Urge Congress to Invest in AmeriCorps
This is urgent. Community-based organizations that leverage AmeriCorps members to help address local needs must take action to ensure that Congress provides robust annual funding for AmeriCorps, setting up local nonprofits and service members for continued success.
Your members of Congress are in the midst of challenging debates regarding appropriations, and it is essential to connect with them to ensure AmeriCorps is a priority investment.
We need your help. Join us in calling on Congress to reject proposed cuts and to recommit to robust funding for AmeriCorps.
This webpage makes up the Advocate’s Guide to AmeriCorps and Appropriations, and will be updated with new and refreshed resources on a rolling basis. If you have any questions about the tactics listed below or would like to schedule a call to discuss key messages or engagement opportunities, please email Shanelle Oliver, Director of Advocacy & Outreach, at soliver2@cityyear.org.
Here’s what you can do:
Meet with your member(s) of Congress.
When lawmakers have to make difficult budget decisions, it is critical that they know which federal programs are making a difference in the lives of their constituents. A meeting with your member of Congress or their senior staff is one of the most valuable ways that you can explain the impact your program is having in the communities they represent and the important role AmeriCorps funding plays in those results. Scheduling a meeting with the district/state office is easy and allows you to establish a relationship that can be deepened over time.
- Best practices for requesting to meet with a member of Congress
- Template for requesting a meeting
- FYI – If the link doesn’t open up automatically, copy & paste the hyperlink into a new tab, and it will auto-download the editable template. Be sure to delete the tips at the top before sending to the congressional office!
- 2024 Congressional Calendar (House and Senate)
Host a site visit for your member(s) of Congress.
Even more than a meeting in the congressperson’s office, a site visit to a service location is the best way to demonstrate the critical services your organization provides and the real-life benefits of fully funding AmeriCorps. While hosting a site visit for your legislator or their staff requires more planning, it is an excellent way to cultivate a relationship that will benefit your program and AmeriCorps in the long term.
- Best practices for requesting a service site visit
- Site visit request template
- FYI – If the link doesn’t open up automatically, copy & paste the hyperlink into a new tab, and it will auto-download the editable template. Be sure to delete the tips at the top before sending to the congressional office!
- Sample site visit invitation from partners at Conservation Legacy
- 2024 Congressional Calendar (House and Senate)
Write to your Senators and Representatives.
A well-crafted letter from your executive leadership or local champions is another tool to communicate AmeriCorps’ unique value to your community and the importance of federal funding. Activating your board members, service partners, community leaders, and philanthropic investors and having them sign onto a letter in support of AmeriCorps funding will elevate the impact of your message.
Write an op-ed or letter to the editor.
Members of Congress closely monitor constituent interests and concerns via local news outlets. An opinion piece or letter to the editor that speaks to a broader audience, and underscores AmeriCorps’ vital importance to the local community, is a great way to get their attention and garner public support.
- Tips for Writing an Opinion Editorial
- Op-ed Template
- FYI – If the link doesn’t open up automatically, copy & paste the hyperlink into a new tab, and it will auto-download the editable template.
- Letter to the Editor Tips & Template
- FYI – If the link doesn’t open up automatically, copy & paste the hyperlink into a new tab, and it will auto-download the editable template. Be sure to delete the tips at the top before submitting!
- Media Outreach One Pager
- FYI – If the link doesn’t open up automatically, copy & paste the hyperlink into a new tab, and it will auto-download the one pager.
- Sample LTE: AmeriCorps funding slashed in proposed federal budget (The Gazette)
- Sample Op-Ed: Proposed cuts to City Year program would do most harm to at-risk kids in under-resourced schools (The Lens)
- Sample Op-Ed: On AmeriCorps’ Thirtieth Anniversary, Congress Considers Gutting National Service (TIME)
- Sample Op-Ed: Congress should invest in AmeriCorps’ impact and promise (The Hill)
- Sample Op-Ed: Since 2015, Teach For America has reached 30,000 Idaho students. Deep cuts could hurt recruitment. (Idaho Capital Sun)
- Sample Op-Ed: Tell Congress not to axe AmeriCorps education money that funds Teach for America (The Tennessean)
Share these messages on your communications channels.
You can raise awareness of the value of AmeriCorps – and the importance of fully funding AmeriCorps – through tools like social media, blog posts, email newsletters, and more. Be sure to tag @Voices4Service and use #Stand4Service so we can amplify any posts on social media!
- Social Media Toolkit (updated Feb. 2, 2024)
- Tweet Congress Page
- Social media handles for members of Congress
- FYI – If the link doesn’t open up automatically, copy & paste the hyperlink into a new tab, and it will auto-download the spreadsheet
Additional Resources:
Advocacy Starts at Home – In 2019, Voices for National Service interviewed Brian McNabb, Senator Bill Cassidy’s State Director, to discuss the role of the district office, how to cultivate a relationship with district staff, and tips for leveraging an in-district meeting. There are many benefits to beginning your AmeriCorps advocacy in the Congressperson’s district, away from the chaos and distractions of Washington, D.C. Check out this short video series to make the most of engaging with your member of Congress at home, and building a connection based in your local community that will transfer to the halls of the Capitol!Â