Honorary AmeriCorps Member for a Day
Potential Audience:
- Elected officials
- Potential funders
- Business or community leaders
- Potential AmeriCorps members such as high school or college students, boomers, and retirees.
- Reporters or journalists from the media
Ask members of your potential audience
Ask members of your potential audience to become an "Honorary" AmeriCorps member for a day—or
even an hour, if that's what they can offer. For wider audiences such as students, post the
opportunity in school newspapers or on community bulletin boards. For a specific audience such
as reporters, make sure to reach out to the appropriate department or a specific reporter who
covers your type of story. For elected officials or business leaders, contact their local office.
Once participants get an inside look at your organization and the work that AmeriCorps
members do, they're certain to gain a deeper appreciation of the value your program offers to
the community.
Show how your daily activities can impact the community in a large way
Prepare activities that take one hour to a full day that will help give a deeper appreciation for AmeriCorps by showing how members create lasting change. Target your activities to your audience to demonstrate ways that they can play a role in meeting the needs of your project.
Share your AmeriCorps story with your "honorary member for a day"
Showing what AmeriCorps members do is a powerful way to share your story and help your ―member for a day develop an AmeriCorps story of their own.
Get feedback from the "honorary member for a day"
How did they feel about the experience, what part of the experience was the most enjoyable, or have they gained a better understanding of what AmeriCorps members do? Be sure to keep information on AmeriCorps and your organization on hand to give out at the end of their experience.
Document the experiences
Document the experiences of your "honorary member for a day" through photos, a video diary, Facebook posts, or tweets. Use social media as an outlet for showing what it's like to be an AmeriCorps member for those unable to join you in person.