United Way of Hunterdon County June, Volunteer Income Tax Preparation (VITA) Program Proposal

Transcription

1 United Way of Hunterdon County June, 2012 Volunteer Income Tax Preparation (VITA) Program Proposal

2 I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 3 II ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND..4 III OBJECTIVES/SCOPE OF WORK..4 IV KEY PERSONNEL V BUDGET SUMMARY VI DELIVERABLE TIMING VII COLLABORATIONS VIII EVALUATION/OUTCOME MEASURES Page 2 of 14

3 I. Proposal Executive Summary Objective Investing in improving lives in our community by providing free tax assistance in partnership with the IRS. Project Description The VITA program is part of the first step of the Financial Stability Framework. The focus is to assist families and/or individuials that make an income of $50,000 or less. Our volunteers focus on assisting clients by determining if they can claim tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and to encourage split refunds into savings account, by eligible low to moderate wage earning individuals and families. Estimated Project Deliverables(Status/ Timing/ Description) 3Q12 Recruit and Train Volunteers 4Q12 Recruit and Train Volunteers/Commitment from Mobil Sites 1Q13 Finish Training Volunteers/ Schedule VITA Sites for the Tax Season/Prepare Tax Returns 2Q13 Prepare Tax Returns/ Outcomes/Recognition/Prepare for Grant On Track Redirected Delayed Dropped Project Cost Estimates Item Description Cost ($K) Tax prep assistance 42,953 Total New Program Continuation of existing Program Contacts Project Leader: Amy Andersen UWHC Contact: Organization: United Way of Hunterdon County Amy Andersen, Volunteer Program Manager Bonnie Duncan, CEO Caroline Scutt, Community Impact Director Date: Approved: Date: Page 3 of 14

4 Volunteer Income Tax Preparation Proposal I. Organizational Background The mission of United Way of Hunterdon County is to provide leadership that brings people together, promotes volunteerism, and mobilizes resources to have lasting change and measurable impact in our community. One of our primary target areas is income, in which we focus on helping lower income individuals and families achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency. The VITA program offers free tax assistance done in partnership with the IRS; its focus is to assist eligible low to moderate wage earning individuals and families in claiming of tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and to encourage them to deposit tax refunds into savings accounts, by. By claiming these credits and splitting refunds into savings, individuals and families have more money to pay bills, pay down debt, etc. In 2012, over $400,000 in refunds benefited local families and the local economy. Helping ALICE through VITA ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) individuals and families sporadically need a boost to help weather the occasional storm of life and remain stable. United Way of Hunterdon County is constantly aware of ALICE when we approach community issues. We know that with a little help, one setback a broken water heater, or a costly car repair will not force ALICE families and individuals into a downward spiral. To help ensure ALICE families and individuals remain self-sufficient, we are committed to an ongoing effort to improve the EDUCATION, INCOME and HEALTH of ALICE families with the following program in Hunterdon County. United Way of Hunterdon County believes that the VITA program that we provide enables Hunterdon County low-income and ALICE families and individuals with: A free and confidential way to stay tax compliant with the government A way to access/claim the benefits of current tax credits Information referral to community resources Information and access to financial education resources A way to systematically and annually save money for unexpected needs II. Objectives/Scope of Work Deliverables and Alignment with an Indicator of Change The VITA program is aligned with improving the financial stability of low-to-moderate income Hunterdon County residents. Through this program, UWHC is able to increase client awareness and utilization of income support programs. Our program provides clients with an income support service (e.g. tax refund) and promotes other income support programs (e.g. Holiday Hands, Diaper Bank, Tools 4 School, internet services for low-income households, clothes closet, other local and state benefit programs etc.) and services that client may not be taking advantage of currently. In addition, UWHC is working towards providing these clients access to financial education programs as well as financial mentoring. VITA also supports UWHC s indicators of change as our clients may be able to stay within their monthly budget because many who are entitled to a refund can save that money for an emergency or use it to pay current bills. Needs Assessment: Who benefits from VITA? According to the IRS, out of the 57,802 returns that were filed for TY2011, about 43% (24,809) are returns from families and individuals who are classified as low-income households. The six areas in Page 4 of 14

