Wisconsin is #8 Nationally in Informal Volunteering

Every two years, AmeriCorps partners with the U.S. Census Bureau to take the pulse of our nation’s civic health, with the 2023 survey examining several forms of civic engagement between September 2022 and 2023.

The previous 2021 survey showed declining volunteering rates in Wisconsin and nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent survey data shows recovering volunteering levels here in Wisconsin, with informal volunteering reaching its highest recorded rate and formal volunteering with organizations increasing by more than 6% from its level in 2021, although still below its pre-pandemic levels.

According to the Volunteering and Civic Life in America study, 1,482,794 Wisconsin residents formally volunteered through organizations contributing 108,172,108 hours of service. This indicates that 31.1% of Wisconsin residents formally volunteered through organizations, exceeding the national average of 28.3%. This service made a meaningful difference for the people of Wisconsin and was worth an estimated $3.4 billion in economic value, having a demonstrative impact of communities across the state.

In addition to measuring for volunteering through organizations, the survey also measures informal volunteering. Wisconsin ranks #8 in the nation for informal helping, where individuals assist directly to neighbors and other community members. This informal volunteering can take many forms, such as shoveling snow for an elderly neighbor, providing childcare during an emergency or appointment, running errands for someone sick or injured, or numerous other activities to assist people in the community. Overall, 62.7% of Wisconsin residents, which is more than 3 million people, provided this assistance to people in their communities, exceeding the national average of 54.3%.

For more about this survey, you can visit the Volunteering and Civic Life in America webpage, as well as the AmeriCorps Civic Engagement and Volunteering (CEV) Dashboard.

Media Coverage of Wisconsin's results for the Volunteering and Civic Life in America study

• WPR Wisconsin Today Interview of Serve Wisconsin Executive Director Jeanne Duffy on November 26, 2024

Green Bay Conservation Corps receives Founder’s Award from the Green Bay Botanical Garden

On November 12, the Green Bay Conservation Corps (GBCC) received the Founder’s Award from the Green Bay Botanical Garden during their annual recognition of partners and volunteers. The Founder’s Award was created to honor a group or individual who has made a difference in helping the Garden achieve its mission – Connecting People and Plants. 

The Green Bay Conservation Corps was recognized with the Founder's Award for their collaboration with the Green Bay Botanical Garden on a pollinator corridor project across the city, planting nearly 7,500 native plants at two sites, Perkins Park and Danz Park. Additionally, GBCC AmeriCorps members planted an additional 5,000 plants throughout the summer.

In 2025, the Green Bay Conservation Corps and the Green Bay Botanical Garden anticipate installing four new pollinator gardens and expanding two gardens, which will total nearly 10,000 plants!

Media Coverage of the Green Bay Pollinator Corridor project

• WLUK FOX 11 - Pollinator-friendly native garden planted at Perkins Park in Green Bay
• Green Bay Botanical Garden - Growing Connections: Planting Partnerships Bloom During the 2024 Season

"One of My Best Decisions Yet"

Blog Post from WisCorps AmeriCorps member

The following blog post was written by WisCorps AmeriCorps member Silas Patten, who is currently serving his third AmeriCorps term. Check out an excerpt of his post entitled One of My Best Decisions Yet, with additional posts from WisCorps members and staff available on the WisCorps blog webpage.

One of My Best Decisions Yet

…Having no background in conservation prior to WisCorps, I felt very anxious to lead a crew of members into the wild places of the Upper Midwest. Amazingly, this organization embraced my skillsets and equipped me throughout my Crew Leader Training. All leaders go through multiple weeks of classes and courses designed to prepare us for anything we may face while serving on projects…All of these excellent experiences equated a new level of confidence in my abilities and skills as we launched into field service...

