The Power of Service

“I’ll just do it for 12 months,” I told myself. “And I’ll use that time to figure out what I really want for a career.”

In August 2001, as a newly-minted college grad, I joined AmeriCorps. I landed in Orange County to spend a service year as a residential counselor with Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California. 

That year changed my life.

I learned and felt so much from the girls I lived with and “parented” at Girls Hope. So much so, that I decided mission-driven work would be my career. 

I spent six years in the nonprofit sector in Southern California and learned a ton. 

Then I went corporate, moving over to PIMCO to launch a global employee volunteer program and lead the PIMCO Foundation. During my 11+ years at PIMCO, I again learned a ton.

These learning experiences enabled me to launch Mission Up, where I build CSR initiatives and community activation efforts that foster connection. 

But my time with AmeriCorps was the catalyst for everything. Little did I know that my service year would make all the difference in my life.

Sadly, now in its 30th year, AmeriCorps is facing drastic cuts. Despite decades of bipartisan support and an extraordinary return on investment – $1 generating $17 in benefits (!) – this vital program is at risk.

Losing AmeriCorps would be devastating, not just for people like me, but for countless communities across the country that depend on the dedication and service of AmeriCorps members. AmeriCorps supports many of the nation’s most respected nonprofits, like Habitat for Humanity, City Year, and Teach For America. These organizations rely on AmeriCorps members to bolster their programs.

AmeriCorps members are also an essential part of initiatives at Feeding America, Reading Partners, The Nature Conservancy, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (so many awesome nonprofits!). It’s not just about the individuals who serve – it’s about the ripple effect that reaches schools, nonprofits, and disinvested populations nationwide.

We can’t afford to lose this program – it’s just so important.

Want to join me in lending your voice to protect AmeriCorps? Visit Voices for National Service to learn how, from contacting Congress to sharing your own AmeriCorps story. 

I totally, completely, wholly believe in the power of service. For the past 30 years, AmeriCorps has created pathways to serve and has made service more accessible by offering stipends and education awards. Let’s make sure future generations have the same chance to serve, grow, and create lasting impact. No doubt this program is career-game-changing for so many others, too.

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

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🎁THE GIFT OF TIME

In early September, Google.org – Google’s philanthropic arm – hosted its first-ever Impact Summit, an event during which top voices in social impact came together to discuss AI and other applications of technology.  

At the Summit, Google.org also launched its Get Time Back campaign, a resource hub that instructs nonprofits on how to use Google’s free AI tools. Need help with grant writing, donor management, or marketing? Google’s generative AI and Gemini can help with it all and then some.

If you’re a nonprofit and you’ve used this resource hub, I’m dying to know what you thought about it. Please write and tell me!

📰NEWS NOT NOISE

With just a handful of weeks to go until the Presidential General Election, would you rather have news and not noise in your inbox or social feed? If so, check out Jessica Yellin’s News Not Noise Instagram account and sign up for her Substack. 

Yellin covered politics for years at ABC News and CNN before launching News Not Noise in 2017. With NNN, she breaks down confusing and complex topics and shares the facts and honest context – without outrage and negativity. 

While NNN isn’t my sole news source, I gotta say, I looooooooove this platform and Yellin’s approach – plus the bright, positive colors on the NNN Insta account.

💘NONPROFIT LOVE

Defy Ventures is a national nonprofit with a mission to shift mindsets to give people with criminal histories their best shot at a second chance – and a vision to cut recidivism in half by leveraging entrepreneurship to increase economic opportunities and transform lives.  

More than five million formerly incarcerated people live in the U.S., and an estimated 600,000 make the transition from correctional facilities to the community every year. 95% of those incarcerated in U.S. prisons will be released at some point. But recidivism rates are as high as 50% in some states, with research showing unemployment to be a key factor.

Defy delivers entrepreneurship, career readiness, and personal development training programs to currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. Defy also recruits business executives and leaders as volunteers and employer partners to shift the conversation and change the landscape of opportunity for this population.

This organization is absolutely incredible. To learn more, including about how you can sign up as a volunteer, click here.