Volunteer Opportunities Financial Empowerment Partners · 2019. 2. 27. · SurfMedia Communications...
Transcript of Volunteer Opportunities Financial Empowerment Partners · 2019. 2. 27. · SurfMedia Communications...
Volunteer Opportunities Financial Empowerment Partners
Lead Organization
United Way of Santa Barbara County
Financial Literacy Education Partners:
Housing Authority City of Santa Barbara
Montecito Bank & Trust
Primerica
Union Bank
Financial Products & Services Partners:
Bank of America
Bank of the West
Community West Bank
Montecito Bank & Trust
Primerica
Union Bank
Wells Fargo Bank
Outreach Partners:
American Indian Health Services
Community Action Commission
Santa Barbara Foodbank
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics
SurfMedia Communications
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Partners:
AARP
Carpinteria Children’s Project at Main
Carpinteria High School
Dos Pueblos High School
Housing Authority City of Santa Barbara
IRS
Isla Vista Youth Projects
Santa Barbara High School (Don’s Net Café)
Santa Ynez High School
Contact Information:
Melinda Hodge
Community Impact Coordinator
Phone: (805) 965-8591 x121
320 E. Gutierrez Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Current volunteers come from:
High School Students
College Students
Seniors
Community Volunteers
Financial Literacy Education
If you have a passion or special interest in helping
families achieve financial stability, please consider
volunteering with us as a financial literacy educator.
We are looking for compassionate, enthusiastic
individuals with experience at all levels to who are
willing to help families achieve positive financial
behaviors. And yes, we are always in need of Spanish
speaking volunteers!
Taxes
You do not need to have formal tax, accounting, or
finance education to volunteer. UFFE offers a training
delivered in a three part series workshop in January.
(Self-guided online training is also available.) As a
volunteer you are supported by a network of
knowledgeable volunteers that include retired IRS
agents, retired CPAs, & controllers.
Be a VITA Site Greeter
Become an IRS certified Tax Preparer
Become an IRS certified VITA Reviewer
Become a marketing volunteer to drive more
clients to www.myfreetaxes.com
A United Way of Santa Barbara County
Power of PartnershipTM
Project
www.unitedwaysb.org/UFFE
Goals
What is United for Financial
Empowerment
5. Taxes
1. Financial Literacy Education
2. Bank Accounts
United for Financial Empowerment (UFFE) is
committed to helping low to moderate income families
become more financially empowered and stable.
To achieve this goal UFFE delivers 5 key services
with 5 community goals through public-private
partnerships:
1. Financial Literacy Education
2. Bank Accounts
3. College & Career Saving Plans
4. Retirement Accounts
5. Taxes
United Way asked thousands of local individuals and
organizations to share their desired ten year goals for
the future of Santa Barbara County. Along with
Education and Health, the community identified
Financial Stability as one of the top three focus areas.
Our goal for Financial Empowerment is to increase by
50% the number of lower income families who are
financially stable. We will do this by empowering
families with five building blocks to grow long-term
financial assets:
Every year, from February 1 through April 15, UFFE
sponsors free tax preparation for low to moderate
income taxpayers. Free tax preparation is available
in 2 ways:
Free, online tax preparation with phone and
online support. Go to
www.unitedwaysb.org/taxes to get started.
In person tax preparation through Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance (VITA). Through UFFE
IRS certified volunteers assist clients with tax
preparation and filing.
UFFE delivers bilingual, high quality, community
based financial literacy education to family and
student audiences. UFFE provides financial literacy
classes through workshops and financial literacy
fairs.
Workshop Curriculum Topics include:
Budgeting
Credit/Debt
Savings
UFFE develops and presents financial literacy
education workshops to approximately 120 working
families. UFFE is working hard to build awareness in
the community of services that are available to low
and moderate income families.
Research has shown that savings make it easier to
address for life events such as college, retirement, and
unforeseen emergencies. However, many low income
households face barriers to accessing affordable
financial products & programs. UFFE helps to remove
these barriers and provide access to vital services.
Emergency Savings Accounts: UFFE provides
clients with opportunities to create and use emergency
savings accounts to reduce frequency & usage of
“payday” loan services.
Saving for Postsecondary Education: UFFE
encourages clients to save for higher education with a
Coverdell Education Savings Account or 529 plan,
useful for: community college, four year college,
vocational and technical schools, etc.
Saving for Retirement: UFFE encourages clients
to enroll in a retirement savings plan their employer
may offer. If this option is not available UFFE
Partners are available to assist in choosing the best
option for their family.
Any family can get started on their own individual
retirement account (IRA) with a small amount of
money.
3. College & Career Saving Plans
4. Retirement Accounts