Growing Virtually: Extending the Reach of Your Virtual VITA Program! August 29, 2017 1-2:30 pm ET
Welc lcome Carm Carmen Sho Shorter Senior Manager for Learning, Field Engagement Prosperity Now
Housekeeping This webinar is being recorded and will be Trouble dialing in? Just listen through your computer available online within on week. with speakers or headphones! All webinar attendees are muted to ensure sound quality. Ask a question any time by typing the question into the text box of the GoToWebinar Control Panel. If you experience any technical issues, email gotomeeting@prosperitynow.org.
Keys to Success on Today’s Webinar • Join from a quiet space • Grab a coffee or snack and settle in • Engage! Send us your questions and comments as you listen • Create a watch party with your team to listen & learn together
Prosperity Now’s mis ission is to ensure everyone in our country has a clear path to financial stability, wealth and prosperity.
Our Unique Promise We ope open doo doors to to opp opportunity for those who have been kept off the path to prosperity. We he help lp peo people bu buil ild wea ealt lth by making sure they have what they need to build a better future. We ena enable mea eaningful mob obili lity through research, policies and solutions.
To connect , strengthen and inspire community tax programs so that they can … More effectively & efficiently deliver critical tax assistance Couple that assistance with other financial capability services Advocate for fairer tax policy
What’s in store for today? • Welcome from TON • Virtual VITA Background & Overview • Tech-Enabled Virtual VITA • Virtual VITA • Drop-off Method • Q & A • Close
Today’s Speakers Reb ebecca Th Thom ompson Le Lee Da Davenport And Andy Ni Nieto Program Director Principal Associate Director of Tax Services Taxpayer Opportunity Network Davenport Consulting Food Bank of New York City
Today’s Speakers Gr Greg eg Mc McDon onald ld Su Suzanne Yeom eomans Regional Coordinator, VITA Program Financial Stability Program Community Action Partnership of Officer, VITA Program Utah United Way of the Wine Country
Welc lcome from TON Reb ebec ecca Th Thompson Project Director Taxpayer Opportunity Network Prosperity Now
Vir irtual VIT ITA In Introduction Le Lee Da Davenport Principal Davenport Consulting
Services CLIENT CENTERED TAX PREPARATION People Place
THINKING BEYOND TRADITIONAL VITA Facilitated Self Virtual VITA Assistance ∆ Volunteer Engagement ∆ Volunteer Engagement Financial Mainstreaming ∆ Volunteer Effectiveness Client Empowerment Convenience Client Wait Time ∆ Quality Assurance
Tech-Enable led Vir irtual VIT ITA Andy Nie ieto Associate Director of Tax Services Food Bank of New York City 8/29/2017 15
The Food Bank For New York City Innovative use of Technology for VITA
Food Bank’s Free T ax Program Since program inception in • 2002, we have filed tax returns for more than 600,000 low-income New Yorkers, and secured over $1 Billion in tax refunds for our clients. We were able to reach • these numbers assisting filers through: – Traditional VITA – FSA-Facilitated Self Assisted – Virtual VITA
Program Platforms Traditional VITA – 24,402 Virtual 21% FSA - 9,771 Traditional 56% FSA 23% Virtual VITA – 9,035
Food Bank’s Virtual VIT A Program? It’s an innovative model • within the Food Bank’s VITA Program utilizing technology to connect the volunteer and the tax client. The clients are not in the • same location as the volunteers who actually prepare the returns. This is accomplished by • separating the intake from preparation site. 2016 Virtual Tax Intake Sites Map
The Preparation Site Prep Site: Call Within Return is 72hr Electronically filed Intake: 15 Minutes Authorization: 10 Minutes OR Interview and QR process: 15 Minutes Intake Site
Virtual VITA needs Small Scale: • 1 to 5 intake sites o Up to 300 returns o Fax Machine or physical Transport o List Tracking(Paper or Excel sheet) o Use of F14446 and must follow the o Quality Site Requirements including intake interview and quality Review process. Medium Scale: • 6 to 15 intake sites o Up to 2K returns o Online file sharing service ( Drop Box, o Google Drive, One Drive, etc.) Folder tracking, some might feature o Messages. Use of F14446 and must follow the o Quality Site Requirements including intake interview and quality Review process. There might be a cost involved. o
