VISTA 101
What is VISTA?
VISTA Mission
The AmeriCorps VISTA mission is to strengthen and supplement efforts in low-income communities to eliminate and alleviate poverty by engaging volunteers from all walks of life, all geographical areas, and all age groups in a year of full-time service.
VISTA aims to build capacity in nonprofit organizations and public agencies to help them more effectively generate the commitment of private sector resources, to encourage volunteer service at the local level, and empower individuals and communities to raise their standards of living.
VISTAs Four Principles:
- Ending Poverty
- Capacity Building
- Empowering Communities
- Creating Sustainable Solutions
What Does Capacity Building Look Like?
- Researching and applying for new funding sources; including grants
- Recruiting and training long-term volunteers
- Establishing and cultivating new partnerships with donors, media, and community stakeholders
- Designing and implementing databases for keeping track of donors and volunteers
- Creating templates for outreach and event planning
Capacity Building VS Direct Service:
Capacity Building: Efforts and projects that expand the capabilities of the organization and community, rather than the VISTA member being a direct service provider to people in need
Direct Service: Provides immediate solutions to help people in need. These can include activities like tutoring, performing manual labor, teaching, doing clerical work, or counseling
What can VISTA members do for you/your organization?
- VISTAs create something that outlasts their year of service: a legacy
- VISTAs bring fresh perspectives to their hosts sites
- VISTAs help organization’s do things they don’t have the time/resources to do
Is VISTA right for your organization? Click here to find out more.