Who do you serve?

If you work with or serve members of the general public—usually wage earners who file the Form 1040 to pay their individual income taxes—your organization may be a good partner for tax assistance for your community.

How can you participate?

Your group is a valuable source of information for your employees, clients, or customers. You can educate the public on tax information and assistance offered through coalition efforts in your area. Providing information to the general population in your community can add to your visibility, and may include:

• Placing stuffers in employee paycheck or other mailings to help publicize free tax help or tax credits
• Donating supplies or equipment to volunteer tax preparation sites
• Recruiting volunteers from among your customers or employees to prepare tax returns at assistance sites

Your organization can sponsor Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites in your community to prepare tax returns for those who cannot prepare their own yet cannot afford professional help.

You can introduce or support asset-building techniques, such as bank accounts, for those who currently don’t have basic financial management strategies. Your group can offer financial literacy workshops designed to explain the benefits of savings accounts and the disadvantages of not using mainstream financial institutions, and can address barriers between this population and common financial management practices.

Where do you start?

You have a number of choices. Each partner brings with them their own network of associates and available resources. When pooled with the networks and resources of other coalition partners, the result is a much stronger collaboration.  By coordinating existing services and combining available resources from community members, this way of doing business provides thousands of dollars to families, improves their standard of living and provides them with an asset-building opportunity.

Our strategy is to combine three components that support a family’s success:  awareness and education, tax preparation assistance, and financial assistance.  This three-pronged approach relates easily to the missions of other organizations and lends itself well to partnering.

Interested?

The possibilities of partnering are endless and the effects are boundless.  The power of coalitions is a driving force nationwide.  If the mission of your organization coincides with that of IRS, why not consider becoming a partner?

To discuss partnering opportunities send an email to partner@irs.gov , and let us know how we can help you get started. 

We are Glad To Help!

We will help you get started, so please take a minute to peruse our Partner Products and Volunteer Resource Center for products, web sites, and other materials that may be helpful in your partnership with IRS.

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