Foundation Requirements for Position Descriptions

A Position Description describes a particular “job” with a service partner

• written by: the campus administrator
• perspective: written in the 3rd person, as a job description (think resume language or a job posting)

Entry Guidelines

1. A descriptive title (that does not include “tutor” or general terms like “volunteer” or “intern”)
2. A 1-sentence description of the community partner or specific program’s mission and non-profit status (especially for senior homes, healthcare centers, and hospitals)
3. A 2 or 3-sentence description of the nature of the placement that includes:
1. position responsibilities/duties
2. issue areas being encountered
3. beneficiaries of the service (population being served) like “elderly”, “at-risk youth”

Coding Guidelines

1. For the position to really count for AmeriCorps, it should be either a Capacity-Building or After-School Program position.  These should adhere to and connect with the definitions of such work per AmeriCorps and the new "Capacity Building Form."  Code the position CB for Capacity-Building or ASP for After-School Program, putting this notation in the title [i.e., Program Manager (CB)].  Also, add a sentence to the description that says, "The capacity building in this position includes ..." noting 2-3 items from the form (like volunteer recruitment, program management, etc.)

2.  Occasionally, other direct service opportunities, like short-term service trips, can still count for AmeriCorps.  But these should, within a given term, be the minority of hours by far.  A student should have a primary position that is either CB or ASP.  These short-term positions should be coded ST for Short-Term in the title and should specify such in the description.  They STILL HAVE TO BE with a legitimate non-profit or school in any case.

Tips & Things to Consider

Avoid position titles and descriptions that are too administratively focused. Replace words like "file papers", "office work", "office intern", "answer phones" with phrases such as "assist with administrative management" or "support operational management". The focus of the position should be on the programs the student is supporting and the population they are serving, rather than focusing strictly on administrative duties.

Avoid position titles that are too general such as "intern" or "volunteer". Titles should be specific and sound like real job titles (think resume language).

Explicitly state the non-profit status of the partner. This is especially important for health care or elderly care centers, which can often seem like non-profits but actually are not. We have also seen cases in which sites, such as nursing homes, were formerly non-profit but within a member's term have changed to for-profit status.

Make it Great: Real Examples from the Network

Sample Position Descriptions (Position Title @ Community Partner)

• Bonner Senior Intern @ Augsburg Bonner Program - SABO Center for Citizenship and Learning
• The Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning is the Augsburg Community Engagement Center that handles all ways for student to become involved in the community, including administering the Bonner Program. The Senior Bonner Intern works in the Sabo Center to develop creative ways of working with students to increase civic engagement on campus, to communicate with community partners, and to manage the BWBRS online hour system. 
• Construction Assistant @ Stanly County Habitat for Humanity
• Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, which invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build together in partnership. The unemployment rate of Stanly County is higher than the North Carolina average. There are many families who are just getting by and don't have the option of buying a home without the help of Habitat For Humanity. Stanly County Habitat For Humanity completes 4-5 homes per year for qualified families. In this project, Construction Assistants will contribute to the building of a house under supervision from the construction coordinator. 
• Program Assistant @ American Red Cross (Kansas Capital Area - Topeka)
• The American Red Cross, a national nonprofit, has been the nation's premier emergency response organization that offers compassionate services in disaster relief; community services that help the needy; support and comfort for military members and their families; the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products; educational programs that promote health and safety; and international relief and development programs. The American Red Cross in Topeka, KS offers a variety of programs including CPR/first aid training; disaster preparedness/relief; summer fan distribution; babysitter training for teens; elder assist programs; educational outreach on public safety issues; etc. Program assistants may participate in developing, promoting, coordinating and/or implementing one or more of these programs for the community. 
• Teaching Assistant @ Brunson-Lee Elementary School 
• Brunson-Lee Elementary School is a public, non profit, elementary school. Students serving as teacher assistants at Brunson-Lee Elementary are responsible for the creation of literary projects with a select group of students who they mentor. The teacher assistants will also work with their supervising teacher to implement projects allowing the students to receive any educational services required. Teacher assistants at Brunson-Lee Elementary School will also have the opportunity to engage the students in personalized lessons discussing issues present within their home/community lives.

Below are some tips on certain kinds of positions, providing you with suggested language in those cases. 

