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289844720
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Initial Memo to Taskforce
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289844720
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Initial Memo to Taskforce
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Records of the Office of National Service (Clinton Administration)
Sarah Whitman's Files
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FOIA Number: 2013-0661-F (2)
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
National Service
Series/Staff Member:
Sarah Whitman
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
1289
FolderID:
Folder Title:
Initial Memo to Taskforce
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
S
66
2
5
3
May 17, 1993
MEMORANDUM
FROM:
Sarah Whitman
TO:
Eli Segal
Subject: Start-up of the Corporation for National Service
In preparation for establishing the new Corporation we have broken down the
issues we need to address into 10 broad categories (1) governance and structure;
(2) program; (3) personnel; (4) finance; (5) private sector involvement; (6)
regulations; (7) state structure; (8) equipment, facilities and technology; (9)
communications and (10) Inspector General
In order to help put the business plan together, we need to establish a plan to
address each of these issue areas. Attached are a list of preliminary questions for
each of the 10 issue areas.
Basic Questions for all Task Forces
1. What are the precedents?
-
ACTION/Peace Corps
-
EPA absorption (air, water etc.)
⑉
Creation of Corporation for Public Broadcasting
-
Department of Education
-
Department of Energy
-
Are any state level mergers useful? Any in private sector?
-
Legal Services Corporation
-
Synthetic Fuels Corporation
-
Uranium Enrichment Corporation
-
Resolution Trust Corporation (William Seidman)
-
Boy Scouts
2. What has been written about them (check GAO data base)?
3. Who knows about them: (Jack has names), Arnie Miller, Dick Staufenberger, Bob Currie,
OMB, government operations staff on hill, Reinventing Government Task Force.
4. What are the best aspects of ACTION & CNCS to incorporate in new structure (perceptions of
insiders and outsiders)?
5. What has to be done at each step? On what schedule?
6. What are the steps needed to have corporation functioning 10/1? What are the impediments?
What interim steps lie between 10/1 and full integration?
7. What is the business plan for the merger? (Create a time line to complete each phase of the
project.)
Governance and Structure
1. What are the functions of the new entity?
Program Operations
-
Analyze programs (review plans from states; review direct applications)
-
Direct programs (eg. VISTA, OAVP and CCC)
-
Develop national training models
-
Provide technical assistance on issues, management and process
-
Conduct research and development (eg. on existing and start-up programs)
-
Operate database (participants and programs)
-
Oversee and set up advisory groups for specific categories of service (health care,
environment, education etc.)
Finance
-
Fund programs
-
Pay stipends (direct or through program or states)
-
Disburse benefits
Marketing and Communications
-
Communicate with the public
-
Communicate with the media
-
Advertise and conduct outreach to stimulate participation in programs
-
Attract desired programs
-
Manage internal communications
Government Affairs
-
Communicate with Congress
-
Communicate with Executive Branch
-
Communicate with states/ cities
Private Sector Liaison (eg. corporate, foundation and individual)
-
Initiate campaign to gain financial and in-kind support for programs
-
Get technical assistance (esp. management for non-profits)
Legal
-
Advise on all legal matters (including developing regulations)
Administrative
-
General corporate overhead
Personnel
-
Handle all personnel issues
Facilities, Equipment and technology
-
Manage facilities, equipment and technology
Inspector General
-
Prevent and eliminate fraud and abuse
2. What structure facilitates best performance of these functions?
3. How does the ideal structure compare to ACTION's or CNCS' existing structure?
4. What are the personnel implications of any structural change?
5. How can ACTION & CNCS be merged culturally and operationally? What actions are
required prior to 10/1? Thereafter but before the merger? How integrated can the
programming be (ie., should VISTA and OAVP be entirely free-standing)?
6. Do we want to have structure and titles that are "corporate" instead of "government"
oriented?
Programs
1. What programs (placements), in detail, are being funded by ACTION that will be operating
past 10/1?
2. Same question for the Commission?
3. How do we maintain the continuity and integrity of existing programs and program service
delivery during the transition?
4. How can we determine the following about existing programs?
-
Current track record
-
Are current goals the same as ours
-
Esprit de corps
-
Visible identity in the community
-
Management (especially abilities if the program expands)
-
Recruitment (from what pool? what methods?)
