2 Grantee Interview 2

STATE SERVICE COMMISSION (GRANTEE)
INTERVIEW 2 PROTOCOL

Hello! Thank you for meeting with me today. My name is XX, and I’m with ICF, a research and evaluation organization working with AmeriCorps to understand the impacts of its Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) grant program. We appreciate the time you have already taken to meet with us and tell us about [state commission name’s] VGF grant-funded activities. Today, we will be asking follow-up questions about ways in which this funding has been used by [state commission name] to engage in [VGF-funded activity, e.g., capacity building services] to support organizations in your state to recruit, manage, and support volunteers, and any initial outcomes. Your response will help AmeriCorps to improve its VGF grant program.

This discussion is voluntary. You can decline to answer any questions. You can stop participating at any time. The information you share will remain private during and after the project. Neither your name nor any personal information about you will be shared beyond the ICF research team. We will maintain discussion data in secure areas. I would like to record the discussion to document information accurately. Only the ICF research team will have access to the recording. If you choose not to be recorded, I will take notes instead. I will not include your name in the notes.

(Confirm permission to record the session and, if confirmed, begin the recording.)

Before we begin, I want to check with you again that it is okay to record today’s discussion.

1. Let’s begin with some background information. We last spoke on [insert date]. At that time, you noted that your role was [role with commission and role with VGF from previous interview]. How, if at all, has your role changed?

   1. You noted that there are also key staff who are responsible for [commission and VGF roles]. How, if at all, have those staff roles changed?

2. What changes, if any, have been made to the model since we last spoke?

   1. What prompted these changes?

3. What are the key activities that took place since we last spoke?

4. What changes, if any, have been made to the timeline of VGF grant activities?

   1. What prompted these changes?

5. How would you describe the overall impact of the VGF grant to date?

6. What are some of the successes you’ve had at the commission level related to the VGF grant and capacity building? What about other VGF-funded activities?

(Probe: How might successes shape remaining grant activities or activities beyond the grant?)

7. What are some of the challenges you’ve had at the commission level related to the VGF grant and capacity building? What about challenges related to other VGF-funded activities?

   1. What are some lessons learned?

8. (If the state proposed an evaluation in its proposal): Please provide an update of your evaluation activities conducted to date.

9. What type of data do you (or your program implementers) collect related to outputs and outcomes associated with volunteer management practices?

   1. What other reports, if any, have you received from program implementers related to program activities and outcomes?

   2. What have been the key outcomes to date?

10. What are some of the successes related to [insert program implementer names]’s VGF-funded grant activities, if any?

11. What are some of the challenges related to [insert program implementer names]’s VGF-funded grant activities, if any?

    1. What are some lessons learned?

12. What are some of the successes, if any, related to program beneficiaries implementing volunteer management strategies learned through the training/capacity building?

13. What are some of the challenges related to program beneficiaries implementing volunteer management strategies learned through the training/capacity building, if any?

    1. What are some lessons learned?

14. To what extent are program beneficiaries engaged in volunteer networks, if at all? (If the state has one, and if not already discussed.)

15. To what extent are program beneficiaries utilizing the volunteer portal/platform, if at all? (If the state has one, and if not already discussed.)

16. To what extent have you (the state commission) met your goals related to:

    1. Number of volunteers (or new volunteers)

    2. Volunteer organizations receiving capacity building services

    3. Volunteer organizations increasing effectiveness or efficiency in volunteer management

    4. Retention of volunteers

    5. Establishment or expansion of volunteer networks

    6. Implementation of programs with targeted populations (e.g., schools, corporations, youth programs)

17. What challenges, if any, do you foresee in meeting your (the state commission’s) capacity building and volunteer goals by the end of the grant term? (If not already discussed.)

18. Over the past year, how, if at all, has the pandemic impacted any of your programming?

    1. What challenges, if any, have program implementers reported?

19. Over the past year, how, if at all, have you incorporated diversity and inclusion into your programming?

20. (Based on the state commission’s model, we may ask additional questions related to outcomes.)

21. In what ways, if any, has your VGF grant improved volunteer organizations’ capacity to utilize volunteers?

22. What else can the state commission do to better support volunteer organizations with regard to volunteer recruitment, management, and retention?

23. What additional feedback or insights, if any, would you like to share with us regarding the VGF program?