• Non-Profit Hospital/Health Center - if the agency is a health care clinic or hospital, be sure to check its non-profit status (using Guidestar).  Add a phrase stating "Such-and-such Hospital is a non-profit that provides services to poor and low-income residents" or otherwise explains this.
•  Abortion Services/Referrals - if the agency is a women's center or health program that seems to address pre-natal or related services, add a statement verifying that the position does not involve abortion services or referrals, which are prohibited.
• Social Action vs Social Activist — some positions and partners tend to use language like 'social activism' which connotes partisan activity or lobbying.  If the position involves organizing non-partisan and community-oriented events around issues, such as homelessness or hunger, we'd suggest using social or community action projects instead.  
• Policy Analysis or Community-based Research - these projects, which involve studying or researching an issue, like mentoring or community economic development, and writing up the results in order to serve a particular partner or community information need are allowable and even encouraged as capacity-building projects.  Just make sure to explain them as such, using language that involves non-partisan and academic research around community issues and needs.
• Community Garden — Feeding hungry families through distribution of produce and other foods from community gardening is fine, but community gardening to support an organization's budget is considered fundraising by AmeriCorps.  Make sure to specify which is being addressed through any relevant gardening project.
• This is a good phrase to use when specifying that a small proportion of fundraising is involved in a position: "While this position does incorporate some fundraising, AmeriCorps members will only log up to 10% of their hours toward fundraising." 
• Christian or church-based youth program — It is important to keep in mind that any time spent in religious teaching or proselytizing is not allowable for AmeriCorps.  This includes Bible study or reading of any religious texts.  You can verify that this is not being counted by getting documentation of a program's schedule (i.e., a camp agenda).  You may need to submit this documentation.
• Summer Camp — It is important to verify that camps are non-profits (as there are a growing number of for-profit youth camps).  The camps should be open to and accessible to youth from low-income and disadvantaged or at-risk backgrounds.  You may want to investigate (check Guidestar) and verify the status, as well as include a phrase noting this and more demographics about the population served.

Common AmeriCorps Speed Bumps

Here are tips on how to accurately describe particular positions in ways that are AmeriCorps-approvable:

Thrift Store Positions cannot be collecting donations, but should rather focus on sorting items or assisting patrons in the store. Also, positions with organizations such as Habitat's ReStore are considered positions engaged in clothing drives or any other item collection, which need to be coded as fundraising. These positions must be coded as such (100% fundraising) on their position page within BWBRS.

Positions in Public Schools or Private Non-Profit Schools (i.e. Charter Schools) should describe the mission statement and population being served through that school. An example would be "The Bonner Elementary School strives to encourage academic excellence and a sense of public service. The school operates for grades K-5." Additionally, the position should describe what specific classroom(s) or grade level(s) the student is serving and the outcome of their service/public need that is being met. Try to specify how the position is serving a needy population, such as at-risk students.

Positions that involve political advocacy are ineligible for AmeriCorps, unless the advocacy is happening in the form of non-partisan public education, public awareness, or is about a general social issue (i.e. child advocacy). If the position is advocating for a particular "side" or promoting a specific candidate, it would be ineligible for AmeriCorps.

Positions that include fundraising work should be coded appropriately. Short-term positions such as Relay for Life (whether planning for it or participating in it) are considered 100% fundraising and should be coded as such. Longer term fundraising positions are only feasible for Bonner Scholars who are not enrolled in AmeriCorps. If there is a position that partially includes fundraising (10% of the member's total hours), it is our recommendation that you create 2 separate positions with similar titles and descriptions — 1 that is coded as 100% fundraising and the other that is not coded as fundraising at all. This way, students can easily log that 10% of their hours in the fundraising position, and the remaining 90% in the non-fundraising position. When logging hours, students should check off the "this time was spent fundraising" box to designate those hours as fundraising.

Positions with organizations that are religiously affiliated are AmeriCorps approvable if they explicitly state that the student is not engaging in any religious proselytizing. A sample sentence would be "The Bonner in the position will not be engaging in any religious proselytizing." Also, the services offered through the religious organization should be offered to the entire community, and not contingent on whether or not the population being served attends religious services. This work would be ineligible according to AmeriCorps guidelines. A sample sentence to clarify the population served is "Services are open to the public."

Any internationally-located organization, or organization that benefits an international community (i.e. Help for Haiti), or services performed outside of the United States is considered ineligible for AmeriCorps. If the student is serving a refugee or immigrant population in the United States, then it is approvable for AmeriCorps.

Positions must affirm that a service placement does not displace a paid employee.

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