
• Complete a single application that includes some common goals/activities and addresses how a sense of team will be built and maintained across members.
• Agencies collaborating on an application should select one entity to serve as the lead applicant and main partner with MSA, if selected.
• If you are requesting more than one member to serve on the same project:
• Complete a single application and specify the number of members requested.
• Attachments outside of what has been requested will not be accepted.

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The Narrative

• Four Main Sections
1. Executive Summary (template)
2. Organizational Background
3. Project Overview
4. Member Support

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• Additional section 5 for current/past Commonwealth Corps sites

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Narrative Section 1: Executive Summary

One-paragraph summary (fill in blanks, max. of 850 characters):

• “[One sentence mission of agency, phrased as ‘The mission of AGENCY NAME is to…’ or ‘AGENCY NAME seeks to/empowers/builds/etc....’]. [AGENCY NAME] will host [#] of [full- time or half-time] Commonwealth Corps members [in PROGRAM NAME, if applicable] who will serve as [position title and brief summary of member roles] in [geographic area(s) served]. Through their service, members will [brief summary of anticipated outcomes, both capacity building and focus area related]. In addition, they will leverage [# of volunteers recruited/managed] volunteers that will be engaged in [what volunteers will be doing].”
• We use executive summaries on our website – see examples here!

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Narrative Section 2: �Organizational Background

• Introduction to who you are, what you do, who you serve.
• Don’t assume readers know your organization or the communities you serve, even if you are an existing partner.
• Make sure service member roles from other programs are different than what you’re requesting, not duplicative.
• Sets the stage for the rest of the narrative: Why do you want to host Commonwealth Corps members?
• To consider throughout: Why are service members uniquely positioned to accomplish this project?

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20% of Proposal Score

Narrative Section 3: �Project Overview

• Community and Organizational Need:
• Within your selected focus area
• Evidence from community and/or developed by community
• Project Details & Outreach, Recruitment, and Selection
• Project Impact/Outcomes:
• Overall anticipated impact
• Monitoring and evaluating success
• Sustainability:
• Must be a part of members roles to build your organization’s capacity
• Creating a “lasting impact” – Who will take over projects? How will learnings be transferred? Cannot rely on continued service members.

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50% of Proposal Score

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Narrative Section 4: �Member Support

• Mostly covered in TA Webinar #1, but a few updates/reminders:
• This is a professional development opportunity: members often need significant training, support and guidance to be successful in their service
• Invited this year to share more about the supervisor(s)
• Sharing your organizations commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (can be link to your website)

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30% of Proposal Score

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Narrative Section 5: �Current/Past Host Sites

• Commonwealth Corps Model:
• Ok to continue with the same projects, but how have you incorporated this year’s learnings/accomplishments into your plans for next year?
• If applying for 4^th consecutive year - encouraged, but not required, to propose new capacity building project.

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• Past Performance and Lessons Learned:
• Important to be honest and refer to real experiences

Section 5 will be considered in the scoring of the above sections, as appropriate.

Attachments

• *Performance Measure Worksheet (A)
• *Member Position Description (B)
• Organizational Documents:
• Organizational Chart
• Organizational Audit
• Verification of Eligibility

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(*Use template provided with application.)

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Include agency name and attachment type in each title.

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Attachment A:�Performance Measures

• Complete the capacity-building section, AND the section appropriate to the ONE or TWO selected focus area(s).
• Provide targets expected to attain as a direct result of your proposed Commonwealth Corps project/members' service.
• Provide detail on the instruments/tools you will use to measure these changes and describe the overall impact you expect to realize as a result of your Commonwealth Corps project(s).
• This attachment should be submitted using the template and filled out for the capacity building measures and only the focus area(s) you’ve selected.

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Attachment B:�Position Description(s)

Make sure to use this year’s template!

• Add your agency’s logo in allotted space.
• Fill in/edit/delete sections in yellow
• Applicants should complete a single narrative and Attachment A but submit multiple position descriptions if proposing very different roles.
• Expectations and requirements should be reasonable for a program that is focused on member development
• Specify which functions are marginal versus essential
• Include a clear sense of required schedule and specify if a framework for time of day or days per week. Be clear about any expectations for scheduling or responsibilities that go beyond MSA-specific guidelines
• Only include details for your slot type (full or half); delete other’s info
• Submit as ONE Word document (even if there are multiple positions)

Next Steps

Questions?

Please reach out!

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For general questions: CCQuestions@mass-service.org

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Marlene Rojas, CC Program Associate

mrojas@mass-service.org

351-218-9897

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Beth McGuinness, MSA Deputy Director

bmcguinness@mass-service.org

351-218-9894