EITC Outreach Strategies for your Community

1. EITC Outreach Strategies for your Community Brought to you by the Native Financial Education Coalition’s Native Earned Income Tax Credit Network

2. Presentation Overview • Identify your Team • Identify your Objective • Identify your Resources • Identify your Market • Outreach activities

3. Developing your Outreach Campaign • Start with your action plan • Team • Objectives • Market • Message • Activities

4. Your team “It only takes one person to make difference – but, the work is much easier if you have a team” • Who is on your team? • What strengths do they bring to the table? • How will they help you get information out to your target audience?

5. Identify your objective “If you have a clearly defined objective you’re more likely to succeed.” • Bring more dollars into the community • Help families save $ on tax preparation fees by promoting free sites • Reduce the number of Refund Anticipation Loan’s (RAL’s)

6. Your Target Market • New filers • New parents • New workers • Those using paid tax preparers • Those getting RAL’s

7. Your Message What is the message that we have to share? • Untapped $$ • Free Tax Preparation – save dollars – get it done for free • Refund Anticipation Loans – why pay to borrow your own money? (Tribal communities were above the 50% range in RAL uptake) • Others? • Liz- article in Iowa Farmer Today said RALs can be as much as 459% interest • Some states have statutes that forbid high interest rates- but fee structure is deceiving • Can make good estimates on how much being left on the table- (Nadia will send link)

8. Outreach Methods • Passive - No direct communication • Posters • Flyers • Brochures • Active – Direct communication – Buder report found that 40% of folks accessed a free tax site thru word of mouth • Parenting classes • Gatherings • Meetings

9. Spokespersons • Leadership • Elders • Staff • Community Advocates

10. Utilizing Materials Remember: Your target market probably has limited time & resources to go to and from your site-Provide clear, detailed information. If advertising a tax site include: • Address with the room information, Staff contact with phone number & email • Hours of Operation • What materials they need to bring with them

11. Accessing Outreach Materials • Oweesta materials include: Paycheck stuffers, poster, flyer. • Center for Budget & Policy Priorities: • Roxy Caines: caines@cbpp.org • Find out where the free tax sites are • Is there a state EITC outreach campaign • Others?

12. Fun Stuff • Postcards – Get your taxes done for free – a $100 value! • Workshops/Fairs • Articles • Testimonials • Super Saturday • National EITC Day!!!!

13. Distributing info • Community gatherings • Headstart classrooms • Resource programs • Schools • Health Clinics • Employee orientation packets • Employee paychecks

14. Distributing info • Financial Education classes • TANF • WorkForce Investment – Dept. of Labor

15. Activities • Headstart Parents – What would you do with $1,718? • Cost of RAL’s – Did you know you are paying to borrow your own money? • Tax preparation fees = 3 full tanks of gas, 2 paid light bills, groceries for 2 weeks

16. Outreach Examples Presented by: Sarah Ruppel, Asset Development Coordinator White Earth Investment Initiative Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation Contact Info: Email: sruppel@mmcdc.com 218-844-7027

17. White Earth Outreach Initiative Started 4 years ago with outreach, then expanded VITA to serve White Earth, last year-first independent White Earth site Partnered with Shooting Star Casino-they provided space next to pick up for W-2s- can talk to them while waiting to pick up W-2 1000 paycheck stuffers, advertised in tribal & local newspapers, radio ads, TV ad- biggest marketer was word of mouth by volunteers New loan product –zero interest, zero loan fee- in partnership with bank; added marketing strategy to include refunds in 1-2 business days Promoting Savings: Onsite link to type in amount of money to save per month by interest rate to see savings potential http://www.planningtips.com/cgi-bin/savings.pl($10/mo x 12 mo x interest rate = savings) At capacity this year, so trying to grow assets of existing customers; hoping to expand volunteers to serve more

18. Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics Presented by: Liz Diers Assistant Professor at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota; CPA with Masters of Business Taxation and Program Director of South Dakota LITC Program; Also, VITA site coordinator. Contact info: lizdiers@bhsu.edu 605-642-6002

19. Low Income Tax Clinics An LITC is a Non profit organization that provides free services to low income and English as second language taxpayers 2 components: 1)representation & controversy with IRS (represent in court, respond to notices, file delinquent returns, file amended returns 2) ESL- outreach & education on rights and responsibilities, including EITC- go into Native communities to provide Goal- have at least one clinic providing both services (may be one or both) • Great partnering opportunity- speakers & materials • Matching can be in kind • Grants are calendar year- deadline 7/31

20. Low Income Tax Clinics • List of 2007 Clinics is athttp://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/pub_4134_02_2007.pdf • Application process in IRS Publication3319 athttp://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3319.pdf

21. EITC Outreach Materials & Resources • Oweesta:www.oweesta.org/eitc • Center on Budget & Policy Priorities: http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/eitc.htm Roxy Caines: caines@cbpp.org • National EITC Day: www.irs-eitc.info/spec • EITC State Links:http://www.cbpp.org/eitc-partnership/state-links.htm • National Community Tax Coalition: http://www.tax-coalition.org/

22. Thank you For more information, please contact: Patsy Schramm, NFEC EITC Committee Facilitator at: edgpj@aol.com or Iris Friday, Chair at iris.Friday@hud.gov