No images? Click here Dear John, Some days it is hard to believe that it is still the year 2020. We sincerely hope that you and yours are faring well in these challenging times. We’ve made it thus far, through all the tumult this year, and not surprisingly, we somehow still managed to have an incredible filing season. I hope you’ve taken a moment to pause, take a deep breath, reflect and get some rest, because the work isn’t over just yet! Just as one very extended filing season rolls into the next, so must our work continue, as we leverage resources and the talent and time of our volunteers to help low-to-moderate income families and individuals in our communities navigate the complex tax system to get the benefits they’re entitled to. There are a couple of great events coming up in this abbreviated off-season to help you prepare for the next one. First, the 2020 Prosperity Summit will be September 30 to October 2. You don’t want to miss out on this unique opportunity to get the full Prosperity Summit experience from the comfort of your own home or office! Second, in a great webinar after the Prosperity Summit, we’ll share our insights after the inaugural VITA Leadership Institute cohort and how the lessons learned from the VLI cohort can help to strengthen your program. You won’t want to miss out on either of these events, keep reading for more details! See you at the Summit! Rebecca M. Thompson, Associate Director, Field Engagement & TON When you see
something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something. Spotlight: Virtual Summit RegistrationThe 2020 Prosperity Summit is officially an entirely virtual event! Join us from September 30 to October 2 for this unique event. This event will still feature unique plenaries, deep-dive learning sessions, and all of the networking you’d expect at our Summit! We’ve got several tax-focused events on tap, including: Extending our Reach and Impact: Merging Tax Time and Public Benefits Access and Scaling Tax Prep with Partnerships and Technology. In addition, registrants will have continued access to any recordings, handouts, and other materials for the six months after the live event. This Virtual Summit is a unique engagement opportunity, so you don’t want to miss out! Register today! Updates from the NetworkProsperity Now Grant Announcements Prosperity Now is proud to announce two grants through the generous sponsorship of the Citi Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners. Please check out our blog posts for more information on these two great initiatives and how they will help the community tax preparation field going forward. CFPB EIP Guide The CFPB just released a new guide on connecting consumers to the Economic Impact Payment. This guide will help your organization connect with clients who require assistance on their EIP. It’ll have tools for discussing the payment with the client, determining next steps, and troubleshooting common questions. Check out the toolkit today! Stimulus Payments Outreach Toolkit Governors leading COVID-19 response efforts and state health and human services agencies that administer assistance programs are uniquely positioned to reach the estimated 12 million people eligible for stimulus payments who will not get them automatically. To help inform these non-filers through already established communication channels, CBPP released a toolkit with templates for online outreach, earned media, scripts, graphics, and more. While geared toward state agencies and officials, the materials can be used by anyone conducting stimulus payments outreach. The toolkit will also be available in Spanish. Stimulus Payments Outreach Webinar Recording View the recording and slides from the Get It Back Campaign’s webinar on resources and strategies for conducting stimulus payments outreach. Tools and Information for the FieldUpdates from the IRS and SPECBreaking IRS Updates News Updates: Form 1040-X E-File IRS SPEC Partner Webcast Schedule Click here 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. 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 more quality returns? Share them in the VITA/TCE Suggestion Box. Your feedback is needed for both federal and state returns, as well as reports. Learning |