1. New Jersey AmeriCorps
Bonner Leader Program
&
New Jersey AmeriCorps
PolicyOptions Corps
“Access to Education,
Opportunity to Serve”
A program of:
The Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation and The College of New Jersey
10 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 924-6663 • (609) 683-4626 fax
For more information, please visit our website at www.bonner.org
1

2. Program Partners
Participating Colleges and Community Partners
Campus Partners
• Burlington County College
• Middlesex County College
• Rider University
• Rutgers University - New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden
• The College of New Jersey
Community Partners
• Crisis Ministry
• Elijah’s Promise
• Habitat for Humanity of Trenton
• HomeFront
• Isles
• Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County
• Mercer Street Friends
• Rescue Mission
• Trenton Area Soup Kitchen
www.bonner.org 2

3. Service Issue Areas
Service Issue Areas
• Adult Education
• Community Development
• Early Childhood Education
• Health
• Housing
• Hunger
• Literacy
• Mentoring At-Risk Youth
• Substance Abuse
• Workforce Development
www.bonner.org 3

4. Program Policies and Procedures
Service Eligibility
www.bonner.org 4

5. Service Eligibility
• Domestic in scope
• Benefit a not-for-profit organization
• Meet non-duplication and non-displacement standards
• May not include any of the “AmeriCorps Prohibited
Activities”
• Include limited fundraising (10% of total hours)
www.bonner.org 5

6. Service Eligibility
• Limited administrative duties
• Must not include on-call hours
• Service cannot be conducted at home
• All positions must be approved by the Foundation
www.bonner.org 6

7. Service Eligibility: Fundraising
Prohibited Fundraising Activities
• Members cannot fundraise for their own living allowance
• Members cannot raise funds for general operating expenses or endowment
• Members cannot write a grant application to any Federal agency
Allowable Fundraising Activities
• Members serving at an after-school program can seek book donations
• Members serving with a housing agency can seek donations of home supplies
• Members can write a grant to a local foundation for funds to conduct volunteer
training
www.bonner.org 7

8. Program Policies and Procedures
Member Eligibility
www.bonner.org 8

9. Member Eligibility
• US citizen or lawful permanent resident
• 17 years of age
• High school diploma or agree to obtain a diploma
or GED before using the Education Award
• Must successfully complete a 3-part criminal
history check with no record of committing sex
offenses or murder
www.bonner.org 9

10. Background Checks
• National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW)
• State Criminal Registry Check in New Jersey and state of
residence
• FBI Fingerprint Check
• Members cannot be left unsupervised with a
member of a vulnerable population (children,
disabled, elderly) until all components of the
background check are completed.
www.bonner.org 10

11. Program Policies and Procedures
Term of Service
www.bonner.org 11

12. Member Term of Service
• Not to exceed one calendar year (unless extended due to a compelling,
personal circumstance)
• Members who enroll prior to December 31, 2011, will have one full calendar
year to complete hours
• Members who enroll after December 31, 2011, will have until December 31,
2012 to complete hours
• All members completing the same term (300, 900, or 1700 hours) must be
given the same timeframe to complete the term (exception: summer-only
members)
• No more than 20% of hours can be training hours and no more than 10% can
be fundraising hours
• Members cannot have a part-time job with the agency where they are placed
for their AmeriCorps term
www.bonner.org 12

13. Program Policies and Procedures
Member Benefits
www.bonner.org 13

14. Member Benefits
• Healthcare Coverage (if applicable)
• Childcare Allowance (if applicable)
• Living Allowance
• Education Award
• Loan Forbearance and Interest Accrual
www.bonner.org 14

15. Health Benefits
• Health benefits provided through Mutual of
Omaha to full-time members. Members must
serve full-time hours (+30 hours a week).
• Members enrolled in comparable coverage
through a parent, spouse, etc. may decline.
• Members enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid must
enroll in health benefits coverage provided.
• Coverage begins on the first day of service.
• No continuation coverage is available.
www.bonner.org 15

16. Childcare Benefits
• Childcare benefits are available to full-time
members and half-time members serving in a
full-time capacity through First Financial
Associates.
• Childcare benefits must be paid to a NJ State
Licensed Childcare Provider.
www.bonner.org 16

17. Living Allowance
Term Minimum- Part-time Full-time
time
Hours 300 900 1700
Stipend Min: $1,900 Min: $8,000 Min: $16,000
Max: $4,300 Max: $12,800 Max: $24,200
www.bonner.org 17

18. Living Allowance
• Living allowance must be paid in equal
increments ($16,000/26 pay periods = $615.38
per pay period)
• Amount should not fluctuate based on the
number of hours served unless the Member is
suspended
• Can be withheld if the Member does not turn in
hour logs by the deadline
• Cannot be distributed if the Member exits the
program before his/her agreed upon end date
www.bonner.org 18

19. Living Allowance & Taxes
• Applicable federal and state taxes, including
FICA, MUST be withheld.
• Unemployment taxes, NJ Family Medical Leave
and NJ disability taxes MUST NOT be
withheld.
www.bonner.org 19

