Alliance Meeting Minutes:
Minutes
NH Statewide EITC Alliance
January 11, 2005
UNH Cooperative Extension Family, Home and Garden Center, Manchester Present: Val Long, Suzann Knight, Torey Kortz-Stout, Cathleen Flynn, Kip Child, Tammy Bond, Racheal Stuart, Martha Hill, Jeff Goodrich, Wayne Croteau, Cary Gladstone, Joy Barrett, Greg Schneider, Frank Rawa.
1. Statewide Update of Activities from Coalitions and Other Entities
VITA sites are opening up: 1/15 Manchester, 1/20 Nashua, 1/29 Franklin.
Franklin ABC Coalition- hoping to strengthen the "asset" building part of their coalition. A Smart CD is being offered by the Franklin Savings Bank with a match from the coalition and match from the bank. Tammy reported that she presented an EITC session at Head Start. Answered questions from parents - good questions about getting credit back quickly from H&R Block, etc. The Franklin Coalition is working hard on marketing (see Best Practices).
Nashua ABC Coalition - IDA information is provided and the coalition is looking at having it as a year-long endeavor. The Nashua ABC Coalition is also working hard on marketing. The Nashua Telegraph wanted to focus a story on someone who had been helped by the coalition.
MCRC - IDA program is the newest partner. Trying to incorporate IDA into their tax program. Financial management information is incorporated into this. Working with the NH Community Loan Fund.
Discussion turned to Advance Earned Income Tax Credit.....the Alliance felt we need to work with employers to make this work. The AEITC is an asset building strategy, but a very small percent of eligibles apply for it.
LARC-ESL reported that they are working in Nashua and Manchester with Head Start, ESL, Hispanic Network, Vision Hispana. Martha mentioned the NH Minority Health Coalition (DHHS) as perhaps another group with which to work. Also mentioned that Chris Powers coordinates ESL activities for cities, and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical System as a way to reach potential clients.
Val updated on Gorham and Plymouth. The Family Resource Center @ Gorham is working with AARP to do free tax preparation at the Center for clients. Cathy McDowell at the Center is working with Sam Chase with AARP to recruit volunteers and train them. In Plymouth, Val has contacted PSU Professor Babin to help facilitate referral of Whole Village Resource Center clients to the Pease Library in Plymouth.
Cathy mentioned that Southern NH University Professor Dennis Shea (d.shea@snhu.edu) is willing to work with other schools to get a volunteer project up and running. Dennis facilitates a site at the Hooksett Library.
Volunteers: Nashua - training sessions this Saturday. Have 3-4 volunteers (got 2 at the last NIAC meeting). Daniel Webster College could provide volunteers as well. An instructor at Nashua High School will help. The Triangle Credit Union is paying one employee to volunteer.
Franklin - tried to contact Plymouth State University, and Laconia Community Technical College....neither of these contacts worked out. If someone doesn't have an interest in or background in taxes, it may not work out. Their goal was to decrease the number of Casey employees to do taxes - did decrease by two. Still working on strategies to recruit volunteers. The Alliance may take this on as an initiative.
Cathy brought up the issue of sustainability of tax preparation sites. Many sites need paid employees to keep them going. Frank talked with Salem High School to discuss teaching students to do tax preparation. MCRC - Torey manages the tax prep site and does her regular job on top of it all. Tammy mentioned the difference between sustainability when the VITA site is a part of a family resource center. Racheal mentioned stipends for volunteers and many felt it would be a huge help. Torey mentioned some good luck recruiting interpreters (they do need interpreters for many different languages at MCRC). Her site is a walk-in site. Another idea is to include the United Way in recruiting volunteers or at least getting the word out to potential volunteers.
2. Best Practices
The Best Practices part of the meeting was an excellent discussion of what the Coalitions and the Alliance are currently doing. Below is a synopsis of the discussion that took place......ideas and practices were shared in abundance!
Media and advertising can distribute the load in terms of referring to different sites. The statewide media which refers potential clients to the NH Help Line has a complete list of AARP and VITA sites in the state. One of the issues with increased media is the capacity of sites. Example: MCRC has out-of-date software and computers, and has to turn people away.
Regarding volunteers: develop a resource list of volunteers. Work with service organizations to cultivate a relationship (provide presentations).
The Nashua ABC Coalition PR efforts have included the development of a logo (provided by a graphic design/marketing firm) and marketing efforts with newspapers and local agencies. Have spoken to the Hispanic Network, NIAC, etc.
Franklin ABC Coalition has marketed to local employers (used check stuffers), schools, Chamber of Commerce, advertised on pizza boxes, developed a banner for the city, etc. Many of these efforts rose out of the "Choose Franklin" initiative to keep people in Franklin for services. The Mayor is coming to the VITA site on 1/29 to welcome people.
MCRC - outreach is an issue. Don't want to advertise and not be able to deliver. Already have a large number of people coming to MCRC for tax preparation. Need to concentrate on volunteers. Also, need more VITA sites in Manchester. The Latin American Center is a VITA site, but is having coordinator problems.
One interesting site is a business incubator in the Millyard (they have a lab). Businesses have to give back to the community, so this is a possibility.
Franklin - uses either a phone call or post card to call last year's clients to come to the VITA site and remind them of what to bring.
MCRC - Last year people were waiting in the cold to have their taxes done. This year they have a waiting room for folks to be in while they wait. A great improvement.
AARP - we want to make sure all sites are open and welcome to all, as AARP serves all (and we need AARP to bridge the gap where we do not have VITA sites).
Media - the NH Statewide EITC Alliance continues to work the The Brodeur Group to develop and implement TV and radio commercials. Val played the :30 second television commercial (stations are giving matching time in the form of PSA's). This commercial will be playing on Channel 9 and Adelphia Cable from January 3rd through April 14th. There are two :60 second radio commercials which will play on WOKQ, it's sister stations, and many other radio stations throughout the state. We were able to get good deals on the development of the TV and radio commercials and the air time thanks to The Brodeur Group. Other suggestions about media were to get Cathy Flynn onto Channel 9 and other stations as the IRS expert for an interview, to the VITA sites during busy times, Manchester Public Access.
Research - Suzann and Val are have developed a survey to look at financial management practices of clients and barriers to financial security. The draft survey was handed out at the meeting. This survey will be administered at VITA sites throughout the state. MCRC would like to make sure that the survey can be provided in other languages. Would especially Spanish and Arabic.
Franklin is also doing a survey for the IRS.
Nashua - could have the survey available for clients, or Val could administer it. They would want to be sure clients knew what was available to them for financial management in case questions came up.
The next NH Statewide EITC Alliance meeting was planned for May 10th 10-12 noon. Location to be announced.
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