Native American and rural VITA

With the nearest tax preparer 110 miles away, a small VITA program run by the Extension Office at Chief Dull Knife College made a big impact in rural Montana. Starting with a modest 38 federal tax returns in 2006, the program completed 150 returns in 2007 and plans to expand to another site in 2008. Read the full story.

Asset-Building at Tax Time: Tips and Tools

This conference call training is one of a series of technical assistance calls geared to providing tools to community-based organization to build and strengthen their tax and asset-building programs.

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Time:  2:00 p.m. Eastern   1:00 p.m. Central   12:00 p.m. Mountain    11:00 a.m. Pacific
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Mode: Conference call. Call In Number (866) 740-1260,  Guest Code 6300264 #
Cost: Free
Provided by the NCTC Asset Building Working Group

The agenda for the call is as follows:

• Welcome and Introduction (Asset-Building Working Group Co-Chairs Pam Smith and Rita Eygabroad)
• Refund Splitting

Tim Flacke will discuss why refund splitting is important and how best to take advantage of refund splitting to promote asset-building.  Product example:  savings bonds. Tim is the Director of Business Development at Doorways to Dreams (D2D), a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization.

• Asset Building at Tax Time

Mary Dupont will speak about techniques to encourage asset-building at tax time, including promotion, prompts, and tax site operations.  Product example: CDs.  Mary is the Executive Director of the Nehemiah Gateway Community Development Corporation located in Delaware.

• Products

Bonnie Esposito will discuss her experiences with an alternative Refund Anticipation Loan product and with financial service partners.  Bonnie is the Executive Director of AccountAbility Minnesota.

• Moderated Question and Answer (Pam Smith and Rita Eygabroad)

No registration required.

Providing Free Tax Preparation Services and Savings Accounts for People who are Incarcerated

Description:In 2007, the Rhode Island Family Life Center expanded its VITA program to include an innovative pilot project to provide free tax preparation services to the incarcerated population at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institutions (RI ACI). The project includes promoting the Earned Income Tax Credit, other tax credits, and offering the opportunity for opening, for direct deposit, a no-fee, no minimum balance savings account which can be opened for the taxpayer by the tax preparer. Come learn how your organization can expand services to the incarcerated.

Speaker: Ronn Fortes, Rhode Island Family Life Center
Moderator: Richart Keller, Providence Asset-Building Coalition

Date: Wednesday November 14
Time: 2:00- 3:00 (Eastern); 1:00 - 2:00 (Central); 12:00 - 1:00 (Mountain); 11:00 - 12:00 (Pacific)
Mode: conference call
Cost: free

Register now.

Financial Social Work: Changing the way Americans spend, save and live – One client; one dollar, one day and one dream at a time…

Description:  Debt elimination and asset building are at the core of emotional and financial stability, but remain among the most elusive of achievements for every socioeconomic group in America.  Financial literacy, while an important component of ending poverty and beginning wealth building, doesn’t change behavior, and until and unless behavior changes, NOTHING changes!  This webinar will introduce a psychosocial, multidisciplinary model which incorporates education, motivation and on-going support as a best practice for engaging clients into the process of creating a realistic and effective program plan for sustaining long-term personal and financial stability.

Speaker: Reeta Wolfsohn, CMSW, www.financialsocialwork.com

Date: Wednesday, November 28
Time: 2:00- 3:00 (Eastern); 1:00 - 2:00 (Central); 12:00 - 1:00 (Mountain); 11:00 - 12:00 (Pacific)
Mode: conference call
Cost: free

Preview Reeta’s presentations from the Building Prosperity for Working Families Conference

Register now.

Implementing Quality Review at Your Tax Site: New Tool Available!

Date: Monday, December 17, 2007
Time:   2:00pm (Eastern); 1:00pm (Central); 12:00noon (mountain); 11:00am (Pacific)
Mode: Webinar

We will notify the Tax Roundtable and Site Managers’ listservs when registration opens.

National Tax Assistance Data Collection Project: Learn how to easily incorporate it into your program

Date: Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Time: 2:00pm (Eastern); 1:00pm (Central); 12:00noon (mountain); 11:00am (Pacific)
Mode: Webinar

We will notify the Tax Roundtable and Site Managers’ listservs when registration opens.