New Senior Corps Project Director Orientation Overview

>> April Durrant: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Senior Corps Virtual Conference and the New Project Director Orientation. My name is April Durrant and I will be the moderator for this session today for our presenter Jane Quist. We both work for the Corporation for National & Community Service as state program specialists in the Utah field office. The session is being presented live at the Senior Core Virtual Conference and being recorded for replay later in the day in the conference actually and it will be available for replay online after the conference. For those of you today attending this live session, please notice that you have a green Q&A chat box on the bottom left corner of your screen. Please type your questions in as we go along. And I will be monitoring those questions as they come in. And Jane and I can answer as many of those at the end of the presentation as we can get to. If there is any kind of clarification needed, we'll go ahead and make that clarification in the middle, but we would like to be able to get through all of the information to present to you today, and then we can go ahead and answer those questions. If you're viewing the recording during the three day virtual conference, you can ask your questions in the New Project Directors Orientation form. Jane will answer all of those questions that come through the forum during the conference. So if you're unable to be on the live broadcast today, you can still get your questions answered by Jane Quist. Also, if you'll notice on the bottom right of the Q&A, you'll see a CC button. That's the closed caption button if you need any of this presentation to be closed caption, please do that. Now I'll turn the time over to the presenter, Ms. Jane Quist. Thank you. >> Jane Quist: Thanks, April. Welcome, everyone to the New Project Directors Orientation and to the virtual conference, since this is the first session, we're hoping all the technology works well and we get this right. I've been asked by Senior Corps to coordinate the New Project Directors Orientation program for all of the states across the country, and this will be available online in October, the full curriculum will be. The slide that is on the screen right now will cover the session today. So you'll see that we'll start out with some introductions and end with some questions. So we hope that you will be participate by asking questions in the Q&A, and we'll just get started. First we're going to introduce you to the Corporation for National & Community Service. The Corporation for National & Community Service is often referred to as the Corporation or CNCS. The Corporation is a federal agency that is authorized by Congress to award Senior Corp grants and monitor them to ensure that they're in compliance with the rules and regulations that govern the grant program. On this slide you see the programs that are funded through CNCS. The Senior Corps programs, which is Foster Grandparent RSVP and the Senior Companion Program, are all funded through the Corporation for National & Community Service. And the New Project Directors Orientation, we will talk more about the CNCS organizational model in case you're wondering why we call it the Corporation for National & Community Service. So stay tuned for that. Next, we'll introduce you to the Senior Corps headquarters. You'll see the picture here of Dr. Erwin Tan. He's the Director of the Senior Corps and he has a small staff of nine people in the D.C. office, and the Senior Corps headquarter staff provides a policy, procedures, and leadership necessary to implement the Senior Corps Programs across the country. Senior Corps headquarters staff works closely with the field offices in the state to implement programs. We refer to the Corporation for National & Community Service field offices as the Corporation state offices. There are 47 state offices that serve all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The state office is Senior Corps grantee is primary point of contact with the corporation. There is a program officer assigned to your grant, and your program officer, who also is referred to sometimes as a program specialist or state program director has probably already been in touch with you. Your program officer will be your coach as you complete the New Project Directors Orientation. The state office responsibilities include managing the Senior Corps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs in the state, providing training and technical assistance to grantees. Your state office is your first resource when you have questions about your grant or any policy or procedure, and feel free to call your state office when you have questions. It's important that you establish good relationships with your program officer. Your state program staff also conducts compliance monitoring reviews. We assist with special assignments, such as working on the virtual conference or working on special grant competition. We support services and strategies to meet local needs. The corporation state office is the face of national service in this state, and we also work with the state service commissions to promote volunteerism and to bring resources to the communities through the grant making process. You should also know that each grant is assigned to a grants officer at the field financial management center or FFMC. The grants officer approves the fiscal portion of the Senior Corps grants and your financial reports. So we want all the new Senior Corps Project Directors to know the basic information and resources needed to manage a Senior Corps project in compliance with the federal rules and