Why National Service Corps is a Wise Investment of Taxpayer Funds

RHY and other young people served by agencies and programs across the nation will lose crucial sources of support if OMB cuts funding for National Service Programs like AmeriCorps. As experts in this field, we need to educate our elected officials and help them understand the real cost of these cuts. Here are some reasons to protect these programs:

1. In strictly budgetary terms, at its current funding level, for every $1 we invest in the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), American taxpayers get $2.30 back in fiscal returns.[1]
2. Federal spending through CNCS generates matching investment from other community sources.  That combined social investment yields an even greater return.  For every $1 in collective support, we net almost $4.[2] 
3. And National Service Programs provide social benefits beyond those that can be monetized. 
   1. Participants get valuable work experience and access to educational opportunities. 
   2. Local programs benefit from volunteer contributions, increasing their capacity to serve community needs. 
   3. People and organizations who receive services benefit from that capacity in areas like poverty reduction, public safety, education, youth development, and disaster relief, among others. 
   4. Communities subsequently benefit from long term civic engagement and continued volunteering from participants initially engaged in national service programs.
4. In fact, greater investment in National Service Programs would yield even higher rates of return.

Follow the links below to take action by sharing what you know with your elected officials.

Voice for Service: http://voicesforservice.org/call-congress-save-national-service/

Common Cause: http://act.commoncause.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sunlight_advocacy_list_page

Find a sample letter to congressional representatives here: http://bit.ly/2l8Tcn3