Post on 30-Apr-2020
Growing Virtually: Extending the Reach of Your Virtual VITA Program!
August 29, 2017
1-2:30 pm ET
Welcome
Carmen Shorter
Senior Manager for Learning, Field Engagement
Prosperity Now
Housekeeping
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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 mission is to
ensure everyone in our country has a
clear path to financial stability,
wealth and prosperity.
Our Unique Promise
We open doors to opportunity for those who have been kept off the path to prosperity.
We help people build wealth by making sure they have what they need to build a better future.
We enable meaningful mobility through research, policies and
solutions.
To connect, strengthen and inspirecommunity 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
• Welcome from TON
• Virtual VITA Background & Overview
• Tech-Enabled Virtual VITA
• Virtual VITA
• Drop-off Method
• Q & A
• Close
What’s in store for today?
Today’s Speakers
Rebecca ThompsonProgram Director
Taxpayer Opportunity Network
Lee DavenportPrincipal
Davenport Consulting
Andy NietoAssociate Director of Tax Services
Food Bank of New York City
Today’s Speakers
Greg McDonaldRegional Coordinator, VITA Program
Community Action Partnership of Utah
Suzanne YeomansFinancial Stability Program
Officer, VITA ProgramUnited Way of the Wine Country
Welcome from TON
Rebecca ThompsonProject DirectorTaxpayer Opportunity Network
Prosperity Now
Virtual VITA Introduction
Lee DavenportPrincipal
Davenport Consulting
CLIENT CENTERED TAX PREPARATION
Services
PlacePeople
THINKING BEYOND TRADITIONAL VITA
Facilitated Self Assistance
∆ Volunteer Engagement
Financial Mainstreaming
Client Empowerment
∆ Quality Assurance
Virtual VITA
∆ Volunteer Engagement
∆ Volunteer Effectiveness
Convenience
Client Wait Time
8/29/2017 15
Tech-Enabled Virtual VITA
Andy NietoAssociate Director of Tax ServicesFood Bank of New York City
The Food Bank For New York
City
Innovative use of Technology for VITA
Food Bank’s Free Tax 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
Traditional
56%
FSA
23%
Virtual
21%
Program Platforms
Traditional VITA – 24,402
FSA - 9,771
Virtual VITA – 9,035
Food Bank’s Virtual VITA 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
Intake: 15 Minutes
Prep Site: Call Within
72hr
Interview and QR process: 15 Minutes
Authorization: 10 Minutes
Return is Electronically filed
Intake Site
OR
Virtual VITA needs• Small Scale:
o 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
Quality Site Requirements including
intake interview and quality Review
process.
• Medium Scale:
o 6 to 15 intake sites
o Up to 2K returns
o Online file sharing service ( Drop Box,
Google Drive, One Drive, etc.)
o Folder tracking, some might feature
Messages.
o Use of F14446 and must follow the
Quality Site Requirements including
intake interview and quality Review
process.
o There might be a cost involved.
Food Bank’s Virtual VITA
Secure Platform• Security and data Encryption
o Complies and exceeds IRS
minimal required of user
authentication with password,
128-bit encryption, and audit trail
capability
o Secure document upload
• Secure E-Signatureo Electronic signature integration
• Different Level user accountso Project Administrator
o Site Coordinator
o Quality Reviewer
o Tax Preparer
o Intake Volunteer
Food Bank’s Virtual VITA
Secure Platform• Benefit Screening capable
o Basic screening
o Advanced screening
o Multi service screening
• Data collectiono Custom reporting
o Dashboard Creation
• Multi tax year capableo Client Relationship keeps records
of prior year filings
• Case management features o Status indicator on return progress
o Call log and case diary notes
o Case updates alerts and follow
up Queues
Thank You.Andy Nieto
Associate Director Tax Services
Anieto@foodbanknyc.org
German Tejeda
Vice President for Anti-Poverty Programming
Gtejeda@foodbanknyc.org
Virtual VITA Method
Greg McDonaldRegional Coordinator, VITA ProgramCommunity Action Partnership of Utah
Virtual VITA in rural
Utah
Community Action Partnership VITA History
• 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 Utah’s population live on 4.5% of available land
• 11 of 39 counties have less than 2 people per square mile
Earn it. Keep it. Save it. Challenges
• 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.
VIRTUAL VITA • 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.
Virtual VITA Plans 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
Drop Off Method
Suzanne YeomansFinancial Stability Program Officer, VITA ProgramUnited Way of the Wine Country
• 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
Why Drop-off?
• Volunteer Management• Gives Site Coordinators a redirection of difficult volunteers to still
participate, e.g. Volunteers that do not get along well with others
• Year-Round Tax Prep• Provides the ability for season-long opportunities to deepen skill-base
of volunteers
• “Plan B” • For system outages or other unforeseen circumstances
Benefits of Drop-off
Q & A
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Questions box!
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