5 Hunterdon County that have the most residents in need of our VITA services include Flemington, Milford, Whitehouse Station, Lambertville, Lebanon, and Annandale. However, all areas of Hunterdon County have at least 36% of their population filing low-income returns. Differentiation from existing resources/programs In Hunterdon County, UWHC is the only organization that runs the VITA program. The IRS is consolidating sites and the former Senior Center sites will be operating through UWHC s VITA program. Our target audience is low-income and limited English proficient Hunterdon County residents, as well as our senior citizens. Outcome to be achieved VITA must demonstrate outcomes that bring United Way of Hunterdon County closer to its vision of improving lives in Hunterdon County by responding to our human care needs. We estimate that our VITA site volunteer tax preparers will prepare at least 466 in TY2012 tax returns. In TY2011, we completed 301 returns at our VITA sites. In 2013, we anticipate an increase in returns. In addition, the Volunteer Program Manager plans to expand training for VITA volunteers so they are better able to take on key leadership roles in order to further expand site locations throughout the county. We will also increase the number of tax returns we prepare for limited English proficiency individuals by focusing our recruiting to include bilingual VITA volunteers. We plan to achieve this by recruiting translators from the local community as well as from local high schools which offer classes in advanced levels of Spanish. We will also inform the limited English proficiency population through distribution of our Fotonovelas depicting VITA services. United Way of Hunterdon County will continue its partnership with Hunterdon Helpline s translation center to serve other non-english speaking VITA clients. Through achievement of these objectives, Hunterdon County families/individuals in need will be able to receive their refund quickly, enabling them to deposit the funds in savings or use it to pay bills. In addition, these families and individuals will receive vital, current information about community resources that they may not have known existed. Population to be served Low-Income: Our primary focus will be on low-income households. According to the American Community Survey (2009), 27% of households in Hunterdon County did not earn enough to be selfsufficient, which is conservatively estimated at $65,122 (Poverty Research Institute, Legal Services of NJ.) Approximately 22%, or nearly 10,300 households, earn less than $50,000, which is our cutoff for eligibility for our VITA services. Data from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development (2009) indicated that the largest employment sector in Hunterdon County is Trade, Transportation and Utilities, with Retail Trade accounting for the most jobs (more than 9,101). The average annual wage for Trade, Transportation and Utilities is around $40,000. Thus, we are planning on meeting with employers to encourage expansion of our services directly to worksites where many low-income employees would qualify and benefit from our services. Limited English Proficient: Our secondary focus will be on individuals with limited English proficiency. Although in Hunterdon County the percentage of households in which languages other than English are spoken is relatively low at 10% (American Community Survey, ), the Hispanic population is one of the fastest growing populations in the county. From 2000 to 2008, there has been an increase of 73.1%, and the Hispanic/Latino workforce is projected to increase by 84.6% by 2016 (NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 2010.) While there has been initial reluctance in the Hispanic/Latino community to reach out for services, this population has come to know and trust our agency through the programs we offer such as Holiday Page 5 of 14

