EITC Outreach
Strategies for your
Community
Brought to you by the Native Financial Education Coalition’s
Native Earned Income Tax Credit Network
Presentation Overview
Identify your Team
 Identify your Objective
 Identify your Resources
 Identify your Market
 Outreach activities

Developing your Outreach
Campaign

Start with your action plan
Team
 Objectives
 Market
 Message
 Activities

Your team
“It only takes one person to make
difference – but, the work is much
easier if you have a team”
 Who is on your team?
 What strengths do they bring to the
table?
 How will they help you get information
out to your target audience?
Identify your objective
“If you have a clearly defined
objective you’re more likely to
succeed.”
 Bring more dollars into the community
 Help families save $ on tax
preparation fees by promoting free
sites
 Reduce the number of Refund
Anticipation Loan’s (RAL’s)
Your Target Market
New filers
 New parents
 New workers
 Those using paid tax preparers
 Those getting RAL’s

Your Message
What is the message that we have to share?
1.
Untapped $$
2.
Free Tax Preparation – save dollars – get it done for
free
3.
Refund Anticipation Loans – why pay to borrow your
own money? (Tribal communities were above the 50%
range in RAL uptake)
4.
Others?
1.
2.
3.
Liz- article in Iowa Farmer Today said RALs can be as
much as 459% interest
Some states have statutes that forbid high interest
rates- but fee structure is deceiving
Can make good estimates on how much being left on
the table- (Nadia will send link)
Outreach Methods

Passive - No direct communication




Posters
Flyers
Brochures
Active – Direct communication – Buder
report found that 40% of folks accessed a
free tax site thru word of mouth



Parenting classes
Gatherings
Meetings
Spokespersons
Leadership
 Elders
 Staff
 Community Advocates

Utilizing Materials
Remember: Your target market probably
has limited time & resources to go to and
from your site-Provide clear, detailed
information.
If advertising a tax site include:
 Address with the room information, Staff
contact with phone number & email
 Hours of Operation
 What materials they need to bring with them
Accessing Outreach
Materials
Oweesta materials include: Paycheck
stuffers, poster, flyer.
 Center for Budget & Policy Priorities:



Find out where the free tax sites are


Roxy Caines: caines@cbpp.org
Is there a state EITC outreach
campaign
Others?
Fun Stuff
Postcards – Get your taxes done for
free – a $100 value!
 Workshops/Fairs
 Articles
 Testimonials
 Super Saturday
 National EITC Day!!!!

Distributing info
Community gatherings
 Headstart classrooms
 Resource programs
 Schools
 Health Clinics
 Employee orientation packets
 Employee paychecks

Distributing info
Financial Education classes
 TANF
 WorkForce Investment – Dept. of
Labor

Activities
Headstart Parents – What would you
do with $1,718?
 Cost of RAL’s – Did you know you are
paying to borrow your own money?
 Tax preparation fees = 3 full tanks of
gas, 2 paid light bills, groceries for 2
weeks

Outreach Examples
Presented by:
Sarah Ruppel, Asset Development Coordinator
White Earth Investment Initiative
Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation
Contact Info:
Email: sruppel@mmcdc.com
218-844-7027
White Earth Outreach
Initiative
Started 4 years ago with outreach, then expanded VITA to serve
White Earth, last year-first independent White Earth site
Partnered with Shooting Star Casino-they provided space next to
pick up for W-2s- can talk to them while waiting to pick up W-2
1000 paycheck stuffers, advertised in tribal & local newspapers,
radio ads, TV ad- biggest marketer was word of mouth by
volunteers
New loan product –zero interest, zero loan fee- in partnership with
bank; added marketing strategy to include refunds in 1-2
business days
Promoting Savings: Onsite link to type in amount of money to save
per month by interest rate to see savings potential
http://www.planningtips.com/cgi-bin/savings.pl ($10/mo x 12 mo x
interest rate = savings)
At capacity this year, so trying to grow assets of existing
customers; hoping to expand volunteers to serve more
Low-Income Taxpayer
Clinics
Presented by:
Liz Diers Assistant Professor at Black Hills
State University in Spearfish, South Dakota;
CPA with Masters of Business Taxation and
Program Director of South Dakota LITC
Program; Also, VITA site coordinator.
Contact info:
lizdiers@bhsu.edu
605-642-6002
Low Income Tax Clinics
An LITC is a Non profit organization that provides free
services to low income and English as second
language taxpayers
2 components:
1)representation & controversy with IRS (represent in court,
respond to notices, file delinquent returns, file amended
returns
2) ESL- outreach & education on rights and responsibilities,
including EITC- go into Native communities to provide
Goal- have at least one clinic providing both services (may
be one or both)
 Great partnering opportunity- speakers & materials
 Matching can be in kind
 Grants are calendar year- deadline 7/31
Low Income Tax Clinics

List of 2007 Clinics is at
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irsutl/pub_4134_02_2007.pdf

Application process in IRS
Publication 3319 at
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irspdf/p3319.pdf
EITC Outreach Materials &
Resources
Oweesta: www.oweesta.org/eitc
 Center on Budget & Policy Priorities:
http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/eitc.htm
Roxy Caines: caines@cbpp.org
 National EITC Day: www.irs-eitc.info/spec
 EITC State Links: http://www.cbpp.org/eitcpartnership/state-links.htm
 National Community Tax Coalition:
http://www.tax-coalition.org/

Thank you
For more information, please contact:
Patsy Schramm, NFEC EITC Committee Facilitator at:
edgpj@aol.com or
Iris Friday, Chair at iris.Friday@hud.gov