In late April, President Obama signed the landmark Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which will provide a sweeping expansion of national service that will engage millions of Americans in addressing local needs through volunteer service. The National Corporation for Community Service through AmeriCorps, will facilitate this Act and provide opportunities for all Americans, of all ages and backgrounds, to serve one to two years with all kinds of nonprofits. Examples of AmeriCorps-funded programs include Teach for America, City Year, and Citizen Schools.

This component of the stimulus package is exactly what the nonprofit sector needs to: build its capacity to serve its constituents and provide opportunities for millions of Americans, especially young adults, to develop hands-on skills and give back to their communities at the same time.

This initiative to revitalize public service and the social sector, as with the entire stimulus funding, needs to clearly articulate what success will look like and what are some key indicators to track success against that definition of success. What defines “addressing” the needs of a community? Are there new outcomes and metrics needed to track the progress of the millions who will serve and the progress of the targeted communities? How do nonprofits that haven’t traditionally received federal funding of this kind, navigate the measurement waters of a federal grant? How will large, institutional nonprofits such as City Year, respond to changes this piece of legislation will enact regarding impact and outcomes?

The spirit of public service and of this important piece of legislation is to help cultivate and harness the desire to contribute to the greater good. Hopefully, this bill will also consider ways to measure its true impact.