AmeriCorps Studies on the Impact of the NCCC Program

Posted by AmeriCorps NCCC on June 25, 2024

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, released three reports evaluating the NCCC program. Through these reports, AmeriCorps evaluated NCCC’s impact on strengthening communities, impact on members, and retention of members.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, team-based service program without barriers to participation for young adults aged 18-24. It maintains four programs: Traditional Corps, FEMA Corps, Summer of Service and Forest Corps.

“AmeriCorps proudly invests in innovative approaches to engage communities and foster action and belonging,” said Michael D. Smith, CEO, AmeriCorps. “The Impact of AmeriCorps NCCC report confirms and reinforces what we’ve seen over the last 30 years: AmeriCorps’ members create a lasting positive impact on communities’ overall well-being and resilience, while developing professional and leadership skills and enhance their ability to support and solve community problems.”

AmeriCorps promotes community building through service and demonstrates the capacity of government and nonprofit partnerships to improve communities and serve the most vulnerable. The Strengthening Communities report discusses the evidence of how AmeriCorps NCCC strengthens the communities in which its members serve. AmeriCorps NCCC creates lasting positive impact on communities’ overall well-being and resilience. Through service that occurs in partnership with sponsoring organizations, AmeriCorps members serving with the NCCC program carry out critical activities tailored to each community’s unique needs.

Retaining members through their year of service is important in order to achieve AmeriCorps’ desired impact on those who serve, the beneficiaries and communities. Retaining members maximizes the program’s cost-effectiveness and enhances sustainability. The Member Retention report discusses the findings on factors that affect the retention of members. Service assignments where AmeriCorps members perceive they are making a difference reduce the odds that these members will end their term of service, especially members who have a higher risk of ending their service early.

AmeriCorps NCCC’s theory of change sets forth the core outcomes of leadership through service: gain professional skills, develop life skills, teamwork and engagement in civic life. The Leadership Skills report discusses the findings on whether and how service impacts members’ leadership skills. Service with AmeriCorps NCCC, which includes training, teamwork and hands-on, real-world experience, provides AmeriCorps members the opportunity to develop professional and leadership skills that prepare them for their chosen careers, as well as enhance members’ ability to support and solve community problems through collaboration and engagement.

Three decades ago, more than 20,000 Americans raised their right hands and pledged to get things done for America. These members helped more than 1,000 communities nationwide during their first year of service. Since then, more than 1.3 million Americans and hundreds of thousands more AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers of all backgrounds have followed in their footsteps, providing billions of hours of results-driven service across each of the 50 states and US territories.