Serve Indiana

Volunteering is one of the most important resources communities have and an expression of civic responsibility and awareness. By freely offering their time, skills and energies, a volunteer can have a profound impact on their community and the community of others, in turn, positively impacting the lives of each individual in said communities. In addition, by serving others the volunteer themselves gain from the experience; knowledge, self-worth, and the pride of knowing he or she made positive change in the community. The act of volunteering can range widely, from serving in large-scale nonprofit organizations to small acts of kindness for a neighbor, but the end result remains the same: the improvement of the health and well-being of a community and its citizens. Due to this fact, volunteers are and will always be integral to maintaining a supportive, functional, and connected society.

Programs

AmeriCorps*State provides opportunities for individuals to make an intensive commitment to service with the goal of “helping others and meeting critical needs in the community.” This is a national program administered by AmeriCorps. In Indiana, the AmeriCorps*State grant is administered by Serve Indiana. Serve Indiana manages the grant application process for AmeriCorps*State, including issuing requests for proposals, conducting application reviews, and awarding grants. It also provides training and technical assistance to support sub-grantees and in turn, monitors programs, host-sites, and members to ensure compliance to federal and state grant requirements. The performance of each program is tracked and measured to established targets and outcomes.

Initiatives

Serve Indiana Awards for Excellence: The awards event is Serve Indiana’s opportunity to honor individuals in Indiana communities that volunteer or serve. There are seven categories – Volunteerism Award (18+), Youth Volunteer of the Year Award (Under 18 years old), Lifetime Achievement, National Service Member Award, Volunteer Program Award, Corporate Service Award, and Government Service Award. Applications are open to any person who would like to make a nomination. Nominations generally open in the spring and are due in the summer with the award ceremony happening in the fall or spring.

Service Project Mini Grants: Mini-grants are offered to provide resources to coordinate Day of Service projects. The goal of the Mini-Grant program is to demonstrate the power of service as a solution to community needs. Serve Indiana encourages Day of Service projects that (1) demonstrate community connections and use of local resources, (2) build capacity of local volunteer centers and national service programs through regional networking and co-planning of activities, and (3) increase national service participant and volunteer understanding and commitment to national service and volunteerism.

Disaster Assistance: The Serve Indiana team collaborates with numerous state and federal agencies to help assist and support disaster relief efforts should the need for those efforts arise.

The Empathy Sector: As our newest initiative, Serve Indiana is committed to convening The Empathy Sector in Indiana as a leader of volunteerism and service and the role those forces play in increasing empathy. The Empathy Sector has become a framework that drives Serve Indiana’s outreach efforts as well as our provision of services as a governmental intermediary. As we work with employers, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and community leaders, Serve Indiana will utilize The Empathy Sector as a way for others to make meaning of their volunteerism and service. By connecting these layers of community assets together under the umbrella of increasing empathy, Serve Indiana will better leverage and utilize their resources, the resources of the Department of Workforce Development, other governmental services, and community connections across the state to harness the power of this emerging Empathy Sector.