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

11

DRAFT QUESTIONNAIRE

Former Members

AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC and the Corporation for National and Community Service would like to learn about your experience with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC and what you have done since your service. 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.

Ask all

S1 First off, just to verify, have you been an AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC member?

1 Yes

2 No [TERMINATE]

9 Refused [TERMINATE]

Ask all

Q5a Since leaving service have you been a (insert)?

a student in a community college or technical college

b student in a four year college

c graduate school student

d student in some other type of educational program

1          Yes

2          No

8          Don’t know

9          Refused

Now I have some questions about your employment since leaving service.

Ask all

Q7     Since leaving service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, have you [insert]

1 Been employed full time

2 Been employed part time

3 Been employed both full and part time at the same or different times

4 Not been employed

8          Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all (Q7=1)

Q7a Since leaving service, have any of your jobs been with (insert)/is your current job with [insert],

Rotate items (always ask a/a1 together; b/b1 together; c/c1 together)

a Federal, state or local government

Ask if yes (Q7aa=1):

a1 Are you currently employed in a government agency?

b a private, for-profit organization

Ask if yes (Q7ab=1):

b1 Are you currently employed in private business?

c a non-profit organization such as a tax-exempt or charitable organization, including faith-based non-profit organizations

Ask if yes (Q7ac=1):

c1 Are you currently employed in a non-profit organization or faith-based non-profit organization?

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if currently employed by government agency, private business or non-profit organization (7a-aa1=1, 7a-bb1=1, or 7a-cc1=1)

Q7b Does your current job involve [insert]?

Rotate A - R, always ask R last

A Teaching children or adults

B Social or community development work

D Trade work (for example, carpentry, electrician, masonry)

F Health-related work

H Environmental work

I Public safety or law enforcement

K Religious activities

Q The military

R Other kinds of work

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if does other kinds of work (Q7br=1)

Q7c What kind of work is that? [Open-ended]

1. Gave response

8. Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if currently employed by government agency, private business or non-profit organization (7a-aa1=1, 7a-bb1=1, or 7a-cc1=1)

Q7d Does your current job involve (insert)?

a working with impoverished populations?

b working with senior citizens?

c working with people with disabilities?

d working with other disadvantaged or special needs populations?

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if currently employed by government agency, private business or non-profit organization (7a-aa1=1, 7a-bb1=1, or 7a-cc1=1)

Q7e What percentage of your current job involve recruiting and or managing volunteers?

1. none

2. 1-25%

3. 26-75%

4. More than 75%

Next, I’d like to know about some of your community involvement before and since your AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC service.

Ask all

Q8 Before you joined AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, did you ever (insert), or not?

Rotate items (always ask h and i together)

b work with other people in your neighborhood to fix or improve something

c donate money, assets or other property to any charitable organization

d do any community service volunteer work

e attend any public meeting to discuss community issues

f attend a club or organizational meeting, not including meetings for work (INTERVIEWER, IF ASKS: club meetings involving church or school may be included)

g serve as an officer or serve on a committee of any local club or organization

h register to vote

i vote in a local, state or federal election

1 Yes

2 No

3 Not old enough or not eligible (use for h or i only)

4 There were no elections in the 12 months before I enrolled (use for i only) (Volunteered)

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q9a Since completing your service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, have you done any kind of community service volunteer work?

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if has done volunteer work since completing service (Q9a=1)

Q9b And about how many hours of community service volunteer work have you done in the past twelve months?

Record number

0 Did not do community service

1-997 Gave response (numeric open end)

9998 Don’t know

9999 Refused

Ask if has done volunteer work in past 12 months (Q9b=1– 997)

Q10 Now I’m going to ask you about volunteer activities you might have done in the last 12 months. For each activity that I mention, please tell me – yes or no – whether you did that activity in the last 12 months. Did you (insert)?

Rotate A through L, always ask M last

A Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams

B Tutor or teach [interviewer: if needed: includes reading to children or adults, assisting teachers, helping with homework or school projects]

C Mentor [interviewer: if needed: includes being a Boy Scout/Girl Scout Leader, Big Brother/Big Sister, or engaging in other mentoring activities]

D Work as an usher, greeter, or minister [interviewer: if needed: includes showing people to their seats, giving directions, handing out programs and other materials]

E Collect, prepare, distribute or serve food [interviewer: if needed: includes serving meals in shelters, packaging meals for distribution]

F Collect, make or distribute clothing, crafts, or goods other than food [interviewer: if needed: includes gathering clothes for a clothing drive, producing hand made items such as quilts, collecting furniture]