-
Training (methods, goals, results)
-
Service (vis our 4 areas: measurable results?)
-
Service learning component
- Supervision
-
Expansion plans & capacity
- Replicability
5. Any flexibility to change funding decisions by law? practice?
6. How will we service programs: from DC? Regional units? Teams by issue area? State level?
7. How will we judge and nurture quality?
8. What are performance criteria? Who should we consult in developing performance criteria
(e.g. national corporation; state commissions; governors; mayors; communities; programs)?
9. How do we get best issues guidance? Are there legal parameters for advisory groups for the
Corporation? What do we need from them?
10. Do we need subgroups for specific issues areas?
11. How do we encourage diversity of participants and of programs?
12. What are the program differences depending on age of targets (ie, pre-, during - and post-
college)? Depending on who runs the program (eg. non-profits vs. federal agency)?
13. How do we encourage new entrepreneurial models?
14. What will the relationship be between outreach and program?
15. How do we get community groups' support? Spread the word to underserved
communities? Get participants and programs from under-represented groups?
16. How are plans approved/ rejected/ re-tooled?
Personnel and Labor Relations
1. What do we need to communicate to existing employees during the transition period to
alleviate unnecessary employee anxiety?
2. Who does what at ACTION? At CNCS?
3. What are their performance ratings?
4. What functions are necessary for CNCS/ Corporation to function 10/1?
5. What functions are necessary for ACTION programs to operate after the transition?
6. What would the ideal candidate profile be for each slot in the new corporation?
7. How well do existing people match the ideal candidate profiles?
8. What is the best way to handle necessary out-placements? How much time should it take?
9. What are the profiles of ACTION employees (tenure; time at agency; retirement schedules)?
Are there similar issues regarding CNCS employees?
10. What does the Bill allow regarding treatment of employees throughout implementation of
the merger (Impact of proposed five year terms of employment on existing personnel. Use of
discretionary authority to bridge gaps.)?
11. What are the statutory/regulatory parameters?
12. What are the necessary administrative processes?
13. What needs to be done at ACTION or CNCS before 10/1 to facilitate creation of the new
corporation (ie. transfers, reassignments, new hiring, appointments)?
14. How can we best manage our relations with the Union? What are the local and national
unions' major issues? What parameters are imposed on ACTION by collective bargaining
agreements? Which of those parameters would be inherited by the new corporation?
15. How do we select a new corporate Board? What needs to be done prior to 10/1 (eg. appoint
new CNCS Board members)? How do we reflect poverty and older American issues expertise?
16. What kind of people do we need at state level? What is relationship to ACTION's state
offices?
Finance Questions
Initial Background questions:
1. What is the '93 budget?
2. What money is obligated so far?
3. What is the degree of flexibility in remaining funds?
4. How should we organize the numbers? How are they currently broken down?
5. What is the handling capacity under the existing structure?
How many grants can the commission process?
How many volunteers can ACTION handle?
6. What are the economies of scale?
7. What do the overhead numbers look like?
8. What is the breakdown of fixed, variable and semi-variable costs?
9. What financial accounting system does the corporation need?
Consolidated Financial Statements for the Corporation:
1. What is our projected growth? How fast will we grow?
2. What mix of public and private dollars will finance the projected growth over the next five
years?
3. How much would we ideally like to raise from the private sector in the first year?
What do we absolutely need from the private sector?
(15% stipend is approx. 21 mill, 25% program is harder to judge).
4. What do the consolidated financial statements look like when we merge ONS, CNCS and
ACTION?
5. How will the Trust operate?
6. What needs to be done with OMB and the Appropriations Committees to budget for FY '94?
Private Sector Involvement
Selling the program to the private sector:
1. What is our strategy for reaching the private sector?
Who are we?
What are we selling?
What service are we providing?
Why are we asking for money?
2. What marketing tools will we use to reach the private sector?
3. What does the private sector want out of the program? What kind of involvement?
4. In what ways (and in what priorities) can the private sector support national service?
5. What will the money be used for?
6. What are the options for donation?
- Cash, in-kind, management training and support
- Can the donor specify local programs or issue specific programs?
