Updates from the Network

2022 Prosperity Summit - Less than left to Register!

Prosperity Now will host the biannual Prosperity Summit from September 19-21 in Atlanta, Georgia. The three-day conference is an opportunity for racial equity advocates to present, network and workshop with 1,500+ fellow attendees around the year’s theme of Marching On: Reimagining Economic Justice for All. Our Taxpayer Opportunity Network members can look forward to various related sessions, including:   

• Where's My Loophole? Taxing Wealth to Advance Gender and Racial Equity  

• Tax Justice for All: Exposing the Racial Inequities of the Tax Code  

• Strengthening the IRS to Create a More Equitable Tax Code 

• Maximizing Tax Time Savings: Exploring Refund Anticipation through VITA   

• Exploring Critical Links: Health, Equity and the EITC  

• Changing It Up: Alternative Tax Preparation and Outreach Strategies   

• How Community Practitioners Can Foster Change and Build Power  

• Moving Millions: Strategies to Support Marginalized and Excluded Communities  

• Teaming Up for Tomorrow: Leveraging Partnerships in Our Communities

Tracey Walker-Carter, SPEC Area 1 Director named new SPEC Director as of October 1st 

Frank Nolden, the current SPEC Director will be retiring on October 1st and SPEC Area 1 Executive Director Tracey Walker-Carter has been named as his successor. Prosperity Now staff and TON Steering Committee members had the opportunity to meet Tracey during our Quarterly check-in meeting with the SPEC leadership team and we are excited about the future of VITA/TCE programs under her leadership. 

We also could not say hello to Tracey without also saying farewell to SPEC Director Frank Nolden and wishing him all the best in his upcoming retirement. Frank has been the SPEC Director since 2016. During his tenure, the VITA Grant Program’s budget has grown from $15m to $30m. At one point, Frank was the only SPEC employee working during the federal government shutdown of 2018. He was also instrumental in ensuring that VITA partners were able to navigate the challenges presented by Covid 19, while still serving our shared low to moderate income clients in the best manner possible. Thank you, Frank! 

Increased Funding for VITA – How you can help! 

The House of Representatives has proposed to fund VITA at $35 million for fiscal year 2023, while the Senate's proposal would fund the program at $30 million. Contact your Representative and Senators here and tell them to fund VITA at $35M for FY23!  

Complete the TON Annual Survey and you can win $100!*

The Taxpayer Opportunity Network provides the most relevant and useful information and opportunities for community tax prep programs, but we can’t do it without your participation via the Taxpayer Opportunity Network Annual Survey. Your responses help TON staff understand: 

• The people you serve, 

• What services you offer,  

• How much and what kind of additional funding you need,  

• Who you are, and what help you need when it comes to managing volunteers, designing programs, reaching clients, advocating for your program, and/or anything else where you could use a hand.  

We recommend you have your tax season data and client demographics on hand and encourage you to email Graham at [email protected] if you need assistance. Please take the survey and share your thoughts and insights so that TON can continue to serve our community.  

*Oh, about that $100.... On November 1st one respondent will be selected at random and notified via email that they have won a $100 gift card for completing the survey.  

Last Call To Boost Your VITA Volunteer Base: Partnering with AmeriCorps NCCC 

If you attended our August webinar or viewed the recording linked to above, you learned all about how you can gain critical volunteer support by partnering with the AmeriCorps NCCC program. For those that are interested, we wanted to remind you that the deadlines to submit a program application are fast approaching with 9/13/22 being the closest.  

If you are interested in applying and have not done so, please email [email protected] ASAP to indicate your interest. Please also make sure to include what state you are from in your email as this will help the national office direct you to your regional representative as quickly as possible. 

Tools and Information for the Field

Resources from the Network 

DelBene Tax Prep Dispatch 

How VITA sites can increase their VITA Grant totals and help families using GetCTC referrals 
Courtney O'Reilly, Sr. Program Manager, Tax Benefits, Code for America 
Julia Beebe, Outreach Coordinator, Coalition on Human Needs 

Read the latest DelBene Tax Prep Dispatch to find out how to count accepted GetCTC clients for VITA grant reporting purposes! Click the link above to learn more about this unique opportunity!  

Look forward to VITA-Train (November)| Prosperity Now  

VITA-Train includes streamlined VITA training modules to make things easier for you and your volunteers to become certified. Each module is available to download in either PowerPoint or pdf format.  

Virtual Advocacy Toolkit| Prosperity Now  

Want to get started on virtual advocacy, but don’t know how to start? To find resources for effective advocacy at every level, visit our Prosperity Now Advocacy Toolkit.   

TON Tips and Tricks Form 

Got a great idea? Share it with us using the TON Tips and Tricks form. This short form can help us share your idea with our peers in the VITA field at large. These tips can be big or small on topics ranging from volunteer management to quality review. We’re excited to hear from you!  

Resources from IRS/SPEC and TaxSlayer  

IRS SPEC Partner Webcast Schedule   

Click here to get the full 2022 schedule for IRS SPEC Partner Webcasts to ensure that you stay up to date on the latest news and resources from IRS SPEC.    

TaxSlayer Support Information   

Phone: 1-800-421-634
Email: [email protected]  
Blog: Be sure to check out the TaxSlayer VITA/TCE Blog for important software updates.  

TaxSlayer Suggestion Box   

Share your thoughts or ideas on how TaxSlayer could be improved using the VITA/TCE Suggestion Box. Your feedback is needed for both federal and state returns, as well as reporting.     

Learning
Opportunities

Upcoming Events

2022 Prosperity Summit | Prosperity Now| September 19-21, 2022 

Save the Date: LITC & VITA Collaboration Summit | TON-TAS-SPEC | October 25, 1- 3 PM ET 

Prosperity Now’s Taxpayer Opportunity Network, the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic Program Office and IRS Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC), have partnered to host the First Annual LITC & VITA Collaboration Summit this October. LITCs and VITAs serve many of the same demographic taxpayers with low-to-moderate incomes, Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities, and those requiring services designed to help them maintain compliance with the U.S. Tax Code.  

Engage with experienced VITA programs and LITCs to discuss the practices they have developed to enhance their collaboration so that they can serve their shared clients more effectively. Learn how to connect with local providers, and what resources have been and are being developed to support these collaborations. Please be on the lookout for the official invite and registration soon!  

Community Free Tax Prep - Job Opportunities 

• Associate Director of Network Building| Prosperity Now 

• Program Associate Network Building| Prosperity Now

• VITA Operations Manager| United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades