VISTA Positions
Build professional nonprofit skills while building community! The City of Memphis AmeriCorps VISTA Program seeks applicants passionate about economic justice to join a cohort of AmeriCorps VISTA members in a year of national service.
City of Memphis VISTAs oversee projects that build the long-term capacity of communities through financial education, job skills training, microenterprise & asset development, affordable housing, homeless services, and food security. AmeriCorps VISTA members perform only indirect service; interaction with clients will be limited and the member will spend the majority of their time in an office setting. However, VISTA offers the opportunity to gain advanced project management skills and exercise creativity in implementing a program—skills highly desired by employers.
Since VISTA has unique benefits and requirements, prospective applicants are advised to review the FAQ’s on our VISTA program. More details on pay and benefits are located there.
Current Service Opportunities:
Applications for our 2021-2022 VISTA positions and Summer Associate positions are live! To see our open positions click the arrows below to scroll through positions. Click on the position that you are interested in to be redirected to the application page. Our full one year term positions have a projected start date in June-July. Our 8-week Summer Associate positions have a projected start date of June 7, 2021.
BBBS Volunteer Marketing VISTA
Site Name: Big Brothers Big Sisters
Focus Area(s) Primary: Education Secondary: Healthy Futures
The VISTA would build the capacity of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid-South, Inc. (BBBS) by developing a sustainable alumni engagement and volunteer recruitment marketing strategy to increase the number of at-risk children served, in addition to an engagement marketing plan that can be modified after VISTA service ends.
BBBS Volunteer Recruitment VISTA
Site Name: Big Brothers Big Sisters
Focus Area(s) Primary: Education Secondary: Healthy Futures
The VISTA would build the capacity of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid-South, Inc. (BBBS) by developing a sustainable alumni engagement, advisory council, and volunteer recruitment to increase the number of at-risk children served. Beneficiaries are children of single or incarcerated parents, or children in guardianship or foster care. The VISTA will develop a process of alumni/volunteer engagement including development of policies and procedures regarding volunteers, recruitment strategies, a mechanism to track volunteer hours and productivity, and a measurement of agency and volunteer satisfaction.
CoM VISTA Leader
Site Name: City of Memphis – Office of Talent Development
Focus Area(s) Primary: Capacity Building
The VISTA Leader will work to enhance VISTA project success and sustainability by facilitating the VISTA team, supporting team members in their work, and working in partnership with the VISTA project supervisor on project management tasks.
CoM Parks & Neighborhoods Volunteer Program VISTA
Site Name: City of Memphis – Parks & Neighborhoods
Focus Area(s) Primary: Healthy Futures Secondary
The CoM Parks Volunteer Program VISTA will develop and implement strategies for volunteer recruitment, training, tracking, retention, and retirement. Coordinating volunteer efforts will allow the City of Memphis Parks Division to expand a variety of services to low-income families in Memphis. The expanded volunteer program will provide new opportunities for low-income young adults to gain valuable work experience via volunteer projects.
Data Analyst VISTA
Site Name: Grizzlies Foundation
Focus Area(s) Primary: Education Secondary: Capacity Building
The Data Analyst VISTA will build MMG’s capacities to collect and analyze network level data, support youth mentoring programs in implementing research-based best practices known as the Elements of Effective Practice in Mentoring and incorporate data into organizational decision making. The VISTA will assess and improve MMG data collection systems to ensure data collection is responsive to the needs of all stakeholders serving our youth living in low-income households.
EcOp Re-entry Process & Website Coordinator VISTA
Site Name: Leadership Memphis
Focus Area(s) Primary: Economic Opportunity Secondary
The goal of the VISTA project is to build capacity through the enhancement of Economic Opportunities’ (EcOp) operational processes and virtual systems. The Re-entry Process & Website Coordinator VISTA will further develop and enhance 1) management and virtual systems, 2) program data collection, analysis, and dissemination 3) process procedures in relation to Shepherds and Participants, and 4) client-employer programs.
Youth and Young Adult Resource Program VISTA
Site Name: Leadership Memphis
Focus Area(s) Primary: Veterans and Military Families
The VISTA will serve to build an infrastructure and develop, compliance, and outreach strategies to grow the scope and impact of the Volunteer Memphis service partners that support the economic development of their clients’ education and anti-poverty initiatives. The VISTA will create and coordinate events and projects that address the service requirement needs of youth and young adults.
SCG_Veterans Services VISTA
Site Name: Shelby County Government-Community Services
Focus Area(s) Primary: Veterans and Military Families Secondary: Economic Opportunity
The goal of the project is to expand capacity and create sustainable solutions for the veterans and their families in Shelby County toward the goal of increasing economic opportunity and viability. The VISTA Volunteer will expand capacity and build an infrastructure for 1) benefits claims filing, 2) program development, 3) coordinated veterans support and 4) community outreach.
SCG_Healthy Shelby County VISTA
Site Name: Shelby County Government – Parks & Neighborhoods
Focus Area(s) Primary: Healthy Futures Secondary
The VISTA will build community garden operational infrastructure through research, create interactive programs, and building capacity for developing sustainability for the community gardens. This VISTA will create educational curriculum to supplement local community gardens. Additionally, the VISTA will provide support with researching best practices for municipal ran community gardens and building capacity to create a sustainability model for the community gardens.
Healthy Shelby County (Environment and Conservation) VISTA
Site Name: Shelby County Government – Parks & Neighborhoods
Focus Area(s) Primary: Healthy Futures Secondary: Capacity Building
The VISTA will research best practices for municipally run environment and conservation program, events, and campaigns. They will design educational curriculum, resources, interactive programming, and marketing materials. The goal of the program is to increase knowledge and awareness of climate change, environmental, and conservation efforts within impoverished areas and beyond of Memphis and Shelby County, TN.
Eligibility and Qualifications for Service with our AmeriCorps VISTA Team:
To be eligible for VISTA service, a candidate must:
- Be 18 years or older (no upper age limit)
- Pass a national service criminal history check
- Hold one of the following citizenship or legal residency statuses: US citizen, US National, Lawful Permanent Resident (i.e. Green Card status), and persons legally residing within a state. Examples of persons legally residing within a state may include those holding the following classifications: refugee, asylee, temporary protected status throughout VISTA service, and holding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
Desired Skills and Qualifications:
- Demonstrated commitment to community/public service
- Intercultural communication skills and experience working within diverse communities
- Strong volunteer/community service experience
- High school diploma or GED required; Bachelor’s degree, or 4 years of relevant work experience, or a combination preferred
- Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
- Proven ability to solve problems and be flexible
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate and work well in a team environment
- Highly organized and detail-oriented
Please note: VISTA positions may have their own specific skills and qualifications not shown in the list above. Please see more details on skills and qualifications for specific VISTA positions once posted.
To get more information, feel free to reach out to us at comamericorps@memphistn.gov. Also, stay in touch by following us on social media and signing up for text notifications by texting “VISTA” to 484848.