Volunteer Maryland, an AmeriCorps*State Program: Building Capacity across Issue Areas and Communities

Volunteer Maryland, an AmeriCorps*State program of the Maryland Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism, has mobilized over 98,000 community volunteers since 1992. Over the years, the program has refined its powerful formula that combines national service with community volunteerism in order to build capacity in nonprofits and communities throughout Maryland. Each year, Volunteer Maryland engages 32 AmeriCorps members as volunteer coordinators at local agencies to provide direct, measurable, and impactful service to Maryland citizens and the environment.

As a pioneering capacity building program, their direct service results in the engagement of community members from all backgrounds and parts of the state. In the 2010-2011 program year, Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps members and volunteers mentored youth, planted trees, and provided health education classes and financial coaching. In all, 8,800 community volunteers leveraged by the AmeriCorps members provided 89,873 hours of service to 65,061 citizens.

In addition to the recruitment, training, and supervision of volunteers, Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps members receive intense training and support in order to develop or refine volunteer programs that will be sustainable after their AmeriCorps service ends. The members assess the needs of organizations, clients, and stakeholders and then develop a plan to address those needs in 11 months. This very purposeful design brings fresh ideas, updated training, and best practices into Volunteer Maryland’s partnering agencies. Approximately 85% of former Volunteer Maryland service sites expand the volunteer program created by the AmeriCorps member.

While strengthening the community impact of agencies throughout Maryland, Volunteer Maryland provides extraordinary training and support to its members, thereby equipping them for service during and beyond their AmeriCorps term. In fact, 85% of alumni remain active volunteers and leaders in the service field. See some of the stories about the Volunteer Maryland alumni at their blog, http://volunteermaryland.wordpress.com/author/volunteermaryland/.

Among Volunteer Maryland’s many strengths are its diversity of issues, geographic reach, powerful AmeriCorps member experience, unique program design, extensive program evaluation, true partnerships with local community agencies, and tangible and sustainable results for members and communities. Volunteer Maryland delivers a triple impact of service on communities, local organizations, and AmeriCorps members.

“Volunteer Maryland allowed me to realize the power of community service. I was forced into it as a child and participated in college as a fun way to do good. I hadn’t grasped how powerful it was, how with problems so big, one person can make a difference. It’s the structure of Volunteer Maryland, seeing that multiplier model: you get trained, and then go out and train others.” ~Volunteer Maryland Alumna