6 Hands, which provides holiday gifts to low-income households. Residents are familiar with our location and staff and are comfortable coming to our site. In addition, our agency collaborates and participates in the Hunterdon County Latino Access to Healthcare Committee, which will aid in our outreach efforts to the Latino community. This coalition represents a broad-based stakeholder group that recognizes income disparities as a barrier to healthy outcomes. Volunteer Recruitment Plan We expect to recruit approximately volunteers. We have found from past experience that the key way to grow the program is to increase the number of tax preparer volunteers each year. Many volunteers have limited time to volunteer due to work or time constraints. Generally, our most productive volunteers are available approximately 8 hours/week or more. Recruitment As a United Way, our agency has numerous opportunities for recruiting volunteers. We partner with major corporations, local businesses, banks and financial institutions, which provide us with an excellent recruitment pool. We have a Volunteer Center, which includes a web-based program called Volunteer Solutions, that allows us to post requests for volunteers. We are known in the community as the place to go for volunteer opportunities. Additionally, our plan is to deliver presentations at various service organizations throughout the community. NORWESCAP has pledged to recruit at least 5-10 new VITA volunteers to participate in United Way of Hunterdon County s VITA program for Tax Year In addition, they have volunteered to contact and work with Raritan Valley Community College to develop opportunities for several departments to offer their students credits for participating in VITA as volunteers. Retention This year, UWHC was successful in retaining its past volunteers. Only two of our 9 volunteers did not return; the reasons cited were work conflicts or wanting to volunteer closer to home. Our success is due to the creation of an environment in which volunteers feel supported and respected. Our mentoring program ensures that new volunteers are comfortable; we accommodate people s schedules and have an effective communication plan to let volunteers know when appointments are made or cancelled. We accomplish this by having someone on site during business hours to track appointments. Additionally, to keep volunteers engaged throughout the year, we offer them the opportunity to participate in our Financial Stability Partnership (FSP) and other committees. The FSP allows volunteers to become involved in the planning for the VITA site as well as other asset-building programs and strategies. Other committees support efforts to assist those in need in our community. Training During our fifth year of VITA, UWHC will offer a combination of online (IRS Link and Learn, AARP s new VITA webinar training) and in-person training. Volunteers from other VITA programs are also welcome to join our training sessions; volunteers from United Way of Northern New Jersey avail themselves of our excellent training opportunities. In addition to tax preparation training, United Way of Hunterdon County will hold a volunteer orientation session to ensure that new volunteers know what will be expected of them during the tax season. During the orientation, experienced VITA volunteers will share their volunteer experiences with new volunteers and the IRS SPEC will update all volunteers on new products and features of TaxWise. Volunteer training will also include a mock tax return preparation session using TaxWise Online to help familiarize new and returning tax preparers on how to use TaxWise as well as any new features offered online. In addition, we plan to bring in a NJ Tax Representative to discuss New Jersey tax laws and provide our volunteers with information on how to prepare the NJ State return accurately. We will also bring in experts on tax law to help with more advanced topics. We estimate that training will take approximately hours for new volunteers, which includes both the online training and the group training sessions. An additional orientation/training session will be held for Site Coordinator training. Page 6 of 14