regulations. And we also want you to know how to access the important materials related to the federal regulations and Senior Corps policy. So that will be a lot of what we do during the four modules that will be online in October. So let's look over the New Project Directors Orientation curriculum. As I said, this will be posted on the Resource Center in October 2012. So there are four parts, four modules that will make up the curriculum. Your state office will be asked to work with you to develop a schedule for completing the four modules. And the first one will be an introduction to CNCS and Senior Corps. This will cover the background, the legislative and organizational information for CNCS and the Senior Corps projects, the strategic plans and resources that are available to help you manage your Senior Corps project. The second module is project management. This will cover important information, including the roles of the sponsoring organization, project staff and advisor councils. And the third module will talk about stations and volunteers. We'll review the requirements for volunteer stations and volunteers, including the MOUs, the volunteer enrollment, eligibility, and assignments. The last module will cover budgets and fiscal rules, including managing in-kind donations, allowable costs, and fund raising. So as I went through that list, I hope you were thinking, "Oh, maybe that's something that would be helpful to me," and you'll be sure to take part in this training when it's available. The curriculum is made up of three parts. Each module has three parts. The first is preparation. There is a preparation assignment associated with each module. The assignments are designed to help you apply the information from the presentation to your project. So new project directors who complete the assignment in conjunction with the presentation better understand the purpose of the program requirements and have a better idea of what they need to do to manage and improve their own project. The presentation will be a PowerPoint presentation that will be accessible through the Resource Center and you'll be able to view these as your time permits. It's recommended that you set up a schedule with your program officer and complete the four modules over a one to two month period. And then the last part is consultation. Questions will come up, as you complete the preparation assignment and view the presentation, so you and your program officer should set aside a time to discuss each module to be sure you understand how to implement the rules in your project. Next, I want to introduce you to the resource materials that you will use to complete the New Project Directors Orientation curriculum and to manage your Senior Corps grant. First, we want you to become familiar with the Federal Code of Regulations, relevant OMB circulars, the Senior Corps Operations Handbook, and the Senior Corps Compliance Monitoring Guide. Let's look at each of these documents and how to access them. First we'll talk about the federal regulations. The Code of Federal Regulations is abbreviated CFR. I don't know if you're keeping track of all the acronyms we've used, but I've already used quite a few. Again, the code of regulations is the CFR and it's the clarification of general and permanent rules published in the Federal Registry by the executive department and agencies of the Federal Government. The Code of Federal Regulations is the source document for the requirements that govern Senior Corps. When Congress passes a law that affects the Senior Corps program, it's recorded in the CFR and becomes a regulation that Senior Corps project are required to comply with. An example in the change of the law for Senior Corps is the age requirement for FGP and FEP. In 2009, Congress passed the Kennedy Serve America Act which reauthorized and expanded the National Service programs. As part of the Serve America Act, several changes were made in the Senior Corps regulations. Prior to the Serve America Act, the minimum age for foster grandparents and senior companions was 60. With a passage of the Serve America Act, the age was changed to 55 and it was changed in the regulations to reflect that change by Congress. To find the Code of Federal Regulations, the best way to do that is go to the electronic version or the eCFR. This is the online version of the regulations and it's very easy to search and access. Each of the three programs has its own regulations and you can see the title and part numbers on the screen. The Senior Corps federal regulations are easy to search and they're written in easy to understand question and answer format. We'll give you an example of how it works. For example, if you want to know how long an RSVP volunteer is required to serve, you can scroll down until you see this question: what are the terms of service of an RSVP volunteer? Under that you'll see the answer. An RSVP volunteer shall serve weekly on a regular basis and intensively on a short term assignment consistent with the assignment description. So it's written in a way that you can find answers to your basic questions and language that's easy to understand. Okay, now let's look at the OMB circulars. OMB is the acronym for the Office of Management and Budget. The OMB's mission includes assisting the President and oversees and evaluating the effectiveness of agency programs, policies, and procedures. These circulars and bulletins are major tools used by the Executive Office of the President to exercise managerial and policy direction over federal agencies. Circulars and bulletins promote government effectiveness by providing uniform guidance to agencies. They provide policy guidance or practice over a broad range of