3 Supervisor Survey

14 | Page – VISTA – PROJECT SUPERVISOR SURVEY March 26, 2012

Introduction

We are surveying VISTA project supervisors to better understand the project supervisor experience when operating a VISTA project. This survey will help the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and AmeriCorps VISTA improve training and support to VISTA projects and members.

JBS International, an independent research firm, is conducting this survey. Your responses will be seen only by the JBS research team, and will be provided to CNCS only in aggregate form. Your individual responses will not be shared be with the CNCS, AmeriCorps VISTA, your organization, or any other party.

[Note for survey administration: Items marked (PS) are questions for project supervisors. Items also marked (SS) are also questions for site supervisors. All of the questions in this survey are posed to project supervisors, and some of these questions are also posed to site supervisors. Questions posed to program supervisors about a specific member’s performance will also be posed to site supervisors who directly supervise the specific member.]

Information about Your Organization and VISTA Project (Project Supervisor – PS)

1. Approximately, how long has your organization had the current VISTA project? (PS)

􀂅 Less than one year 1-2 years 2-3 years More than 3 years

2. How many staff members do you currently supervise? (PS) _____

3. How many VISTA members do you currently supervise? (PS) _____

4. Do your VISTA members all serve at one location, or do they serve at more than one host site? (PS)

􀂅 All our VISTA members serve at one location.

􀂅 Our VISTA members are placed at more than one host site.

5. How many 5. How many VISTA members currently serve directly at your location? (PS) _____

6. Tell us about your VISTA project and the community it serves. (PS)

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly agree
a. There are no other organizations like ours in this community.
b. Our organization has conducted other projects before that are similar to the VISTA project.
c. There is no one else in our organization that does anything like what our VISTA members do.
d. It will be very difficult to achieve the goals of the VISTA project in this community.
e. Our organization has a lot of resources to help us supervise VISTA members.

7. Tell us about your experience managing the VISTA project. (PS)

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly agree
a. Supervising VISTA members is a new thing for me.
b. I don’t have much time to supervise VISTAs as part of my workload.
c. I work closely with VISTA members to help them get their work done.

8. Does the work of your organization have a primary focus? (PS)

􀂅 No, the work of our organization covers a range of issues with no primary focus. [Skip to question 9.]

􀂅 Yes, the work of our organization as a primary focus. [Go to question 8a.]

8a. What is the main focus area of your organization’s work? (PS)

[Drop-down list; select one.]: Community and economic development (community revitalization, consumer education, job training, business development, etc.), Disaster recovery/relief, Education, Environment, Health and nutrition, Public safety, Housing, Mentoring, Prisoner re-entry, Immigrants and refugees, Seniors, Veterans, Our project does not have a main focus

Other (specify) ___________________________________________________________

9. Where do you recruit VISTA members? (PS)

􀂅 We recruit most members locally.

􀂅 We recruit most members nationally.

􀂅 We recruit members nearly equally from local and national sources.

VISTA Project Activities

Please tell us about the activities of your VISTA project.

10. Which of the following activities has your VISTA project been involved in during the past year? (PS)

	We did this a LOT	We did this SOME	We did this a LITTLE	We did NOT do this	NOT SURE if we did this
Recruiting and/or managing community volunteers
Raising funds through grant writing
Soliciting funds or in-kind resources from the community
Building and maintaining community partnerships
Developing new programs/services, or enhancing existing programs/services
Increasing community awareness about your organization and its activities
Assessing the community’s needs
Please list any other activities that your project does often.

11. [Only for items in previous question set (Question 7) marked “a lot”, or “some”]
How much did your VISTA project accomplish in each of the following areas during the past year? (PS)

	We accomplished MORE than we expected	We accomplished AS MUCH as we expected	We accomplished LESS than we expected	We accomplished LITTLE OR NOTHING
Recruiting and/or managing community volunteers
Raising funds through grant writing
Raising funds or in-kind resources through other sources
Building and maintaining community partnerships
Developing new programs/services, or enhancing existing programs/services
Increasing community awareness about your organization and its activities
Assessing the community’s needs

12. How AWARE would you say the following persons or groups are of the accomplishments of VISTA members? (PS)

	Very Aware	Moderately Aware	Slightly Aware	Not Aware	Not Sure
My staff
My executive director
My board of directors
Staff of partner organizations
Executive directors of partner organizations
Boards of directors of partner organizations
Community leaders
Community members most directly affected by the VISTA project
Other community members

Information about All VISTA Members in Your Project (PS/SS)

For the following questions, please think of all VISTA members in your project.