7 Once the VITA site opens, training new volunteers continues as our experienced volunteers coach and guide new tax preparer volunteers through their first few tax return appointments. This mentorship helps the new volunteers build up the confidence to complete returns on their own. This past year, we found this type of mentoring to be invaluable. In addition to training VITA volunteers to be IRS-certified Tax Preparers, we will also be looking for a core group of volunteers to become VITA Greeters and/or provide financial education seminars to our VITA clients. NORWESCAP will collaborate with UWHC to share information on how they run their financial education programs and NORWESCAP volunteers will train our volunteers on how to provide VITA clients with benefit screening and increase the client s awareness of services they qualify for in Hunterdon County. Sustainability plan Success in delivering VITA services in workplace sites identified this past year will enable us to increase the number of clients served and expand the number of sites in the future. We will also work with these local businesses to develop additional sources for financial funding or in-kind donations, including equipment, space, and/or volunteer hours. In addition, many funding and volunteer opportunities are made possible due to our affiliation with the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce and the business community. Recognition is a cornerstone of UWHC s volunteer engagement strategy and the program includes a VITA volunteer recognition event in order to celebrate the volunteers time and efforts. Of all the volunteer programs that United Way of Hunterdon County offers, VITA is the most time intensive and requires volunteers to train extensively prior to tax season and to remain committed throughout the tax season. When we ran the VITA Recognition event in 2012, all of the volunteers enjoyed the de-briefing component, sharing ideas on how to improve the program, and all of them stated that they would like to volunteer as tax preparers in Additionally, several VITA volunteer preparers stepped forward to expand their volunteer commitment, agreeing to become trained financial coaches, further stabilizing our most vulnerable populations. In 2012, United Way of Hunterdon County took the lead in setting up and coordinating meetings between all of the local community organizations that play a role in VITA or TCE. These organizations included other United Ways in our region, Hunterdon County Division of Senior Services, and NORWESCAP RSVP. By coordinating the efforts of these diverse organizations, we were provided the VITA program with a consistent marketing message and provided easy access for qualifying clients to schedule an appointment at one of the various agency VITA sites by calling 211. In addition, when NORWESCAP RSVP was having a difficult time finding a site coordinator for their VITA sites in Hunterdon County, United Way of Hunterdon County invited their volunteers to join our program, increasing our volunteer base, providing additional volunteer opportunities to serve in our area, and expanding the reach of our services in the county. Additional collaborative meetings will be scheduled in the Fall 2012 to continue and expand these collaboration efforts and to improve the outreach of VITA services in Hunterdon County and beyond. In addition, United Way of Hunterdon County will be able to help more limited English proficiency families to be served. We especially look forward to working with NORWESCAP s Early Head Start and Head Start program and the Family Success Center of Hunterdon County that works with many immigrant families. According to the US Census Bureau, persons of Hispanic or Latino origins in 2010 were the second highest population in Hunterdon County at 5.2% (approximately 6,674 people). The American Community Survey states that there are 12,095 (about 10%) Hunterdon County residents that speak a language other than English at home. UWHC became a Certified Acceptance Agent site and has begun to offer ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number ) services, further expanding our ability to provide VITA services. ITIN services will be publicized throughout Hunterdon County, especially Flemington and Lambertville, where the majority of our county s non-english speaking population works and lives. By providing ITINs, we are able to gain new VITA clients who have been missing out on tax credits, especially the child tax credit. Page 7 of 14

8 In 2012, we expanded our collaborative efforts to work closely with 6 organizations, which allowed us to host mobile sites at their locations. These organizations included ARC of Hunterdon County, TD Bank of Frenchtown, Auto Resource Center of Hunterdon County, The Youth Center of Glen Gardner, Hunterdon Medical Center, and Fisherman s Mark. We look to enhance these sites through marketing efforts in order to serve more clients. We also are developing an additional mobile site at the First Pentecostal Prayer of Faith Church in Lambertville, NJ. III. Personnel Key UWHC Staff: Amy Andersen, Volunteer Program Manager and Site Coordinator Coordinate, evaluate, and monitor program execution Recruit, train, and orient volunteers, providing roles and responsibilities Update coordinator s personal training in tax preparation, including advanced training Identify, develop, schedule and track training opportunities and completion for volunteers Identify, develop and nurture collaborative relationships with federal and local agencies, organizations, businesses, etc. in order to provide and expand VITA services Identify, develop and expand number of VITA sites, as needed Develop streamlined registration and scheduling procedures Develop and implement publicity and marketing campaigns, coordinating efforts with other organizations Identify community resources and implement mechanisms for identifying clients in need as well as pairing clients with needed resources Provide website updates Evaluate program effectiveness and provide summary and evaluative data to UWHC Develop and implement an effective volunteer recognition program Supporting UWHC Staff: Bonnie Duncan, CEO Program oversight Caroline Scutt, Community Impact Director Create and distribute press releases to multiple media outlets Yvette Calvo, Assistant Director Maintain web updates for program Key Volunteers: Volunteer Program Chair (Main Site Coordinator) IRS-Certified Site Coordinators/Quality Reviewers IRS-Certified Tax Preparer Volunteers VITA Greeters (for UWHC site in 2013 only) Survey Input Volunteer Public Relations Volunteers Church Relations Volunteer Page 8 of 14