subjects, including from the detailed instructions on preparing agency budget requests to the principals to determining allowable research cost at universities. An example of federal fiscal rule that you'll find in an OMB circular that affects Senior Corps is the federal grant funds cannot be used for fund raising. As you can see from this chart, some of the circulars apply differently to different organizations. These are some of the circulars that you might run into as you manage your Senior Corps grant. Your accounting department at your sponsoring agency is very likely to be familiar with OMB circulars. As a project director, you want to understand the relevant circular so you can better understand what is required from your budget. The budget and fiscal management of your grant will be discussed in the fourth training module. Okay, next we'll go to the Operations Handbook. This is something that you should bookmark on the computer and keep handy. There is an Operations Handbook for each of the Senior Corps programs. The handbook was developed for the use of sponsors at Senior Corps program and anyone else who works to manage a Senior Corps project. The current version of the operation handbook was issued in 2008. In 2010, Senior Corps issued a supplement to the Operations Handbook and Senior Corps will issue other supplements as needed to provide Senior Corps grantees with important updates on key topics, such as the implementation of the Serve America Act, the Corporation for Strategic Plan, technical assistance resources, program operations, and reporting. So what is the operation handbook? It's a technical guide, and it captures, in one place, the principle program and grants management requirements. So it pulls from the program regulations and federal grant requirements and OMB forms. So it brings that together in one place to help you have it at your fingertips. However, the Operations Handbook is not a legal or policymaking document. The Code of Federal Regulations is the source of requirements that cover the grant. Where do you find your Operations Handbook? It can be found on the National Service Resource Center and on the Senior Corps website. I know you probably can't see this very well on the screen, but there's an appendices in the handbook that links you to sample forms and other tools that are useful to project directors. If you haven't already, you want to check out the Operations Handbook. The last document that we'll talk about is the Senior Corps Guide for Quality Assurance and Compliance Monitoring Site Visits. Commonly called the monitoring guide. This is the document used by CNCS staff to help determine if a sponsor is managing the grant project in compliance with the federal regulations and the terms and conditions of the grant. The compliance monitoring guide is used in the New Project Directors Orientation to help new project directors focus on the key questions that measure how well the project is implementing the Senior Corps regulations and policies into their project. Periodically, state program officers schedule an onsite compliance visit with each Senior Corps grantee in their state. So the compliance monitoring portion of the visit is like an open book exam. CNCS state office staff send the grantee the compliance monitoring document 30 days in advance of the visit so files and procedures can be reviewed prior to the visit to ensure that the project is in compliance with federal regulations. A copy of the monitoring guide will be provided to you by your state office when you start the New Project Directors Orientation or at your request. Well we've moved through the PowerPoint slides and now we will entertain any questions that you might have. So April... let's see. I don't know if - the question is: Will this information become printable? I don't know if it will be, but the recording will be there, and it will also be posted on the Resource Center. So you would be able to access that and the link, and if you email me, I can send you any of the links that you might want and help you out that way. Another question is: What is an MOU? I'm not familiar with that term. The MOU is the memorandum of understanding that you set up with your volunteer stations. It's an agreement that says, here is what the RSVP, FGP, or FEP programs will do and the agreement of what the station will do. So for a foster grandparent program, maybe they're going to provide meals for the foster grandparents. There's a sample form in the appendices of the handbook, the operation handbook, so you can see more about it. Let's see, there's a question. There's a question that says: Is this process something that shifts in Louisiana can do to request a grant for their volunteer programs? On the Corporation for National and Community website, there's a link that's called "Available Funding. " So if you go to that link, you will see if there are grants available in your area. Here is another question. Given the wide range of information a new RSVP project director needs to learn, what do you think is the most important piece to start with? I would start with the regulations. They're not that long for each program. Give it a quick run through so you know that it's there and then the handbook. Look through the handbook. Senior Corps does not print the handbook and send it out, but it's available online on the Resource Center, and you can send it to Kinkos or Staples or any of the major printing places, office supplies, and they can print it for you, if you prefer paper. I know some of us still prefer paper when we're looking at instructions. The question is: Did you say that we need to set up a schedule with our state program specialist to complete a