20. Living Allowance &
Personal Time Off
• Vacation/Holidays (no credit for service hours)
• Sick time (no credit for service hours)
• Bereavement time (no credit for service hours)
• Jury duty (credit for service hours)
www.bonner.org 20

21. Living Allowance & Public Benefits
• Members should contact their case manager for
specific information as to how the AmeriCorps
stipend may impact public benefits such as TANF,
food stamps, etc.
www.bonner.org 21

22. Living Allowance & Garnishment
• The federal portion of the Member’s Living
Allowance is not subject to garnishment.
www.bonner.org 22

23. Educational Award
Term Minimum- Part-time Full-time
time
Hours 300 900 1700
Ed Award $1,175 $2,775 $5,550
• Received only upon successful completion of term
• May be used to pay qualified educational expenses
• May be used to repay qualified student loans
• Taxed in the year in which it is used
www.bonner.org 23

24. Loan Forbearance &
Interest Accrual
• Loan Forbearance
• Interest Accrual
www.bonner.org 24

25. Program Policies and Procedures
Member Enrollment
&
Term of Service
www.bonner.org 25

26. Member Enrollment Process
• Full-time (1700 hours) and half-time (900 hours) members will
participate in the Bonner AmeriCorps 101 Orientation on
September 1, 2011.
• Minimum-time (300 hours) members will participate in the
Bonner AmeriCorps 101 Orientation during their on-campus
Bonner Program orientations.
• All full-time and half-time members must participate in a final
screening by Christen Foell prior to being hired.
• Completed enrollment materials must reach the Foundation
office within 14 days (two weeks) of the member’s start date.
www.bonner.org 26

27. Monthly Hour Logs
• BWBRS (Electronic signatures now required for all NJ programs!!!)
• Community Learning Agreements
• Training vs. Service hours
• Fundraising hours
• Duplicate entries
• Signature dates
• Changes to Hour Logs
• Timely Submission - Must be submitted to the Foundation by the
15th of each month (i.e. September timesheet is due by October 15)
www.bonner.org 27

28. Member Evaluation
• Midpoint Evaluation (at half-way mark)
• End of Term Evaluation (at conclusion of service)
www.bonner.org 28

29. Member Management
• Members should always address questions,
concerns, and complaints to the site supervisor
and/or the campus administrator.
• If a Foundation employee is contacted by a
member in regards to a particular concern,
complaint, etc., we will notify the site supervisor
and/or campus administrator.
www.bonner.org 29

30. Member Disciplinary Steps
Steps:
1) Verbal Warning
2) Written Warning
3) Suspension (without pay)
4) Release for Cause
*Document, document, document*
www.bonner.org 30

31. Suspension of a Member
• For personal compelling circumstances
• Injury or illness of AmeriCorps member
• Injury, illness, or death of a family member
Documentation must be provided by the member
• For Cause
• Disciplinary procedure
• Member charged with violent felony or sale or
distribution of a controlled substance
• Member convicted of possession of a controlled
substance
www.bonner.org 31

32. Suspension of a Member
During a period of suspension:
• May not receive a living allowance
• May not accrue service or training hours
www.bonner.org 32

33. Release of a Member
For personal, compelling circumstances
• Member receives a pro-rated award if he or she has
completed 15% or more of the contracted hours
• Member has the primary responsibility for demonstrating
compelling, personal circumstances
• Program must document compelling, personal
circumstance
www.bonner.org 33

34. Release of a Member
Compelling, personal circumstances include:
• Member’s disability or serious illness
• Disability, serious illness, or death of a participant's family
member
• Military service obligations
• Opportunity to make the transition from welfare to work
• Conditions attributable to the program or otherwise
unforeseeable such as a natural disaster, strike, relocation of a
spouse, or the non-renewal or premature closing of a project or
program
www.bonner.org 34

35. Release of a Member
For cause
• Member does not receive any portion of the
education award or interest accrual benefits
• Member must disclose on future AmeriCorps
applications
www.bonner.org 35

36. Release of a Member
Cause circumstances include:
• Disciplinary reasons
• Member dissatisfaction with the program
• Employment (other than opportunity to move from welfare to work)
• School
• Member convicted of a felony
• Member convicted of the sale or distribution of a controlled substance
www.bonner.org 36

37. Member Exit
• Documentation Required:
• Outstanding Hour Logs
• End of Term Evaluation
• AmeriCorps Exit Form (signed on or after the last
day of service)
• All exit materials must reach the Foundation no
later than 14 days (two weeks) after the
member’s last day of service, which may or may
not be the same as the official end date.
www.bonner.org 37

38. Program Policies and Procedures
Reporting
www.bonner.org 38

39. Program Reporting
Progress reports due on a quarterly basis
• December 15, 2011
• March 15, 2011
• June 15, 2011
• September 15, 2011
www.bonner.org 39

40. Program Reporting:
CNCS Strategic Initiatives
• Education
• Healthy Futures
• Clean Energy/Environment
• Veterans Services
• Economic Opportunity
• Disaster Preparedness and Response
www.bonner.org 40

41. Program Reporting:
Volunteer Management
• Types of volunteer projects
• Number of volunteer recruited
• Number of volunteer hours
www.bonner.org 41