Inside: Virtual Prosperity Summit, Resource Pages and more!
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Dear John,
What a year this has been. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, the untimely and unfortunate deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, this year has been painful. As we grapple with our individual and collective responses to racial inequality, police brutality, and the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, it is our sincere hope and prayer that you and your family are doing well during these challenging times.
Normally, the rise in temperature (and humidity for my fellow mid-Atlantic residents) marks a decline in tax preparation questions as programs switch gears into the offseason. Unfortunately, as we’ve learned over each passing week, this filing season is certainly not a normal one. Prosperity Now’s commitment to serving and protecting our community led us to the decision to transition our 2020 Prosperity Summit to a fully virtual convening. We’ll still provide the same focused learning environment, elevate field experts, and hold the networking conversations that matter to you – all from a virtual conference space!
You can learn more about how to maximize your virtual conference experience in the Spotlight below. In the meantime, keep your eye on all Prosperity Now channels for more details as they emerge. For now, block off your calendar for September 30 to October 2!
In (Virtual) Partnership!
Rebecca M. Thompson, Project Director, Taxpayer Opportunity Network
P.S. There's some big news coming on the horizon for alternative service delivery, so stay tuned for that too!
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Spotlight: Virtual Conference Tips!
Be sure to mark your calendars and stay updated on all announcements for the fully virtual Prosperity Summit!
Even though we’re physically separated from each other, Prosperity Now staff has been hard at work exploring creative ways to make this year’s conference fulfilling, insightful and powerful to propel our field forward together!
Here are some tips to help you prepare for the conference:
Be Present: Take the time to make yourself present at the conference during the allotted times. Block off your calendar, silence your notifications and roll up your sleeves to get the most out of each presentation.Connect: Now that you’ll be near your computer for the Summit, don’t worry about fumbling for business cards or writing email addresses on scrap paper! Easily engage through the conference app and other electronic networking platforms like LinkedIn.Make Your Voice Heard: It can be tempting to listen silently in the crowd to each session; try to avoid that urge! Take advantage of the unique electronic engagement opportunities that we can offer, like polls, Q&A and good old-fashioned direct messaging. Remember: your voice helps give context to our field, so we need as many responses as we can get.Three’s a Crowd: Once registration and sign-ups are finalized, invite your colleagues and partners to join in on this unique opportunity to dive into the Prosperity Summit without factoring in transportation and lodging costs! Take this chance to share the wonderful tools and resources your partners can gain at the Prosperity Summit – all from the comfort of their own computers. Updates from the Network
We've Gone Virtual
The 2020 Prosperity Summit is officially an entirely virtual event! Join us from September 30 to October 2, for this unique event which will feature information-packed plenaries, deep-dive learning sessions and all of the networking you’d expect at our Summit! Mark your calendars [[link removed]]and we’ll see you in cyberspace!
Economic Impact Payment (EIP) Resources
The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities will release a new analysis that includes state data on the estimated 12 million people who are eligible for EIPs but must file an online form with the IRS to claim the funds.
The Center’s Get It Back campaign has released new EIP outreach materials, including an informational flyer, sample social media posts, talking points and outreach templates (blog post, press release and emails). Visit [[link removed]]
Economic Impact Payment Outreach
United Way has launched an intensive outreach and assistance campaign targeting the 9 million Americans who must take action to obtain their Economic Impact Payment.
Content packages, including visual assets, social media posts, email drafts, and postcards, are available for use in organic and paid distribution by local United Ways and United Way’s national and local partner organizations. You can access the partner package here [[link removed]].
COVID-19 Resource Pages
Check out these resource pages from our partners at the CFPB [[link removed]] and the Get It Back Campaign [[link removed]]! You'll find some of the most commonly asked questions around COVID-19, EIP, and some messaging templates for you and your clients.
Tools and Information for the FieldUpdates from the IRS and SPEC
Breaking IRS Updates
To stay informed on the most recent IRS updates on the COVID-19 outbreak and the associated Economic Impact Payments, you can go directly to their tax relief page [[link removed]]!
IRS SPEC Partner Webcast Schedule
Click here [[link removed]] to get the full 2020 schedule for IRS SPEC Partner Webcasts to ensure that you stay up-to-date on the latest news and resources from IRS SPEC.
TaxSlayer Suggestion Box [[link removed]]
Do you have thoughts or ideas on how TaxSlayer could be improved to help you run your sites more efficiently and make it easier to prepare and file quality returns? Share them in the VITA/TCE Suggestion Box [[link removed]]. Your feedback is needed for federal and state returns, as well as reports.
Learning OpportunitiesUpcoming Learning Opportunities
If you have ideas for future learning events, stories or resources, contact us at
[email protected] [[link removed]].
Recent Webinars and Events
TON COVID-19 Listening Session [[link removed]]
April 28, 2020
We’ve broken down the most impactful resources from our national partners around COVID-19 as well as the new [[link removed]] virtual VITA pilot.
Evaluating Tax Time Savings Behaviors [[link removed]]
Have you ever wondered what tax time savings and behaviors look like on the national scale? Well, wonder no more because the Taxpayer Opportunity Network is here to provide you with the answers!
Latest Tax Prep Dispatch
Reset Button [[link removed]]
May 1, 2020
Non-Filers 101 [[link removed]]
April 15, 2020
Alternative Service Delivery Tips! [[link removed]]
April 6, 2020
Signed, Sealed, Delivered? [[link removed]]
March 30, 2020
The Drop-Off Process [[link removed]]
March 19, 2020
COVID-19 and VITA [[link removed]]
March 13, 2020
Browse older editions of the Dispatch [[link removed]]
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