Volunteers Help Families Finance Their Future
Strengthening Families’ Financial Futures
Strengthening Families’ Financial Futures
Community leaders from volunteer centers, nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, schools, and churches build local coalitions to connect targeted low-income communities to opportunities for free tax preparation. In addition, these coalitions may provide opportunities to working families and other eligible people to:
• Open bank accounts to access their refunds faster and can begin saving right away without falling prey to costly predatory lenders.
• Participate in free financial literacy classes
• Learn about building their assets and starting Individual Development Accounts, which match dollars saved by families.
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Volunteers are the Link
Volunteers play a crucial role in empowering low-income families to achieve a more secure economic future. Volunteers from all backgrounds and abilities play a role in free tax preparation services, and don’t need to be an accountant to help.
Volunteers:
• Greet the people who come for free tax preparation
• Prepare taxes
• Share information about financial literacy and asset building opportunities
• Serve as translators
• Provide childcare for families having their taxes done
Residents of low- income communities play a special role in local tax coalitions. These volunteers bring credibility, time, and talent necessary to effectively spread the word about the service within their community and help neighbors.
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Volunteer Centers Take the Lead
Over the last few years, Volunteer Centers have begun taking the lead in expanding local EITC Initiatives through the effective utilization of volunteers. Volunteer Centers across the nation are:
• Recruiting diverse volunteers to fill EITC service opportunities
• Training and managing volunteers
• Building the capacity of tax coalitions to effectively work with volunteers
• Promoting EITC and the role of volunteers in connecting eligible families to this resource
• Convening partners to build and strengthen coalition efforts’ through effective volunteer engagement
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The Government Works to Promote EITC
The Internal Revenue Service and local government agencies help convene coalitions of businesses and nonprofits in communities to ensure that families get the EITC money they deserve. Agencies are:
• Hosting free tax preparation sites
• Marketing EITC to eligible individuals and families
• Providing information and resources to link free tax preparation with homeownership and financial literacy
• Training volunteers to prepare taxes
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Schools and Universities Help, Too
From elementary schools to colleges, students and teachers do their part in connecting community members to this much-needed service by:
• Opening their doors to serve as free tax preparation sites
• Teaching financial literacy courses to EITC recipients
• Enlisting staff and students as volunteers
• Spreading the word in their communities about free tax preparation and EITC
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Local and National Businesses Reach Out
Local and national businesses strengthen local EITC initiatives by tapping employee skills, using company communication channels, and offering business expertise.
They are:
• Enlisting employee volunteers
• Promoting free tax preparation in their companies and communities
• Helping people become financially literate and access asset development services
• Sponsoring free tax preparation sites
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Nonprofits Tap Their Resources
Locally and nationally, nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, further their missions through their engagement in local tax coalitions. Using their position within local communities, nonprofits are:
• Providing volunteers
• Connecting their constituents and communities to free tax preparation
• Raising awareness and providing leadership to local EITC efforts
• Providing information on financial literacy and asset development
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For information on how EITC helps families:
National Community Tax Coalition
www.tax-coalition.org
National Tax Assistance for Working Families Campaign
www.eitc.info
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
http://www.cbpp.org/eic2007/
The Internal Revenue Service
www.irs.gov
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