9 IV. Budget Summary The total projected budget for this program is $45,594. See Addendum A for Budget Table. This year, there will be an added emphasis to get strong VITA tax preparer volunteers to become Site Coordinators. This will allow the Program Coordinator, also the main Site Coordinator, to have time to supervise the program as a whole. VITA Grant UWHC will know if we will receive IRS grant funds in October 2012 for the TY2012. Direct Program Expenses include: Postcards and postage that will be sent to previous year VITA clients. Approximately 300 postcards. Creating ITINs for individuals without a SSN. Each ITIN costs UWHC about $15 in postage due to the information needing to be sent by certified mail to the federal and state government. In 2012, we created ITINs for 3 families (6 total). In 2013, UWHC hopes to promote the ITIN program and bring in about 10 families/individuals in need of an ITIN to file taxes. Equipment for mobile sites Outreach expenses. Page 9 of 14

10 V. Deliverables Detail and Timing Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Recruit and Train Volunteers/Commitment from Mobil Sites (Fall- 3+4Q12) Train Volunteers/ Schedule VITA Sites for the Tax Season (January- 1Q13) Prepare Tax Returns (February-April 15 th - 1+2Q13) Outcomes/Recognition/ Prepare for Grant (April 16 th - May- 2Q13) Recruit and train volunteers Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec- all key volunteer positions filled and trained by mid- January Decembersupporting volunteers recruited and trained, especially benefit training NORWESCAP will assist in recruitment of VITA volunteers Train Volunteers Volunteers must pass tests & be certified by IRS by end of January Scheduling Send out VITA site schedule for approval to mobile sites Determine volunteer time/date availability for scheduling Prepare Taxes Schedule volunteers to prepare taxes for clients Provide clients with questionnaire and feedback surveys Outcomes Compile data from surveys and TaxWise Recognition Plan recognition and then send out invitation Invite volunteers, staff, IRS Spec, and Board members Prepare certificates Mobile Sites Get commitment that the mobile sites from TY2011 are willing to allow us to prepare taxes again Grant IRS Grant application will be released May 1 st and will be due May 31st VI. Collaborations The mission of United Way of Hunterdon County is to provide leadership that brings people together, promotes volunteerism, and mobilizes resources to have lasting change and measurable impact in our community. One of our primary target areas is income, in which we focus on helping lower income individuals and families achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency. We support 25 Member Agencies with whom we collaborate on meeting community needs. Our relationships involve much more than just funding. We collaborate on volunteer projects and on advocacy efforts. We partner with them and other organizations to identify needs and resources in our community, and work towards finding solutions. Additionally, we have continued to grow our corporate partnerships. In 2012, UWHC was able to partner with Auto Resource Center of Hunterdon, TD Bank of Frenchtown, and the Hunterdon Medical Center to Page 10 of 14

