United Way of Henry County and Martinsville

Marketing through multiple media channels, most of them free.  A Congressman at their tax site. Volunteers who not only take Advanced VITA training, but aim to score 100%. United Way of Henry County and Martinsville in Virginia had them all this tax season.

Congressional Outreach

Congressman Tom Perriello visited one of their VITA tax sites in April. Pam Allen, Coordinator of  United Way’s tax program,  knew him through 6 months of contact with his office after he invited Pam’s son to visit the White House last year.  During his 30 minute visit to the site, he spent 20 minutes talking with a client about his financial difficulties. A first-term Democrat, Perriello has worked hard to get unemployment benefits extended. The visit not only increased his contact with the VITA program, it also garnered more media attention for Allen and her program.

Unemployment Above 20%

Unemployment in Henry County has been high since the furniture and textile factories closed, but in the last 3 years, it recently has exceeded 20%. For the 50,000 residents of the county, that translates into tough times all round. Allen notices that more people are living with their parents and grandparents. Even schoolteachers qualify for the free tax preparation, and many retirees come to save money. 

As Allen sees it, an unemployed person is mostly the passive recipient of social support services. Going to a free tax preparation site is one of the few choices they can freely make to save themselves money. 

Making the Most of Media

Constant attention by local media seeking local news has allowed the VITA program to grow from 52 returns in 2007 to 1,500 in 2010. Both TV and newspapers have run stories  on the free tax preparation program, and the news spreads by word of mouth. One TV station created a public service announcement based on flyers that Allen gave them, and broadcast it numerous times throughout the tax season. 

Allen is proactive in seeking the free media exposure. When some of Presidents Obama’s  staff were in town for an event, Allen invited the attendant media to come over to tax site. Instead, they filmed an interview with her right there,  resulting in a  30 second spot on the TV news.  She appeared on a TV morning show for 30 minutes, and on a local real estate firm’s TV show for 15 minutes. When radio talk shows have call-ins about taxes, Allen will be there. 

For the first time, the VITA program tried billboards this year. Situated in prime locations, they had up to 3 billboards promoting their services at one time.

The multiple marketing channels supplement the good reputation that the United Way VITA program has built up over its 4 years. United Way has a strong presence in the community, and locals appreciate the service they provide for low-income people. Employers tell their employees about the service. By holding a volunteer training session at the workforce commission, Allen brought her program to the attention of that agency.

Student FAFSA Forms

About 40% of the information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form comes from the applicant’s tax return. So this year, United Way went to where students were gathering. A local community college put on a financial aid expo, and invited United Way to prepare tax returns. On a snowy day, the turnout was low and the two United Way staff spent more time networking than preparing returns, but the connection has been established, and the publicity mentioned the main tax sites where students could go if they missed the expo.

Solid Volunteer Base

Allen had 38 volunteers this past tax season.   While many of them are retirees, some are volunteering while out of work . Allen noticed how they developed social relationships that extended beyond the tax sites, and how they enjoyed working with taxpayer clients. 60-70% of her volunteers choose to take all 3 levels of VITA test, going beyond what was necessary to be a quality reviewer – and they aimed to score 100% on each of the test! As a consequence, very few returns were rejected for problems other than the confusion taxpayers had over receiving the $250 Social Security rebate.

The Joy of it All

Seeing tears of joy on the face of a taxpayer when they hear the size of their refund, mostly due to the earned income tax credit, is one of the rewards Allen enjoys. The volunteers are also affirmed by the impact of the work they do, evident in this TV report.

Exciting in another way, Allen stated, "was the chance to prepare the tax return of a local person who appeared in a TV reality show."