Open VISTA Positions

VISTA Positions

VISTA positions are full-time, full-year positions with flexible start dates. VISTA, as a whole, focuses on poverty elimination, and our program approaches this in a variety of ways, from addressing the opioid crisis, food insecurity, civic engagement, and more. VISTA involves indirect service and capacity building, rather than direct service. For more information about AmeriCorps VISTA, please click here.

VISTA Member Total Compensation: $32,357
VISTA Leader Total Compensation: $34,759

Details:

  • One year service commitment (December 2024 OR Summer 2025 start date)
  • 35 hours/week
  • Living Allowance of $24,962 (pre-tax) provided during service
  • Education Award of $7,395 OR $1,800 end of service stipend
  • Health coverage available at no-cost
  • Child care subsidy available for qualified members
  • College loan forbearance
  • Settling-in allowance  (up to $750), relocation allowance and mileage reimbursement ($0.40/mile) available
  • College degree preferred

More details about VISTA benefits can be found here! 

2024 Positions

(Listed By County)

Broome County

Rural Health Network of South Central New York

VISTA Leader (Binghamton, NY)

Fall 2024 – Fall 2025

The AmeriCorps VISTA leaders program is open to members who have completed at least one year of full-time service with AmeriCorps or Peace Corps. VISTA Leaders receive a living allowance of $27,364.

The VISTA Leader will be responsible for guiding a group of 19 VISTA members through their year of service, supporting them with meetings, resources, and encouragement. In this role, the Leader serves as a mentor, liaison, recruiter, facilitator, and educator for the team. With the support of Rural Health Service Corps (RHSC) staff, they will promote the RHSC VISTA project, assist with coordinating VISTA trainings, hold monthly meetings with all VISTA members, and alert current members to updates and webinars with VISTA campus. At times, they will assist in recruiting through promoting and advertising VISTA positions, contacting candidates, performing initial applicant screenings, and recommending top candidates to the VISTA supervisor. The VISTA Leader will also assist with member training opportunities, reporting, and data collection. They will support RHN’s VISTA program by making site visits to other VISTA sites, documenting findings, and sharing these with the VISTA supervisor.

Requirements: Driver’s license and personal vehicle

Program Development VISTA (Binghamton, NY)

Spring 2025 – Spring 2026

The VISTA will serve as a member of both the Community Health and the Getthere (transportation) Departments. The VISTA will support the following two emerging programs:

  1. Environmental Health Program: Rural Health Network has identified environmental health, and specifically health and safety related impacts of climate change, as an emerging rural health issue and need. The VISTA will inventory and assess existing regional environmental health capacity and initiatives and identify gaps in educational and other environmental health services. The VISTA will work with the Community Health team to develop a preliminary plan for establishing environmental health education and other environmental health services to address gaps and emerging health and safety needs related to climate change. Of particular interest are county public health – environmental health initiatives and opportunities for partnership to address rural environmental health and climate change related needs.
  2. Volunteer Driver Program: The Rural Health Network Getthere Department is developing a regional Volunteer Transportation Service. This program will recruit, train and deploy 50 volunteer drivers in 2025 and grow to 100 volunteer drivers by the end of 2026. The VISTA will support the Volunteer Transportation Service planning, development and  start-up efforts. The VISTA will assist with development of marketing materials for volunteer recruitment and promotion. The VISTA will also assist with program outreach and volunteer training and support. Additionally, the VISTA will assist with the development of data collection and scheduling systems.

Requirements: Driver’s license and personal vehicle

Church In the Wild

Eco Program Architect (Binghamton, NY)

December 2024 – December 2025

Church in the Wild is a new eco-spiritual community in Broome county working for environmental and social justice. We envision an Americorp VISTA volunteer position to help us establish and create two specific eco projects in the coming years. One project will be to help create a “Green Bing” database of environmentally friendly local businesses. This will involve: researching similar databases from other regions, developing standards for what constitutes an eco business, reaching out to local business owners, creating and maintaining the database online as well as accompanying social media pages, and sharing promotional materials both online and in person. The other project we’re just starting to develop is a Creative Re-Use Center that will rescue all types of materials from the landfill for use by artists, crafters, teachers, homeschoolers, etc. This will involve: helping find a location, developing relationships with manufacturers who have items to donate, sorting donations, recruiting and managing volunteers, coordinating workshops and classes, developing budgets and business practices, and more as the project comes to life. There may also be opportunities to assist with promoting our community care work which currently consists of a monthly free laundry night and partnering with other local justice organizations to help when needed.

