VISTA Member: Hannah Birkholz
Site: St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN)
Project Focus: Creating a Volunteer Program
Why did you make the choice to serve a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA member?
I chose to serve as an AmeriCorp VISTA member because I wanted to explore working for nonprofit organizations as a future career path. AmeriCorp offers short term positions that help you gain experience that you might not normally be able to do straight out of college.
What are you working on this year?
This year I will be working on creating a volunteer program to help SPNN better use their volunteers. The main focus will be on how we can have better retention of our skilled volunteers.
What do you hope to do in the future and how is VISTA supporting that?
I am still unsure of what I want to do in the future. Currently I am considering working in Corporate Social Responsibility since I think that many companies should do more to support their communities. VISTA is a really great way to not only gain experience working in nonprofits but to also receive training on areas outside of your project focus. For example, VISTA offers online classes and webinars that all VISTAs have access to regardless of their individual project focus.