Peer Exchange
Staying in touch with others who are involved with service and volunteering will help you as you build your city’s service plan and establish the citywide service initiative. The Service Connection is a helpful tool for keeping in touch with peers and others working to improve communities through service.
Located at www.ServiceConnectionOnline.org, the Service Connection, is an online community where you can stay connected with others and discuss/share ideas around service and volunteering in your community and across the nation.
- Service Connection is built on NING, a social networking platform similar to Facebook or MySpace.
- The site is designed for people/groups involved with service and volunteering.
- It’s easy to sign up and free to use.
- You can join groups, engage in forum discussions, hold live chats, and share photos and videos.
How do you sign up for Service Connection?
- Go to www.ServiceConnectionOnline.org
- Click sign up in the upper right hand corner
- Enter your email address
- Create a password. Retype your password
- Enter birth date
- Type the Captcha words that appear in the box
- Press “Sign Up”
- On the next screen, enter your first and last name
- Upload a profile photo or image
- Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email
Blueprint for Change group
Within the Service Connection community, there are a number of groups that may be useful to you. The Blueprint for Change Group is a private, by invitation only group for city leaders. It allows you to:
- Ask questions of peers about issues related to creating your service plan
- Respond to questions others are posting
- Share challenges and seek solutions
- Share tips and best practices
- Discuss inside city hall issues that are helping or hindering your process
Another useful peer exchange features of the Service Connection is the state groups (currently open to the public); its features are outlined below.
State Groups
The Facts:
- State groups are open to the public.
- This includes all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
- They provide a place for open discussion.
- Only members of your state’s group can view these discussions.
Uses:
- Various cities within a state may connect with each other.
- Cities may connect with others in the state involved in service including CNCS state offices, State Commissions (under the governors’ offices), and the programs they fund.
If you would like to start a city or community group within Service Connection, please send your request to ServiceConnection@CampaignConsultation.com.
For more information and frequently asked questions about the Service Connection click here.
