Opinion: Nonprofit Groups Must Prepare Now for AmeriCorps Expansion

Nonprofit groups must “scale up quickly” to absorb the tide of volunteers from the recently enacted expansion of AmeriCorps and other national-service programs, according to an opinion article in the Christian Science Monitor.

Buffeted by the recession, many organizations are not equipped to accommodate the influx, writes Bethany Godsoe, executive director of the Research Center for Leadership in Action at the New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Ms. Godsoe suggests nonprofit groups more closely talk to local leaders to align volunteer placements with community needs, expand training of volunteers, and take other steps to ensure that the expansion of service programs does not result in “thousands of good intentions and billions of dollars that don’t move the dial on tough social issues.”

Read a Chronicle of Philanthropy story on charities’ preparations for the AmeriCorps expansion.

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