G Fundraise or sell items to raise money [interviewer: if needed: includes manning concession booths, working in thrift stores, or at events for which the purpose is to raise money]

H Provide counseling, medical care, fire/EMS or protective services

I Provide general office services [interviewer: if needed: includes clerical, administrative activities, running errands, manning information booths]

J Provide professional or management assistance including serving on a board or committee [interviewer: if needed: does not include medical or emergency care but includes providing legal, computer or accounting services]

K Engage in music, performance, or other artistic activities [interviewer: if needed: includes choir, musical, dance, theatrical performances, fine arts]

L Engage in general labor or supply transportation for people [interviewer: if needed: includes building, repairing, or cleaning indoors or outdoors, driving school teams to games or practices, driving people to a political rally]

M Engage in any other volunteer activity [includes campaigning, registering people to vote, political activities, and any other activities which do not belong in one of the above categories.]

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if did other kinds of activities (Q10m=1)

Q11 What kind of activity is that? [Open-ended]

1 Gave response

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if has done volunteer work since completing service (Q9a=1)

Q12 In what type of organization have you done most of your community service volunteer work since you completed your service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC? Was it (insert)?

A Religious organization

B Children’s educational, sports, or recreational group

C Other educational group (non-healthcare related)

D Social and community service group

E Civic organization

F Cultural or arts organization

G Environmental or animal care organization

H Health research or health education organization

I Hospital, clinic, or healthcare organization

J Immigrant/refugee assistance group

K International organization

L Labor union, business or professional organization

M Political party or advocacy group

N Public safety organization

O Sports or hobby group

P Youth services organization

Q Some other type of organization (Specify)

1 Yes

2 No

7 Other (Specify)(use for item 17 only)

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q14a Since leaving service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, did you register to vote for the first time or in a new location, were you already registered, were you not eligible to register because of age or some other reason, or did you not register to vote?

1. Yes, I registered for the first time or in a new location

2 I was already registered

3 I have not been eligible to register

4 I did not register

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if registered to vote (Q14a=1 or 2)

Q14b Since leaving service with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, have you voted in any local, state or federal elections, or were there no elections to vote in, were you not eligible to vote for some reason, or did you not vote?

1 Yes, I voted

2 There were no elections to vote in

3 Was not eligible to vote

4 Did not vote

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Now I’d like to ask about the possible effects your service experience with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC may have had on you.

Ask all

Q15 To what extent, if at all, have your service and training with AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC helped in your job, educational pursuits, or community service activities since you left service—to a large extent, a moderate extent, a small extent, or not at all?

1 Large extent

2 Moderate extent

3 Small extent

4 Not at all

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q16a Overall, to what extent, if at all, has your involvement in community activities changed since your service in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC? Would you say your involvement in community activities increased significantly, increased moderately, stayed about the same, decreased moderately, or decreased significantly since your service in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC?

1 Increased significantly

2 Increased moderately

3 Stayed about the same

4 Decreased moderately

5 Decreased significantly

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if involvement increased or decreased (Q16a=1, 2, 4, 5)

Q16b And to what extent, if at all, did your AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC experience contribute to your [IF q16a=1 or q16a=2: increased] [IF q16a=4 or q16a=5: or decreased] level of involvement in community activities such as these?

1 Large extent

2 Moderate extent

3 Small extent

4 Not at all

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if involvement decreased and service experience contributed to that (16a=4 or 5 AND Q16b=1 or 2)

Q16c Why did your service experience make you less involved in community activities? [Open-ended]

1 Gave response

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Now I’d like to ask you about a few other issues.

Ask all

Q17 Thinking back to before you enrolled in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC, if you knew then what you know now about your service experience, how likely would you have been to enroll in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC —very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely or not likely at all?

1 Very likely

2 Somewhat likely

3 Not too likely

4 Not likely at all

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask if not likely (Q17=3 or 4)

Q17a Why do you think you would have been unlikely to enroll in AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC if you knew then what you know now? [Open-ended]

1 Gave response

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q18 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. [Open-ended]

1 Gave response

2 No recommendations

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q19 Have you ever been contacted by someone from a AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC or AmeriCorps/VISTA/NCCC Alumni Association?

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Ask all

Q20 Have you joined an AmeriCorps, VISTA or NCCC alumni association?

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

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

Ask all

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

Ask all

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

Ask all

D3 Are you currently (insert), or not?

a receiving some form of public assistance, such as welfare (TANF), food stamps or WIC

b living in public housing (or projects) or subsidized housing

c receiving other housing assistance, such as Section 8 or housing vouchers

1 Yes

2 No

8 Don’t know

9 Refused

Thank You for Your Help!