As a Crew Leader, I’ve have countless opportunities to meet and work closely with project partners. This has one of the greatest benefits of the position, as it has allowed me to learn about career opportunities within the conservation industry. From the many wonderful and varied project partners with National Park Service to non-profit biologists, everyone offers a wealth of diverse knowledge and experiences. Traveling from one corner of Wisconsin to the next, has afforded many opportunities to meet and connect with amazing people who work diligently to preserve and protect our natural resources. As I learned from these professionals, I began to learn more about myself and where I may fit into the tapestry of Conservation.

As a Crew Leader I now have boots on the ground experience digging new tread using hand tools, applying herbicide to fields of exotic and invasive plant species, carpentry skills for how to build boardwalks over wetlands, and technique on how to use a chainsaw. Lots of chainsaw. These experiences are very rewarding and have ingrained valuable skills I can take with me after I complete my term of service.

Leading a crew is not always sunshine and rainbows, in fact it may downpour torrentially for days on end! Facing challenges and overcoming them has been another great aspect of being a Crew Leader. Things will not go perfectly but being able to roll with the difficult realities of leadership and being in the woods for an extended time have made me more confident and sure of my ability to overcome and adapt. Each new challenge taught me something new. Even after a single season of WisCorps you can expect to be changed in some way and prepared to work in the conservation industry.

The time I have spent as a Crew Leader with WisCorps has been truly invaluable.



Before these three seasons, I had many questions about conservation, and now I feel those questions have been answered. I am equipped and ready for whatever comes next. All the time spent out in the wonderful areas of Wisconsin have built my confidence, connected me with working professionals in this career field, brought me closer to understanding myself, and revealed what I want to do with the rest of my life.

WAFCC celebrates 10th anniversary and brings together healthcare stakeholders for summit

The Wisconsin Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (WAFCC) held the WAFCC 2024 Summit & Celebration Event on November 6. The event brought together healthcare providers, free and charitable clinic leaders, advocates, WAFCC staff, and AmeriCorps members to discuss key issues, celebrate achievements, and outline goals for the future of healthcare access in Wisconsin. As part of the event, WAFCC was able to highlight the impact their AmeriCorps members are having throughout the state and celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Following the event, WAFCC staff shared a message to participants, “thank you to everyone who joined us for the WAFCC 2024 Summit & Celebration Event, what an incredible day of learning, connection, and community! …We’re so grateful for your energy, support, and commitment to healthcare access for all!”

Service story from AmeriCorps member with WI Dept. of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School

November episode of The S-Files podcast

This month on The S-Files, we explored the service story of AmeriCorps member Kori Blumer, who served three terms with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School program. Check out this month's episode below. You can access all of the episodes on The S-Files podcast series website.

Connecting Students and the School Community to Local Foods with Farm to School

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Kori Blumer, who is serving her second term with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School at the Monona Grove School District. Kori describes the variety of service activities she has done, such as leading nutrition education lessons and cafeteria taste tests, helping to get local foods into schools, and supporting the sustainability of school gardens and farm to school programming across the district. She also discusses the launch of their new community dinner series during Farm to School Month in October to highlight their efforts in procuring local foods for school meals. Kori shares how her academic background in nutrition and becoming a registered dietitian led her to her Farm to School AmeriCorps service and her enjoyment of working with students and connecting with the community. Listen to learn how Kori is using varied lessons across the age range of students she is serving, as well as using a variety of foods to make connections with students, from local butternut squash, beans, and corn in Three Sisters Stew to help celebrate Native American Heritage Month to exposing students to the use of insects in foods and agriculture in different parts of the world by bringing in chocolate chip cookies made with cricket powder and chapulines (fried grasshoppers). (listen to the episode here)

Serve Wisconsin offering grant opportunity for organizations to strengthen their volunteer programs

Serve Wisconsin is now accepting grant applications to enhance volunteer initiatives within community-based organizations, with grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, Indian Tribes, local governments, schools, institutions of higher education, and state agencies. Grants can fund activities such as volunteer recruitment, engagement, and training; organizing days of service; and providing disaster preparedness training. Serve Wisconsin strongly encourages applications from organizations focused on disaster preparedness, programs engaging older adult volunteers, and youth-led initiatives.