Requirements: Driver’s license (personal vehicle preferred, but not required)

Chenango Ambulance Services

Chenango Ambulance Rural EMS in Action VISTA (Binghamton, NY)

December 2024 – December 2025

Gain valuable hands-on experience serving your community while building leadership and
communication skills for your future.

Chenango Ambulance Services (CAS) is a volunteer ambulance agency that serves rural and urban
communities in Broome County, NY. The Chenango Ambulance Rural EMS in Action VISTA member will
work directly with CAS to build organizational capacity and increase organizational viability. The VISTA
will expand grant writing and fundraising efforts to upgrade equipment quality and improve financial
stability. The member will also conduct community outreach and education events to increase volunteer
recruitment and retention as well as improve public awareness of EMS and knowledge of emergency
health issues. In addition, the VISTA member will develop strategies for social media management
and usage, and improve the agency’s online presence and digital organization to facilitate public
relations.

Chemung County

Food Bank of the Southern Tier

Food Bank Increasing Food Access VISTA (Elmira, NY)

December 2024 – December 2025

The VISTA will support the Food Bank’s efforts around our Increasing Access outcomes, building capacity through training, program development, and the introduction of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) framework.

Program Goals:

  • Roll-out of strategic priorities related to agency and program capacity
  • Develop succession planning toolkits and pilot with a few agencies
  • Support the development of our Partner Zone on our website to increase resource offerings to agencies
  • Create a Peer Group to establish network goals and objectives around DEI
  • Support the Community Impact Team in reducing gaps in our service area utilizing Census Tract level and internal data
Health & Nutrition Programs VISTA (Elmira, NY)

December 2024 – December 2025

Are you passionate about health, nutrition, and wellness? Do want to support your community in accessing nourishing foods? Apply for our Health and Nutrition Programs VISTA position! In this role, you will work closely with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier’s Health & Nutrition Team on new and existing programs that we operate in partnership with local healthcare institutions. You will support existing programs by developing educational health resources, assisting with food delivery planning, evaluating program impacts, and proposing new ways to enhance and expand programming . You will also work to forge new connections and opportunities to partner with the healthcare system to streamline access to food in our communities.

Madison County

New York State Association for Rural Health

Communication and Development Specialist (Canastota, NY)

December 2024 – December 2025

At the New York State Association for Rural Health (NYSARH), we stand at the forefront of rural health
advocacy, serving as the pivotal link among New York’s diverse rural health organizations and professionals.
We are dedicated to connecting our members, enhancing capacities, and unifying a broad spectrum of voices to champion the cause of comprehensive rural health services.

We are on the lookout for a dynamic and innovative AmeriCorps VISTA Communications Specialist. If you are passionate about crafting impactful messages, eager for continuous professional growth, and skilled at
nurturing relationships with a variety of stakeholders, then you could be the perfect fit for our team. This role not only offers the chance to significantly communicate rural health policies, programs, and practices but also provides a vibrant opportunity to enrich your career portfolio in a highly visible and impactful position. Join us in shaping the future of rural health in New York by amplifying the voices that matter most in our communities.

This is a hybrid full-time AmeriCorps VISTA position. Total compensation is $30,277.

 

Key Responsibilities:

  • Communications:
    • On-going website updates
    • Regular posts to social media sites
    • Quarterly newsletter
    • Occasional press releases
  • Membership:
    • Manage member database [we use Wild Apricot software]
    • Communicate with current, lapsed and prospective members
  • Education:
    • Leader for monthly educational Rural Health Webinars
    • Support to Rural Health Symposium [September 2024]
    • Support to Public Health Partnership Conference [May 2025]
  • Development
    • Research potential funders and sponsors
    • Write grant proposals
  • Board of Directors
    • Liaison to Membership, Education, and Development Committees.
    • Participate in Board of Directors meetings

Schuyler County

Schuyler County Public Health Department

Harm Reduction VISTA

December 2024 – December 2025

The goal of the Harm Reduction VISTA will be to prevent, reduce, and delay the onset of substance use among Schuyler County youth by:

  • Collaborating with our community partners on the DisposeRx program and opioid data
  • Promoting prevention education and substance-free activities
  • Implementing environmental strategies
  • Supporting and expanding opioid prevention and harm reduction in the community through planning and organizing trainings for community members and first responders

Application

Successful applicants (minimum age 18) will demonstrate the following proficiencies and values:

  • An interest in, and commitment to, health and/or rural communities and people
  • Evidence of current and/or past volunteer service activities
  • Communication skills, including writing and verbal communication with clarity and accuracy
  • Self direction: Members must be self-directed and show evidence of their ability to work independently and efficiently
  • Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents, clear a National Service Criminal History Check, and have their high school diploma or GED