11 conduct VITA mobile sites. During a morning meeting, Lowe s of Flemington allowed our Volunteer Program Manager to introduce the VITA program to their employees. The Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce published a VITA press release in their monthly newsletter, which reaches out to businesses throughout Hunterdon County. Another way we targeted our low income and limited English speaking population was by providing bilingual VITA palm cards and flyers. In February 2012, our volunteers distributed outreach materials on VITA to churches in Hunterdon County, post offices, banks, and many other organizations throughout the county that come into contact with potential VITA clients. We also work closely with our County Department of Human Services and Division of Social Services. We serve on the Comprehensive Emergency Assistance System Committee and the Human Services Advisory Council. County representatives are vital members of our Financial Stability Partnership and our Hunterdon Housing Alliance. Additionally, volunteers from local businesses provide input, resources and add to our collaborative efforts. We participate in other coalitions of multiple stakeholders to work towards collective impact. These include Hunterdon Housing Alliance, Partnership for Health and the Hunterdon County Latinos access to healthcare committee. Income is often a barrier for affordable housing and health behavior/decisions. NORWESCAP s Roles and Responsibilities a. Recruit 5-10 new VITA volunteers for UWHC s VITA program. b. Provide UWHC additional equipment to use during the VITA tax season. c. Provide shared training to UWHC volunteers who are interested in providing benefit screening for VITA clients. d. Provide outreach to VITA clients in Hunterdon County through press releases, newsletter blasts, and internal outreach to their 300 employees. Hunterdon County Department of Human Services Roles and Responsibilities: a. Hunterdon County Division of Senior Services will provide space, actively promote VITA, distribute materials, develop and submit press releases. Family Success Center of Hunterdon County (FSC) a. Will actively promote VITA to their client base, many of which are non-english speaking families. b. Bilingual staff members of FSC have agreed to volunteer as translators for VITA, as needed. c. Provide space for special day. VII. Evaluation/Outcome Measures Evaluation/Infrastructure in place to capture data, measure results and provide results a. Data is captured during each tax appointment through custom questions that have been added to the TaxWise interview. The data is then transferred from TaxWise to excel, which is then analyzed for reporting/planning purposes by the VITA Site/Program Coordinator. b. Data is also captured through a client and volunteer feedback survey, which will be administered at all sites run by UWHC. We hope to encourage standardized data collection from other TCE/VITA providers in our region. c. Final reports are prepared by VITA Site/Program Coordinator and presented to our United Way of Hunterdon County Board of Trustees, the County Human Services Advisory Council, local businesses supporting United Way and to the general public through reports, presentations, our website, newspaper articles, etc. Page 11 of 14

12 Outcome Measurements to be utilized and reported (metrics) VITA Grant Program objectives are: Objective 1: Extend services o United Way of Hunterdon County is continuously looking for ways to expand VITA and offer our VITA clients more services to help them become financially stable and selfsufficient. In 2013, United Way of Hunterdon County is looking to have more mobile and ad-hoc sites available in Hunterdon County. Please refer to the VITA Target Audience excel sheet attached. o How to measure: We will measure the extended service by the number of new clients who are served at all of our VITA sites, especially new mobile and ad-hoc sites. Objective 2: Increase E-file o Our VITA site e-files almost all of our tax returns (in 2012, 97% were e-filed). Only clients who insist they mail in their returns, returns that were rejected and need to be mailed in to fix the problem, and returns that have a credit (e.g. first time homebuyer s credit) that request the forms be mailed in are not e-filed. o How to measure: We will use TaxWise reports to determine how many returns were e- filed and how many were submitted by paper. Objective 3: Heighten quality control o United Way of Hunterdon County is always looking for ways to improve our quality control process. Our Site/Program Coordinator ensures that the VITA site is following all of the quality control requirements as requested by the IRS. o How to measure: Have our IRS SPEC (Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication) agent visit site to ensure all quality control requirements set by the IRS are followed. Objective 4: Enhance training of volunteers o United Way of Hunterdon County will continue to encourage our volunteers to attend a NJ tax training session at the Hunterdon County Senior Center to ensure our volunteers are aware of changes in NJ tax laws. We will also provide special tax topic training and mock return training to ensure our volunteers are trained sufficiently to prepare accurate returns. UWHC will also encourage our volunteers to use the AARP VITA training webinar. Please see section 2 of the Program Plan Narrative to review our volunteer training plan. Where appropriate, we will include enhanced training as identified by our volunteer preparers. o How to measure: Provide new and returning volunteers with a feedback survey and debrief session on the VITA volunteer training process. Objective 5: Improve accuracy of returns o Site/Program Coordinator provides the majority of the quality reviews for tax returns. As the quality review is being conducted, she/he will alert the tax preparer to ways to improve accurate tax return completion if errors were identified. The Coordinator will retrain volunteers as needed. o How to measure: Track how many returns were rejected throughout the tax season. If one tax preparer consistently completes returns which are rejected, the Program/Site Coordinator will review the situation and determine how to help the volunteer improve the accuracy of returns. To date, we have not found this to be a problem. Above and beyond the common objectives stated for the VITA Grant, our VITA program looks to achieve the following goals/objectives: Objective 1: Conduct financial education seminars for VITA clients and the Hunterdon community to assist individuals/families to become or remain self-sufficient. Page 12 of 14