13. Thinking about all your VISTA members, please tell us about the factors you think have a positive impact on how they perform their service. (PS)

	No positive impact	A slight positive impact	Some positive impact	A great positive impact	Not Applicable
a. Our ability to recruit VISTA members with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need
b. Our ability to train members to give them the knowledge and skills they need
c. Our ability to write VADs that are clear and achievable
d. The level of commitment and determination shown by our VISTA members to get the job done
e. The training our VISTA members receive at PSO
f. The training I received at supervisor orientation
g. The supervision provided to our VISTA members
h. Tools and resources on the VISTA Campus
i. Involvement of our Board of Directors with the VISTA project
j. Receptiveness of the community toward the VISTA project
k. Engagement of other organizations with the VISTA project

14. How many members completed their term of service so far? _____ (PS)

a. How many of these members transitioned to:

Paid employment: _____

Education: _____

Another volunteer position: _____

Other:_____ (specify)

15. How many members terminated service early? _____ (PS)

1. How many of these members left for the following reasons?

Found paid employment: _____

Took another (non-VISTA) volunteer position: _____

Left to pursue education: _____

Left due to illness or for personal reasons beyond their control: _____

Removed for performance or conduct-based reasons (e.g., did not fulfill obligations, absenteeism, violation of terms and conditions, etc.): _____

Other (specify): _____

16. Please describe any orientation and training you provide to VISTA members, including any formal group training and any specialized training provided to members individually, or in groups. Be sure to identify training topics and indicate if these are provided by in-house staff or external trainers. (PS, SS)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Information about One VISTA Member You Supervise (PS/SS)

For the following questions, please think of one VISTA member or VISTA leader whom you supervise directly. All questions in this section will pertain to this one member.

17. How many months have you been supervising this member? _____ months (PS, SS)

18. Thinking of the same VISTA member, what activities did this member engage in during the past 6 months? (PS, SS)

	Check all that apply.	[For items checked in previous column:] How is the member doing in these areas?
Planning, coordinating, managing events	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Planning and implementing new projects	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Facilitating meetings	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Presenting to organizations or groups	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Building, maintaining relationships with organizational partners	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Writing manuals or guides	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Creating or maintaining web pages or social media sites	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Developing or maintaining spreadsheets or databases	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Developing training or education curricula	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Writing grant applications	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Soliciting funds or in-kind contributions from the community	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Recruiting, training or managing community volunteers	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Conducting community needs assessments or evaluations	􀂅	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Other (specify)		[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure

19. Thinking of the same VISTA member, how would you describe his or her ability to do the following: (PS, SS)

Conduct themselves in a professional manner	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Work independently	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Meet deadlines	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Set priorities for multiple tasks and projects	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Understand and work with people in your organization	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Understand and work with people in other organizations	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Understand and work with people in the community	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure
Adapt to new situations and respond to unexpected challenges	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ] Not sure

20. Thinking of the same VISTA member, to what extent is he or she able to access the resources needed for his/her job? (PS, SS)

	Not at all or Almost not at all	A little	Somewhat	A lot	A great deal	Not Applicable
a. Information about what’s going on in our organization
b. Computer hardware, software, and internet access
c. Information to help the member learn about the community in which he or she serves
d. Access to community contacts
e. Access to me for help whenever he or she needs it
f. Access to others in our organization for help whenever he or she needs it

21. Thinking of the same VISTA member, in the past 6 months, how often has he or she done the following: (PS, SS)

	Less than once per month	1-2 times per month	Once per week	More than once per week
a. Met with you in-person or by phone to discuss his or her progress, needs, or other issues
b. Met with other staff in-person or by phone to discuss his or her progress, needs, or other issues
c. Met with community groups and organizations

Thinking of the same VISTA member, which, if any, of the following are VERY IMPORTANT to the work of this member? (PS, SS)

22. Interpersonal Skills	Very important to the work of this member of the member? (check all that apply)	[For skills marked as very important:] How is the member doing in these areas?
a. Working well with diverse people and respecting individuals with different backgrounds and interests	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
b. Supervising people	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
c. Helping others work effectively by managing priorities and resolving conflicts	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
d. Participating in or managing (small or large) meetings	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
e. Networking and collaborating	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
f. Actively learning from others	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor

23. Managing Personal and Organizational Workload	Very important to the work of this member of the member? (check all that apply)	[For skills marked as very important:] How is the member doing in these areas?
a. Setting reasonable objectives by balancing competing priorities in the face of limited resources	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
b. Planning	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
c. Working independently	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
d. Leveraging contacts by acquiring needed information from persons in the organization and the community	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
e. Adapting by modifying one’s personal style and work activities in response to changing situations	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
f. Assessing progress by accurately evaluating the efforts of oneself and others	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor

