Service
Become a Member
Serve at a nonprofit in Indianapolis through the Interfaith Enrichment Corps, the Center for Interfaith Cooperation’s AmeriCorps program. Learn and connect with cultural services, faith communities, and community resources along with a cohort of service members. Members build quality interfaith relationships that explore community solutions in an asset-based approach. Specific service activities vary per site.
This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, political affiliation, or, in most instances, religion.
Service Description
willAmeriCorps members, serving with anchor institutions in communities facing interfaith and intercultural possibilities, will build supportive relationships with neighboring congregations.
Authentic community-building efforts will connect members with faith groups to provide the support that enriches time, energy, tools, and capacity of volunteers and leaders. Willingness to reach across barriers of cultural and religious differences, coupled with an approach that supports existing efforts will enhance the incredible assets of our communities.
Members will be trained to discuss, consider, and communicate key issues that our sites and partners work with, including:
- Effective nonprofit best practices such as event planning and volunteer management.
- Religious literacy and ability to navigate the sensitivities and assets of various faith groups.
- The unique assets of and barriers faced by immigrants and refugees
- Mental health statistics, connecting resources and addressing stigma
- Socioeconomic disparities and implicit bias
- Other resource assets for referral and connection in the network of Indianapolis community organizations
Members won’t need to become experts on all these topics. Rather, through the key activity of building relationships, members will listen, learn, understand the goals of that community, and employ supportive problem-solving skills:
- What do community leaders, clergy, volunteers see for the future of their community/congregation?
- In what ways are they serving that they would like to continue – or would like more people to be involved in?
- By learning from the community, we can intuitively support their efforts without adding to their plates.
Once confirmed, our Service Sites for 2022-23 and the service descriptions for their Member roles will appear below.
Member Duties
- Pursue interfaith understanding, cultural connection, and community vitality through service.
- Serve with a team of other members in a year of nonprofit networking and community-based learning out of Center for Interfaith Cooperation and partner sites around Central Indiana.
- Build authentic professional relationships with immigrants, faith groups, and service providers by facilitating and engaging in honest and sensitive conversations.
- Learn and use nonprofit best practices to support site organizations and community training opportunities.
- Cultivate a working understanding of root causes of community needs including mental health stigma, implicit bias, resource disparity, social isolation.
- Identify and pursue training that leverages local experts and professionals for the benefit of your site and the AmeriCorps team.
Skills
- Conflict Resolution
- Community Organization
- Communications
- Leadership
- Public Health
- Social Services
- Computers/Technology
Program Benefits
- Biweekly Living Allowance during active service (up to $22,000 per year for 22-23)
- Group Training and Individualized Professional Development (read about our Core Competencies)
- Eligible for the Segal Education Award upon successful completion of service
Eligibility and Policies
Member eligibility criteria (additional specific qualifications vary by service site and role)
- IEC members must be U.S. Citizens aged 18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Reliable transportation is recommended
- Service in the IEC may be compatible with work or attendance at school during off-hours for individuals with exceptional time management skills.
How to Apply
Member Candidates may submit a pre-application at any time here. The recruitment process has multiple steps. Interested candidates can speed the selection process somewhat by registering to create a new Member profile in the AmeriCorps Portal.You will receive an email confirmation within 72 hours with instructions to schedule a screening call. Once screened, candidates will be invited to 1) interview with our service sites and 2) submit an official application as soon as the opportunity is live in the AmeriCorps Portal.
For more information, contact Aimee Formo at aimee@indycic.org.
Host a Member
Center for Interfaith Cooperation trains and places AmeriCorps members in partner congregations and organizations interested in building a strong, resourced interfaith community.
Service Site EXPECTATIONS and POLICIES
Service Site Eligibility Criteria
- Only non-profit organizations are eligible to be Service Sites. Ideal partners have faith-based outreach or programs, work with underserved and/or minoritized populations, and/or address one or more of the social determinants of health.
- All IEC service sites must articulate interfaith goals for the service term and have capacity to supervise member(s) and provide them with a dedicated workspace and a named supervisor.
- Supervisors must complete a minimal number of reporting tasks in a timely fashion, including timesheet approvals and simple pre-, mid-, and post- service evaluations.
- Where demand for Member placements exceeds our program’s capacity, program staff will select sites based on mission alignment, expected Member experience/professional development potential, and past performance (if applicable)
Benefits to Service Sites
An AmeriCorps member at your congregation or organization will build your capacity to (a) collaborate with religious communities, (b) cultivate interfaith understanding and cultural relevance, and (c) enhance and augment mission services in a sustainable fashion.
Members commit to 1700 hours of service and training, with CIC providing the majority of professional development opportunities needed to support success.
Members do not replace staff or volunteers and instead take on a unique role in an organization, engaging in service activities such as volunteer recruitment and support, community collaboration, mental health stigma reduction, staff/volunteer training, cultural connections, event planning, and other community-oriented activities.