new project director orientation in October? Yes, we are still working on getting the four training modules up on the Resource Center. Senior Corps and those of us in the field working on this have been very busy with the virtual conference, so as soon as this is over, we'll focus on getting these completed and posted on the Resource Center. We'll be giving state office staff an outline and some instructions so that they'll know how to best help you. But it's nice as you go through these sessions, through the different modules, that you can work with someone and ask your questions, because like anything new, sometimes you don't know the right question to ask. But hopefully this orientation will put you into the resources that you need and things will start becoming more clear to you on what is required of the program and then some of the best practices. Here is a question from RCT. Can we enroll volunteers who are serving at our stations - hold on just a second - there we go. Can we enroll volunteers who are serving our stations but live outside our specific county area so long as there are no other RSVPs covering those counties? Generally I would say, yes, you can, but you need to talk with your state office, your program officer, because they can give you the specifics in your state to make sure that you're not stepping on the toes of another program. Let's see. Another question. April and I are scrolling through the questions here. Will only new project directors be able to take a new directors training online? Can current project directors use the training as a refresher? Yes, once it's posted on the Internet, it will be available to everyone. You would need to talk to your state office to see if they felt like they needed to schedule meetings with you if you feel like it's important for project directors who have been on the job for less than a year to go through the program and work with your state office to be sure that they're interpreting everything correctly. We're getting a note from our - from some of the technical advisors that say that you can download the PowerPoint from today. You can go to the "Content" button at the bottom of the page, it's the blue button next to the "Q&A" button and from there you can download the file. So that is good information. Let's see. We got that one. Sorry for the delay. Here is another question: It's my understanding that this virtual conference training is considered fund raising or preparation and must be distinguished on project report director's time sheet. Please explain. Actually, this is training, so it shouldn't be interpreted as fundraising. So if you would go to the National Service Resource Center and search on fundraising, Senior Corps fundraising, something like that, you would get an FAQ about fundraising and what is considered fundraising and what is not. But this virtual conference should be considered training and not fundraising. Anything else, April? We have a few questions that we will answer to you privately instead of as a group. So we will get back to everyone. Also, we're getting a note that says, you can load the PowerPoint in your event bags. So this is great technology that we have on the virtual conference. So look for your event bag and see if you can put the PowerPoint in there. So somebody wants to know about refreshments. Well, everyone is in charge of your own refreshments for this conference. April and I have our doughnuts and cantaloupe right here that we've been enjoying this morning. So let's see, here is another question. For those of us writing grants in October, will we also be required to do the four modules in October? We're moving the New Project Directors Orientation online so that it's available when you need it and when you have the time to really pay attention to it and learn what is there for you to learn. If October is not the best time for you, you can do it later. But it's a good idea to go ahead and schedule it because it's one of the things that is easy to put off. So you might want to talk with your state office staff and look at the calendar and see what a good time would be for you. It will remain on the Resource Center. So it's not going anywhere. So it should be there when you need it. There is an area adjacent to my southern border that does not have a current RSVP program. How do I figure out how to apply for that area and its process and the funding amount that is tagged with it? If you will go to the Senior Corps website and look for the notice of funds available or notice of available funds, you will find information about the RSVP computations that is started now. And there's an appendices to that that will show you all of the service areas that are not - that are going to have grants available in the next - like right now, soon. So the appendices and the notice are in draft form, but we anticipate that they will stay pretty much as they are but they're waiting for final approval. So that's the best place to start to look for new funding. Do we have a sample MOU? We don't have one at our fingertips, but you'll find it in the appendices of the handbook. Okay. The next question. Oh, someone is saying it's not listed in appendix A. If you go on the Resource Center, there are best practices for project directors, and they can post their information. But check it out. There should be a sample MOU in the handbook. Okay, April, is that everything? Well, I think we have covered all of your questions and our information. I look forward to working with you on the New Project Directors Orientation as we go forward, and in the meantime, if you have questions specifically about your grant, you should contact your CNCS state office. If you have questions