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Glossary of Terms
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Select a letter below to view specific glossary entries.
| A | C | D | E | G | H | I | L | N | P | S | V |
- Charitable donation
- - a tangible gift in the form of money or goods to a public or private nonprofit organization. A biennial survey commissioned by the Independent Sector consistently reports a high correlation between giving and volunteering in the United States.
- Civic education
- - the multiple processes through which children and young adults acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for effective democratic citizenship. Civic knowledge and participation are not passed down through the genetic code — they require that each generation of students learn civic facts, explore democratic ideals and connect such concepts to the responsibility of citizenship.(From the website of the National Alliance for Civic Education (NACE), http://www.cived.net)
- Community service
- - within the context of the National Community Service Trust Act, "encompasses any human act serving the common good; in the interest of the community."
- Community-based agency
- - a private nonprofit organization (including a church or other religious entity) that is representative of a community of a significant segment of a community; and is engaged in meeting human, education, environmental, or public safety community needs.
- Corporate volunteer program
- - a volunteer program based in the workplace. Employers may demonstrate a major or minor commitment, through having a volunteer coordinator to plan activities or simply allowing employees to participate in community service on company time.
- Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
- - chartered by Congress in 1993 through the National Community Service Trust Act (NCSTA) to provide a broad range of opportunities to Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve the community and the nation. CNCS administers AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, the National Senior Corps, and others.
- Corps members
- - members of AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and other Corps programs.
- Direct service
- - providing service directly to the community, community residents or both. Direct service may be tutoring, cleaning a river bed, teaching English, painting a home, assisting a teacher, counseling a crime victim or teaching someone CPR. It includes activities that directly benefit an organization’s primary acquirers of service or mission.
- DSVA
- - Domestic Volunteer Service Act. This statute authorized Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) and the National Senior Service Corps in 1970. VISTA was originally authorized under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.
- Education award
- - a benefit of $4,725 (full-time) or $2,363 (part-time) that AmeriCorps members may receive after successful completion of a term of service. The award is paid directly to a lending or educational institution and may be used to pay off federal student loans (Perkins, Stafford, PLUS etc.) or to finance college, graduate school or approved vocational training. The education award in not an entitlement; it is not a cash award; it is not a “scholarship.” The award cannot be transferred to another person, including a family member.
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