24. Managing Information and Using It to Solve Problems	Very important to the work of this member of the member? (check all that apply)	[For skills marked as very important:] How is the member doing in these areas?
a. Figuring out which information you need to work effectively	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
b. Securing the information you need	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
c. Evaluating and organizing information	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
d. Understanding and using mathematical information	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
e. Deploying general or theoretical information to help oneself and others better do their work	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
f. Sharing information effectively by summarizing it so that others will listen and understand	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor

25. Leadership, and Communication Skills	Very important to the work of this member of the member? (check all that apply)	[For skills marked as very important:] How is the member doing in these areas?
a. Listening actively, accurately and respectfully to a wide range of opinions and suggestions	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
b. Demonstrating integrity by being accountable and by dependably fulfill obligations	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
c. Persuading by convincing others to join in advancing toward his or her objectives	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
d. Negotiating to resolve conflicts between competing objectives and groups	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
e. Expressing oneself by helping audiences understand ideas that he or she wants to convey	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
f. Explaining by conveying ideas and work objectives to a range of individuals, groups, and organizations	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
g. Recruiting volunteers or organizational partners and orienting and inspiring them to advance the organization’s mission	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor

26. Specific Skills for Working in the VISTA Project	Very important to the work of this member of the member? (check all that apply)	[For skills marked as very important:] How is the member doing in these areas?
a. Teamwork	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
b. Mobilizing resources through proposal-writing, advocacy with funders or potential partnering organizations, or through presentations	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
c. Navigating the organization by working within a framework of policies, rules and regulations	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
d. Reporting as required by CNCS and your organization in ways that convey what the member has done and what he or she needs	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
e. Working across the spectrum by understanding the “big picture” and helping to make initiatives, organizations, and services sustainable	􀂅	􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
Other—There may be other kinds of skills you think are very important for this VISTA member to have. Please list up to 3 additional skill areas below and tell us how the member is doing in each of these skill areas.
		How is the member doing in these areas?
f. Other Skill 1—please specify		􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
g. Other Skill 2—please specify		􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor
h. Other Skill 3—please specify		􀂅 Excellent 􀂅 Good 􀂅 Fair 􀂅 Poor

Supervisor Orientation and Training (PS/SS)

Please tell us about your experience with Supervisor Orientation and Training.

27. Have you attended the VISTA Supervisor Orientation? (PS)

􀂅 Yes 􀂅 No, not yet 􀂅 No

28. If you have attended Supervisor Orientation, how well do you believe it prepared you to: (PS)

Understand the VISTA mission	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor
Understand what is expected, and not expected, of VISTA members (e.g., capacity building vs. direct service, staff vs. member)	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor
Recruit members	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor
Supervise and support members	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor
Prepare members for life after VISTA	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor
Train site supervisors	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor
Achieve the milestones and goals in my VISTA project	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor
Make a tangible impact on problems in my community	[ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor

29. Did your CNCS State Office provide you with any orientation, training, or support beyond what you received at the supervisor orientation? (PS)

􀂅 Yes 􀂅 No

If yes, please describe: ________________________________________________________

Last, a few questions about you (Answers to Questions 35 – 37 are entirely Optional and are for statistical purposes only): (PS/SS)

30. How many years have you worked with this organization? (PS)

􀂅 Less than one year 1-2 years 2-3 years More than 3 years

31. How long have you been the VISTA supervisor? (PS)

􀂅 Less than one year 1-2 years 2-3 years More than 3 years

32. Check any that apply. (PS)

􀂅 I have served as a VISTA member.
􀂅 I have served with another national service program (AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, NCCC).
􀂅 I have served with the Peace Corps.

33. Approximately what percentage of your time is spent working on the VISTA project?
(PS, SS) _____ %

34. Please check the HIGHEST level of education you completed? (PS, SS)

􀂅 High School degree (HS Diploma or GED)

􀂅 Some College

􀂅 2-year College degree (AA)

􀂅 4-year College degree (BA, BS)

􀂅 Some Graduate School

􀂅 Technical or Vocational School degree or certificate

􀂅 Graduate School degree (MA, MS, Ph.D., etc.)

35. What is your age (optional)? ___________ (PS, SS)

36. What is your gender (optional)? __________ (PS, SS)

37. How do you identify yourself in terms of ethnicity/race (optional)? (PS, SS)

􀂅 African American

􀂅 American Indian/Alaskan Native

􀂅 Asian/Pacific Islander

􀂅 Caucasian/White

􀂅 Hispanic/Latino

􀂅 Multi‐racial (specify): _____

􀂅 Other (specify): _____

Please enter today’s date

Date (Month/Day/Year): ____________________.

Thanks so much for taking the time to complete this survey!