Host Site Onboarding

Host Site Terms & Conditions and Action Item Checklist

This document is a quick reference of key points for supervisors. It is by no means an exhaustive list, rather, we tried to pull together the most pressing and relevant information for the sites and members in our program. Much of this list is based on FAQs and/or important details that are easy to miss. There is also a checklist of action items for you to track what has been completed.

VISTA Host Site Key Terms & Conditions

ACTION Item: Service Opportunity Listing (SOL) - Due First Week of March

This is the template we use to gather information from sites to post their positions on the MyAmeriCorps website. The positions need to be live for a member to officially apply, but sites can start recruiting by asking for cover letter/resume at any time (most, but not all, ask for a cover letter/resume in addition to the MyAmeriCorps application; you can indicate this in the SOL). 

Site supervisors in year one of their project will complete the online form by the first week of March. Returning sites' information will be used from the prior year as long as there is no need to update the listing. The VISTA team will enter the SOLs into eGrants (back end of MyAmeriCorps) and send the position links to supervisors. 

eGrants Account

eGrants is the "back end" of MyAmeriCorps, which is where applicants complete the AmeriCorps application and search for positions, among other things. New host sites/supervisors will need to create an account before their first year to allow them to review applicants. We will set this up together in our initial onboarding meeting (or we can schedule a quick call to get it taken care of as needed). 

VISTA Assignment Description (VAD)

The VAD is central to the VISTA project and experience. It explains a project position and role assigned to a member, and includes goals, objectives, and activities a member is expected to complete in order to satisfy project needs. It is a formal document that is submitted to and approved by AmeriCorps. Each site completed a draft of their VAD for the host site application, but there is usually some editing or reworking needed for it to be approved.  

The final version should be complete by May 1. A candidate cannot be officially selected in MyAmeriCorps without the VAD.

VAD Guidance - Creating Effective VADs

Host Site Agreements

Host Site Agreements are sent and signed via email. We aim to have the agreements to sites by mid-April and ask for them to be returned by June 1.