- Will we have a list of priority programs that we want to fund if we get the
money?
Fundraising plan:
7. How do we provide support for fundraising at the local/ program level?
8. How do we avoid cannibalizing existing programs and fundraising efforts on a
national, state and program level?
9. What will support sustainability for the program? How do we build a model that
sustains the initial growth?
10. What is the Corporation's responsibility on the local level?
11. Who are we willing to take money from? (tobacco, alcohol etc)
12. How do we most effectively work with other groups who are competing for the same
dollars (Points of Light, and United Way etc...)?
13. Will the private sector provide incremental support for programs we have already
approved, or funding for acceptable programs that aren't already being funded (e.g.
S.O.S. program #20)?
14. What is the relationship of matching requirements and the challenge grants program?
15. Should the Bill be amended to allow donations for programming (not just benefits)?
Regulations
1. What areas does the Bill deliberately leave to regulation?
2. What other categories are generally covered in introductory regulations?
3. Who must review/approve? Process and time required?
4. What do we need in place to begin to solicit state plans?
5. Can implementation of regulations be done in phases to get programming started?
6. What is needed/ useful to be able to solicit, review and accept donations (eg. Corporation for
Public Broadcasting)?
State Structure
1. What is the role of ACTION's state and regional offices? How will they interact with or
overlap with the state Commissions?
2. What state entities exist now? What do they do and how well do they do it?
3. Are there other bodies in place which could serve the function in the interim? What are the
criteria for interim arrangements during the transition?
4. How do we best inspire each Governor to create Commissions quickly and pick the best
Board members?
5. What resources do the states need to get established (money, technical assistance)?
6. Do we have these resources? Where can we get them?
7. What needs to be done to get state plans ready for submittal:
- criteria for programs
- process for competitive evaluation
- interface with national corporation
- local outreach
- infrastructure for follow up (technical assistance and monitoring)
S. What are the responsibilities of the corporate representative in the state structure?
Equipment, Facilities & Technology
1. What spaces do ACTION & CNCS have under lease? Terms? Usage?
2. Is expansion in either space desirable? Possible?
3. Assuming ACTION is absorbed gradually and CNCS is done immediately, what size and
configuration of space would be needed 10/1? What are the alternatives?
4. What are alternative locations? Terms?
5. Would such space allow for ACTION to be absorbed there eventually?
6. What are the projected space needs at the end of '94?
7. How are space needs likely to increase thereafter?
8. Are equipment, facilities and technology costs covered in budget?
9. What do we need to do to get desired space?
10. How are moves accomplished? By whom? What time frame?
11. What office equipment will we need? What can come from CNCS? From ACTION ? What
is lead time/ process/ cost?
12. What are our true database needs? What type of information do we need on service
applicants? On programs?
13. How flexible/ fast/ costly/ up-gradable is existing technology for managing database?
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Questions:
1. What is our strategy for communicating with:
the public at large,
program participants,
program sponsors
private sector
the media?
2. What are the core messages that we want to communicate to the general public about national
service?
3. What is our short-term strategy to raise awareness?
4. What is our long-term plan to communicate our progress?
5. Which media will we target to reach each of our customer bases?
6. What will our advertising strategy be ?
7. What special events would be useful to raise awareness?
8. What market information do we need? Are there any survey's we should conduct?
9. How can we leverage "summer of service" with the media and public to build awareness for
the full program?
10. What is our internal strategy for dealing with the press and customers? Who is allowed to
speak to the press? What controls do we have on information dissemination.
11. What marketing materials should we have and what should they contain?
Press Package?
Brochure?
Annual Report?
Graphics?
12. Will we handle all communications internally or will we hire outside consultants?
13. What resources will the communications/marketing function of the corporation need?
14. What is our plan for communicating internally and with all of the state offices?
15. To what extent do ACTION and new programs need separate messages now? after
integration?
16. How do we develop a resonating name for the new national service effort (eg. Americorps)?
17. How do we create a national identity for the programs?
Inspector General and Oversight
1. What is the proper balance between allowing initiative and stopping fraud and waste?
2. Can the Inspector General do other than accounting reviews ?