13 o o In April 2012, UWHC offered our first Money in Motion financial education seminar in collaboration with Central Jersey Housing Resource Center to a dozen community residents/vita clients. In 2013, UWHC hopes to provide mini financial education seminars/workshops and one-on-one financial education sessions during the tax season. How to measure: We will track how many clients attend financial education sessions and obtain client feedback through a brief survey. Objective 2: To provide basic benefit screening for VITA clients, so they leave with information on community resources that they can access. o Through our VITA client survey, it was clear that many of the VITA clients have needs or concerns that can be assisted or solved by community resources; the clients were unaware of the availability of these resources. For example, our survey revealed that some of our clients did not have health insurance. By providing benefits screening, we could determine what free health programs in the community they may be eligible for such as NJ Charity Care or Medicaid, or prescription assistance. In 2013, our goal is to train one or two VITA Greeters to screen clients who receive VITA services at the United Way of Hunterdon County site. Then, we can explain available resources and refer clients so their other needs can be potentially met. o How to measure: We will track how many benefit screenings are completed by our VITA Greeters and how many clients who were screened learned about a community resource they were unaware could help them. Objective 3: To increase the number of households participating in VITA who qualify for EITC. o Last year, 37% of tax returns included EITC. We will increase this number by using a screening process when potential clients contact us to ensure that they are income qualified for the program. o How to measure: We track this information in an excel spreadsheet for each return that we prepare. The Site Coordinator will also track the number of VITA clients eligible for the EITC credit. Objective 4: To increase the number of returns prepared for individuals with limited English proficiency. o To achieve this, we will increase outreach into non-english speaking communities, by providing information through fotonovellas, ads in non-english newspapers, and through dissemination of information through the local human service agencies working with non- English speaking populations. Information will be tallied for the number of returns prepared for those with limited English proficiency. We will also focus some of our marketing on recruiting bilingual volunteer tax preparers. o How to measure: Create a custom question in TaxWise that provides information on the client s primary language. Objective 5: To increase the number of volunteer tax preparers and the number who have intermediate and advanced certification. o How to measure: Volunteer tax preparer certificates are kept on file. Objective 6: To increase the number of tax returns filed by reducing barriers to participation, such as transportation issues, by offering mobile tax preparation sites at the workplace. o How to measure: In the client and volunteer feedback surveys, we will include a question to ask if offering tax preparation at their work location was convenient and provided easy access to VITA services. Page 13 of 14

14 Addendum A VITA Budget Revenue Type Projected Program Budget 2012 Program Budget 2011 United Way of Hunterdon County 35, , Other United Ways Program/Membership Fees Grants 10, , Interest Other Revenue: Total Support and Revenue 45, , Expense Type Projected Program Budget 2012 Program Budget 2011 Salaries 23, , Benefits and Related Expenses 4, , Conferences/conventions Depreciation Equipment rental/maintenance 2, , Insurance , Interest and Bank Fees Membership dues and Subscriptions Occupancy Assoc fees Occupancy Maintenance Occupancy Utilities Postage/Shipping Printing/Publications/Promo 4, , Professional Fees Audit Professional Fees Back office 2, , Professional Fees Impact Professional Fees IT and Others 1, Supplies/Misc 1, Telecom/Technology 1, Travel UWA Member Dues Total Expenses 45, , Page 14 of 14