about the New Project Directors Orientation, the session we've had today, as we move forward to get that online, you can contact me and my email address is there. We also want to point out the useful websites and hopefully you'll be able to see these links or to download the content so you can have these links. The Corporation for National & Community Service website, and that's where we mention the notices of funding available that are listed and a lot of other things. The Senior Corps website, you can go there for forms and frequently asked questions and just who to contact in your state about programs. A lot of information there. And then the National Service Resource Center. This is where all the training information is stored for all of the Corporation for National & Community Service programs. You'll find a really great landing page there for the performance measurements, which I'm sure you're going to hear about throughout the conference. Also, this is where you're going to find the new Project Directors Orientation once they're ready. So do we have more questions? The question says: I thought our grant renewed in April 2013 but doesn't start in October. Maybe you're referring to your recompetition or competition for your grant. I would check with your state office and clarify those dates to be sure that you understand when your grant will start and stop. The handbook is - why don't we redo this question. How often is the handbook updated? A jump drive with the handbook on it that I received, but I'm not sure if it's current. The handbook has not been specifically updated since 2008 when it was first introduced, and it was the same version that's on your jump drive. I'm assuming this is the one that you received at the National Conference in 2008. But the core information is the same. It hasn't been changed. There's a supplement, a 2010 supplement that you will also find on the Resource Center with the handbook, and there are some updates there, including information about the Serve America Act and Senior Corps will continue to do supplements to the handbook. The appendices, the forms and the information in the appendices does change. So if you're working from - I don't believe the appendices were loaded on to those jump drives, but you'll need to go to the Resource Center to get the appendices with the sample forms and other information. Okay, we want to thank you. We do understand that as you're new to this job, there are a lot of moving parts, and you need a little guidance to know where to get started. Some of you have probably worked on projects before but not as project director, and there are a lot of things that you need to know about the program. Another resource that we haven't talked about is your other Senior Corps project directors in your state. We always get advice for policy, regulations, rules; you want to check with your state office. For good ideas and best practices, your peer to peer network is really wonderful for that. So you want to be sure and develop some networks within your state with other project directors. The question says: Are all projects in recompetition even if you're in the second year of a third year grant? The projects that are in recompetition are those that had the 2010 grant numbers. So you should be in touch with your state office to be sure that you understand when your grant will be competed. If a sponsor is a volunteer station, would the project director serve as the volunteer station supervisor also? That can happen. My projects, I think it's good to have - those of you who are brand new, you have time sheets and other things that the station supervisors sign, and it's usually good not to have the same person sign in every slot as the program representative and the station representative. Talk to your office and see what their advice would be. But you want to - you can check in with the handbook and the regs to be sure that you are using the policy correctly about volunteers serving at the station - I mean, at the sponsor. Anything more, April? Here is a question: Could you give us a list of all the places online we need to go to update core major contact information? After four months, I'm still finding places that I need to update this information. I've found no consolidated list of sites. I will pass this on to Senior Corps and see if we can get that answered. I know some of the things that - your address and eGrant is the address that is in some places, but I know what you're saying. It's hard to get it all changed. So we'll pass that along to Senior Corps. Is there a way in this virtual conference to search for others by state? I don't know, but maybe someone on the technical side will chime in and let us know if there is. Do all stations have to be not for profit? Yes, the proprietary health organizations are an exception to that but if you look in the Handbook and Regulations you'll see that clearly laid out. And I have a few little "thank you's" and we appreciate that. We see some old friends online, and that's nice to see as well. So I think if we're through with the questions, we will bid you adieu and wish you well today and tomorrow and Thursday as you go through the virtual conference. We hope it will be of interest to you and helpful. It's nice that we'll be able to go back and review these sessions online so that things that may not make sense to you today may make better sense in a few weeks and months as you move along with your new job. So congratulations. And April is going to check real quick to see if there are any final questions. So anything else we're going to answer to you personally online. Privately online I guess the way it is we have that capacity on this chat.