Cost Share
Cost sharing for the 2022-23 program is as follows:
$9000 toward program funding for each full-year (September-August) member hosted
$1500 toward member health insurance coverage (if enrolled – members covered via another policy may waive AmeriCorps coverage)
Timeline - 2022-23 Service term
The IEC service year runs from September – August.
1 July: Service Descriptions due to CIC
July: Sites interview candidates following a screening by CIC
2 August 10am or 9 August 4pm: Site Supervisor Orientation Sessions; Signed MOUs due
15-20 August: Placements finalized; Member background check process begins
6-9 September: Member Orientation
9 September: Site Orientation Day. Members and Supervisors attend Orientation together in the morning. The afternoon is reserved for site-specific orientation activities (office tours, goal setting, technology training, etc.)
October 1: Cost share invoices distributed; Site Profiles and Volunteer Management Surveys due
February – March 2023: Service Site Compliance Visits
How to host a member
Service Site applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For the 2022-23 Service Term, we expect to have Service Site Selection finalized by 1 July 2022. Access the service site application here.
Faith communities and organizations should contact Aimee Formo at aimee@indycic.org with any questions.
Engage with the IEC
CIC welcomes board members, volunteers, and partners to join us for select training activities, where space permits. We are also pleased to welcome community organizations to present on local resources, non-profit skills, or service opportunities in our bi-weekly enrichment sessions.
2021-22 Members and Sites
- David Love - Center for Interfaith Cooperation
- Ashley Mager - Mothers on the Rise
- Nina Porter - Mothers on the Rise
- George Batcheldor - Cancer Support Community
- Van Bawi Thawg - Hope for Tomorrow
- Rashidah Abdullhaqq - Masjid al Mumineen
David has always held helping people in the forefront of his mind, no matter which career path he was on. Originally from Fort Wayne, he moved to Indianapolis 10 years ago. This is David’s second AmeriCorps term, this time serving at the CIC. His main foci are projects that are part of the CIC’s partnerships with NAMI and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.
Ashley Mager is a passionate woman devoted to serving those most vulnerable in our society. She is from Fishers, Indiana and a second-year graduate student at the Fairbanks School of Public Health working towards her Master’s in Public Health. With a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences, she focuses on health disparities and improving health outcomes. She is currently an AmeriCorps Member working as the Project Administrator for Mothers on the Rise, a reentry program. Mothers on the Rise is a program for pregnant women being released from the Indiana Women’s Prison, where she can demonstrate her education and experience within the field of public health. After graduation, Ashley plans to work for a program designed to address maternal and child health disparities, such as Mothers on the Rise.
Nina Porter lives in Indianapolis and is a Maternal and Child Health Leader serving with Mothers On The Rise site. They are creating a system of care for mothers and babies coming out of incarceration. She hopes to learn and serve more this year than ever before.
George Batcheldor is a reader, a writer, and a lover of all religion and mythology. He grew up in Bardstown, Kentucky, attended college at Western Kentucky University with a major in Religious Studies, and now lives in Columbus, Indiana with his partner, two cats, and five pet rats. George is serving at Cancer Support Community to provide service to cancer patients and families effected by cancer through remote programming, porch drop-offs, and home visits. George was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition and has worked in parish administration in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Van Bawi Tha Thawng is a refugee from Burma looking for better opportunities here in the USA. He is currently serving at Hope For Tomorrow as the Citizenship Classes Coordinator
“I am fortunate to be apart of AmeriCorps member especially as I learn more about the people and resources available for myself and for those I serve. I dedicate my life to serving and inspiring others, and I look forward to continually learn from the great leaders so that I can serve and inspire others in ways I haven’t before. I am also in the Army National Guard, and I have a cat named Momo.”
Rashidah loves to work with people. In Cleveland, she was been involved in her community for a long time. She attends the University of Toledo virtually. It has been a wonderful experience and has taught her to be more disciplined. One goal Rashidah has for the service term is to expand her knowledge of the soil. Rashidah is serving at Masjid Al Mumineen.
Enrichment Schedule
Details of open upcoming training opportunities appear below. Contact Aimee Formo to join a session as a guest, or follow the volunteer links.
2021-22 Enrichment
Our AmeriCorps members are tasked with building connections between faith communities, people in need, and resource providers. In order to support them in their service, we provide training opportunities that spotlight central Indiana nonprofits, highlight the importance of cultural and religious sensitivity, and cover a wide range of skills and topics from soft skills and an ethic of service to nonprofit management, volunteer coordination, safety, and distaster planning.
For skill shares, the goal is not to teach everything someone might need to know about the topic in 60 minutes, but rather to give an overview of some important elements, share tips for getting started, favorite tools, books, etc. If you have a skill or topic you’d like to share with our cohort, you can volunteer here.