Food Bank’s Virtual VITA Secure Platform Security and data Encryption • Complies and exceeds IRS o minimal required of user authentication with password, 128-bit encryption, and audit trail capability Secure document upload o Secure E-Signature • Electronic signature integration o Different Level user accounts • Project Administrator o Site Coordinator o Quality Reviewer o Tax Preparer o Intake Volunteer o
Food Bank’s Virtual VITA Secure Platform Benefit Screening capable • Basic screening o Advanced screening o Multi service screening o Data collection • Custom reporting o Dashboard Creation o Multi tax year capable • Client Relationship keeps records o of prior year filings Case management features • Status indicator on return progress o Call log and case diary notes o Case updates alerts and follow o up Queues
Thank You. Andy Nieto Associate Director Tax Services Anieto@foodbanknyc.org German Tejeda Vice President for Anti-Poverty Programming Gtejeda@foodbanknyc.org
Vir irtual VIT ITA Method Greg McDonald Regional Coordinator, VITA Program Community Action Partnership of Utah
Virtual VITA in rural Utah
Communit ity Action Partnership ip VITA His istory • 9 Community Action Agencies and Association of Government Agencies • 8 have a VITA Regional Coordinator with off season responsibilities. • Utah completes 21,000 returns each year . • 50% of returns completed by Community Volunteers • 25% by College/University programs • 25% My Free Taxes • Utah is constantly figuring how to serve more clients within financial boundaries and are finally a presence in all counties and 9 CAPs. • 73% of U tah’s population live on 4.5% of available land • 11 of 39 counties have less than 2 people per square mile
Earn it it. Keep it it. Save it it. Chall llenges • 4 of 9 CAPs have reasonable travel to cover Tax sites • 5 can travel up to 3 - 4 hours. • CAPUtah is looking at cost per return for each CAP, • How to reduce costs and how to serve more? • Is a voucher to a paid preparer cheaper than our total cost in providing a “free” tax return? • No, but a model we can use to compare/improve. • Funders with specified rural targets: • Rural disabled, Native Americans, Rural Low/Low Middle Income. • To achieve targets encompasses much time/travel for few return numbers. • Virtual VITA is an approach we have used for 8 years.
VIR IRTUAL VIT ITA • Virtual Tax Preparation - Earn it. Keep it. Save it. Utah • video of Virtual Live VITA. • Used in 3 areas to help sites cut travel for preparers or areas lacking preparers. • Live, real time. • A volunteer, not certified but has passed Stds. of Conduct, greets clients, has them fill out intake sheet and scans all documents into Fileworks. • Preparer, 200 miles away, opens up Fileworks and on a split or two screen system shares the Taxslayer screen while looking at documents and able to talk to clients. • Second Preparer completes QR and submits to Fileworks and Greeter opens and has client(s) sign. Return is then submitted. • If we have a preparer but not a second, we do Virtual QR. If that preparer is not comfortable with a return they hand off to a more experienced volunteer.
Vir irtual l VIT ITA Pla lans in in Utah • Remote (Native American reservations for example) sites to serve as front end and University or businesses to be preparers. • Less populated regions move to a centralized tax prep model. • Salt Lake preparers do returns for 4 Corners area, 400 miles away. • Move from live virtual to one week time delay (NYC model). • “Your return will be completed in 7 days, come back for QR and your copy.” • Find Virtual Volunteer Tax Preparers • “Volunteers like to do Traditional VITA or MFT or Virtual model. Most do not like to switch models and tend to stay with the model they were introduced to .” -Lee Davenport
Greg McDonald greg@caputah.org 801-433-3025
Drop Off Method Suzanne Yeo eomans Financial Stability Program Officer, VITA Program United Way of the Wine Country
Why Drop-off? • Capacity Limitations • Finite # of sites and volunteers every year with increasing IRS goals • Time Constraints • Some clients who can’t get an appointment for weeks might seek paid tax prep • Extend Training • Reduces volunteer overwhelm and not feeling “ready” in first weeks of tax season • Provides more practice time • Volunteer Comfort Level • Some volunteers would prefer to complete returns without client present/ or volunteer not available at site open times
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