Performance Measurement in AmeriCorps: Surveys of Members, Former Members and Organizations

7

AmeriCorps Survey for Members Who Dropped Out/ Left Service Early - 2008

AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC and the Corporation for National and Community Service would like to learn about your experience with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC and your reasons for leaving the program early. This is a brief survey and should take approximately 10 minutes. Your responses will be kept strictly confidential, meaning that your answers will be combined with answers from other members and reported to AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC in summarized form only. Neither your name nor the name of the organization in which you served will be given to AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, unless required by law. Your participation is voluntary, and is very much appreciated.

S1 Just to verify, at one time did you join AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, but leave before you completed your term of service?

1 Yes

2 No [TERMINATE]

9 Refused [TERMINATE]

S2 And could you tell me approximately how long you served with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC VISTA before leaving? [SHOULD THIS BE ASKED OPEN ENDED AND THEN CODED?]

1 less than one month

2. 1 to 3 months

3. 4 to 6 months

4. 7 to 9 months

5. over 9 months

8. Don’t remember

9. Refused

Q1a What were your reasons for leaving AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC VISTA before completing your term of service?

Q1b If it was for a program or project-related reason, why did you feel that was a problem?

Possible pre-codes for Q1

Illness

Financial difficulties

Family issues/demands

Child care problems

Moved

Went back to school

Asked to leave

Program disorganized

Too much structure/too many rules

Did not get along with program staff

Did not get along with other AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC members

Did not get along with service recipients

Did not believe in the program goals/objectives

Did not like the service I was performing

Got a better position

Q2 Did [insert] have any effect on your decision to leave AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC before completing your term of service? Yes/No to each.

[IF YES TO ANY OF THESE - Interviewer: Probe for specifics for each yes response .]

a the supervision you received [if yes - Interviewer: probe for supervision by whom, and in what ways it was a problem – such as aspects of quantity or quality of supervision]

b the quality of support you received from AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC

[If yes- probe for specifics about insufficient support – from whom, regarding what]

c the training you received, if any

[If yes - probe for which type of training and the ways in which it fell short. If no training provided, ask what kind of training was needed]

d the people you worked with

[If yes - probe for type of people – other members; employees of the organization to which assigned; supervisor]

e the difference between your actual service experience and your original expectations about what service would be like

[If yes - probe for what was expected and how service fell short of that]

f benefits provided, such as stipend or health benefits [If yes - probe for what type of benefit and what was the problem with it]

1     Yes

2     No

8     Don't know

9     Refused

Ask all

Q3a Is there anything AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC could have done differently that might have led you to finish your term of service? Yes/No.

1     Yes

2     No

8     Don't know

9     Refused

Ask if yes (Q3a=1)

Q3b And what could they have done differently? (open end)

1 Gave response [Probe for specifics

99 Refused

Next, I’d like to ask some questions about your experiences before and after joining AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC.

Ask all

Q4 Before you joined AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, did you ever do any community service volunteer work?

1 Yes

2 No

9 Refused

Ask all

Q5a Since leaving service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, have you done any community service volunteer work?

1 Yes

2 No

9 Refused

Ask if did volunteer work (Q5a = yes)

Q5b About how many hours of community service volunteer work have you done since leaving service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC?

ASK OPEN ENDED

1 Gave response

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Now, I’d like to ask some questions about your general experience with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC VISTA

Q6a Overall, would you say (insert)— was excellent, good, fair, or poor?

Rotate items

a the supervision provided by [IF AmeriCorps: your host organization] [IF VISTA: your host organization] [IF NCCC: NCCC]

b your experience with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC

c the adequacy of the training you received

1 Excellent

2 Good

3 Fair

4 Poor

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if fair or poor for 6a and 6c (Q6a or c =3 or 4); ask all for 6b (Q6b=1, 2, 3 or 4)

Q6b Why do you rate [insert 6a, 6b or 6c] as [insert 6a or c: fair or poor] [6b insert excellent good, fair or poor]? (open end)

1 Gave response

98 Don’t know

99. Refused

Ask all

Q7a How likely, if at all, are you to recommend participation in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC VISTA to a friend or family member? Would you say you are very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely to recommend participation in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC to a friend or family member [INTERVIEWER: if they say they have already recommended it, ask them how likely they would be to recommend it now, using these response categories]

1. Very likely

2 Somewhat likely

3 Not too likely

4 Not at all likely

8 Don’t know

9. Refused

Ask if not too or not at all likely to recommend (Q7a=3 or 4)

Q7b Why do you say you are [INSERT not too likely; not at all likely} to recommend it?

1 Gave response

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q8 What recommendations do you have for improving the AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC program? By this I mean not the specific program, project, or organization you served but AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC as a whole.

1 Gave response

2 No recommendations

98 Don’t know

99 Refused

I have just a couple more questions to help us understand the people who are taking part in our survey

Ask all

Q9  Before serving in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, were you [insert] a high school student, a college student, employed full time, employed part time, retired, or something else? [Accept multiple responses]

1. High School Student

2. College Student

3. Student in other educational program

4. Employed full time

5. Employed part time

6. Retired

7. Other [specify]

8     Don't know

9     Refused

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q10  Since leaving service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, have you been [insert] a college student, graduate school student, student in other educational program, employed full time, employed part time, retired, or something else? [Interviewer: record responses to “other” category. [Accept multiple responses]

1. College Student

2. Graduate school student

3. Student in other educational program

4. Employed full time

5. Employed part time

6. Retired

7. Other [specify]

8     Don't know

9     Refused

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

D1 Are you of Latino or Hispanic origin or descent, such as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or some other Latin American background?

1     Yes

2     No

8     Don't know

9     Refused

 

D2  What is your race?  Are you white, black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander?  You may select more than one race. [ACCEPT MULTIPLE RESPONSES]

1     White

2     African American/Black

3     Asian

4     American Indian or Alaska Native

5     Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

6     Other

8     Don't know

9     Refused

Thank You for Your Help!