Sponsor an AmeriCorps Member

PAWV is not currently accepting applications to sponsor an AmeriCorps member. If you are interested in learning more about sponsoring a member, contact info@pawv.org. 

PAWV invites nonprofit organizations and government agencies with a historic preservation or history-focused mission to apply to sponsor a Preserve WV AmeriCorps member.

The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is PAWV’s statewide service initiative where members help main streets thrive, help communities capture their local history, and help preserve beloved West Virginia landmarks. The program’s purpose is to focus on community investment and local economic development, particularly through having its members enhance and increase cultural heritage tourism opportunities. Its AmeriCorps members will assist with site sponsor capacity issues and increase the effectiveness of site sponsors.  Sites will assign members specific projects to increase heritage tourism opportunities and preserve historical resources.  Overall, the main goal of the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is to inject new life into the state's declining economy by having members complete projects that will attract tourists and increase use from the local community. The idea is that increased visitation and use of historical resources will lead to increased private spending in the sites core regions.  The beneficiaries of this program are West Virginia's cultural heritage sites and those sites' communities.

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Here’s what the members will do: 

• AmeriCorps members are force multipliers. They build capacity for organizations to do more for more people. In Preserve WV AmeriCorps, members will be serving as the outreach engine for your organization/agency’s mission, increasing access and usage of heritage sites and historic resources, and recruiting and managing volunteers.
• AmeriCorps members provide direct service. In Preserve WV AmeriCorps, members will improve historic resources. Activities could range from conducting hands-on preservation projects to preparing exhibits, organizing artifact collections, doing inventories of historic properties for future redevelopment, and planning events that attract visitors to historical sites.

Here’s what the members will receive: 

• Full-time AmeriCorps Living Allowance for 2019-2020 will be $14,000 per year. Part-time AmeriCorps Living Allowance of $7,000 per year. 
• An AmeriCorps Education Award, which are currently in the amounts of $5,920 for full-time members or $2,960 for part-time members.  
• Eligibility for group health insurance coverage through the Corps Network (for full-time members only).
• Subsidized childcare, if eligible.
• World-class training on outreach, collaboration, and other 21st Century leadership skills employers seek.
• The opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
• The chance to bring history to life and transform communities across West Virginia. 

AmeriCorps site sponsors will be responsible for:

• Cash match of $5,000 for a full-time member or $2,500 for a part-time member to be used toward the 38% required program match. PAWV will invoice the organization/agency for this grant match payment. It is nonrefundable and typically requested in two installments (at the beginning of the service year and mid-year).
• Being – or becoming - a professional partner (dues-paying member) of PAWV.  See http://www.pawv.org/become-a-partner.html for information on how your organization/agency can become a PAWV Preservation Partner.
• Doing local recruitment through your organization/agency’s usual networks for applicants to fill the member role(s) at your site (and, optimally, to fill member roles at other sites in the program as well).
• Conducting mandatory, second-round interviews with promising applicants.
• Providing an office space and all necessary work materials for the assigned member. 
• Providing site-specific training so that each member can fulfill his/her expected duties at the site.  
• Providing reimbursement to the member for site-related travel, site-related expenses, and site-specific trainings.
• Serving as the communications conduit.
• Serving as an ambassador for PAWV and Preserve WV AmeriCorps with your funders and community stakeholders.
• Assigning a site supervisor to provide day-to-day supervision, direction, and support for your site’s AmeriCorps member(s). 

We are committed to providing the best possible support and management to you and to the AmeriCorps members. These are PAWV’s responsibilities:

• Conducting a national recruitment strategy;
• Reviewing applications, contacting applicants, and conducting initial, first-round interviews;
• Administering payroll for each member in addition to covering health insurance benefits (for full-time members only), payroll taxes, and workers compensation insurance;
• Managing the finances of the grant and submitting monthly expenditure reports to Volunteer West Virginia;
• Serving as the program’s point of contact for Volunteer West Virginia and for CNCS;
• Advocating for your organizations/agencies in our work with state agencies and national organizations;
• Providing site supervisors and members with initial training during its mandatory Orientation 
• Ensuring the highest possible compliance and effectiveness through monitoring, training, and support to host sites and members;
• Sharing our community partners’ commitment to historic preservation, public history, heritage tourism, and community revitalization.