Grant funds will reimburse approved expenses through September 30, 2025. Applicants must provide a 1:1 match, which can be met through external funding or in-kind contributions. Awards will be determined through a competitive process, with evaluations based on innovation, project size and scope, and organizational readiness to implement the proposed initiatives.

Volunteer engagement grants will be available on a rolling basis while funds remain.

For more information and to apply, please visit the Volunteer Generation Fund page on the Serve Wisconsin website: https://www.servewisconsin.wi.gov/volunteer-generation-fund.

Volunteer for MLK Day of Service on January 20

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make communities more equitable and take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream.  The MLK Day of Service, one of only two national days of service in the United States; the other is September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, and is led by AmeriCorps

Each year, hundreds of projects across Wisconsin and the nation are completed in observance of this day. By serving, you can honor Dr. King's legacy by working towards creating a more just and equitable society where everyone is valued and respected through service. Service can help bring people together, and bridge divides that may otherwise exist. When we help others in need, we can begin to see each other's humanity and put aside our differences. Please consider volunteering to help create lasting change in our communities.

Past MLK Day of Service projects have included a wide range of impactful activities: constructing homes, sorting donations at food banks, preparing and serving meals, painting school murals, organizing supplies for educators, assembling appreciation kits for teachers, facilitating youth workshops, supporting community celebrations, and collaborating with local organizations on various initiatives.

For more information on MLK Day of Service, including how to find or register a project, access the MLK Day page of the AmeriCorps website.

Deadline for NCCC AmeriCorps Concept Papers for Projects in May-August 2025 is January 7

Does your organization need assistance meeting critical needs in your community?

The deadline for submitting a concept form is January 7 for nonprofit organizations and government agencies interested in working with an AmeriCorps NCCC team next year between May 1 and June 24, 2025 or June 21 and August 1, 2025. Information on the application process is available in the AmeriCorps NCCC Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2025 service dates.

AmeriCorps NCCC teams are 18-26 year-olds traveling regionally to help communities meet their critical needs by completing projects that typically last 6-8 weeks. NCCC partners with a variety of nonprofit organizations, government entities (federal, state, or local), educational institutions, neighborhood associations, Native American Tribal Councils, and community-based or faith-based organizations to complete projects that address compelling community needs. These projects address five main service areas: natural and other disasters, energy conservation, environmental stewardship and conservation, infrastructure improvement, and urban and rural development.

As an example, the Maple 7 AmeriCorps NCCC team is currently serving at the YMCA of the North Camp St. Croix in Hudson, WI, from September 14 through November 12. The AmeriCorps NCCC team’s work will preserve and build on the camp’s natural resources to allow for hands-on, engaging environmental education, create easier access for people of varying abilities to experience a natural and agricultural setting, improve the climate-resilience of trails, prairie, and forests, and other initiatives. While serving at the camp, they will contribute to project goals through trail-building assistance in a ravine area, assistance with tree planting to expand the maple syrup program, raspberry planting to create a pick-your-own patch, fence building and repair for farm/garden, greenhouse maintenance, forest management, invasive plant removal and outdoor and indoor maintenance tasks on their 100 buildings.

For those interested in taking an active role in promoting national service and volunteerism in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin National and Community Service Board has two vacancies for a board member for the following appointment type:

• A service program representative between the ages of 16 and 25

Those interested in serving must complete an application to the governor for the appointment. The online application for a board position can be found HERE, with additional information on the application process found at Apply to Serve - Governor Tony Evers. If you are interested in serving on the board and have any questions, please contact Serve Wisconsin Executive Director Jeanne Duffy at jeanne.duffy@wisconsin.gov.

Serve Wisconsin | servewisconsin.wi.gov | AmeriCorps

FOLLOW US