Virtual Training Series Andrea Kiepe Prepare + Prosper Brittany Sims Louisville Asset Building Coalition Why Host a Taxathon NOW? Kelly Wagoner The Piton Foundation Center on Budget & Policy Priorities August 30, 2018
National effort to connect eligible workers to tax benefits Promote the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, free tax preparation, and other tax Get It Back benefits Campaign Work with a network of diverse partners Provide outreach tools, trainings, and resources to help you link eligible workers to the tax credits and free tax help www.eitcoutreach.org
Virtual Training Series Features the expertise of campaign partners in the field Focuses on specific outreach strategies and skills that you can begin to apply to your work immediately
TAX + MARATHON
Prepare and Prosper Tax Help St. Paul, MN Colorado Denver, CO Just Harvest Pittsburgh, PA Ladder Up Chicago, IL Last year’s Taxathons Louisville Asset Building Coalition Louisville, KY
Goal: Help you feel supported and ready to throw a Taxathon! • Why Host a Taxathon • Planning a Taxathon Today’s • Alternatives for smaller sites Training • Barriers and funding options • Messaging and working with new partners • Resources
Taxathon Models Small Scale Medium Scale Large Scale Number of Tax Filing Hours 4 – 8 9 – 15 16 – 24 Staff Involvement 1 – 4 5 – 10 10 or more Volunteers 5 – 50 51 – 100 100 or more Tax Returns Filed 30 – 100 100 – 200 200 or more Fun Activity Ideas Kick-off, results board, popcorn machines, superheroes, resource fair, coloring sheets, picture frames for social media, raffle, kids table, story collection, Elected Officials visits, movies, snacks for volunteers AND clients Other Consider partnering with another group to help plan and promote the Taxathon
Presenters Andrea Kiepe Kelly Wagoner Brittany Sims Community Relations + Public Information Program Director Outreach Manager Campaigns Manager Louisville Asset Prepare + Prosper The Piton Foundation Building Coalition St. Paul, MN Denver, CO Louisville, KY
PREPARE + PROSPER Andrea Kiepe Community Relations + Outreach Manager andrea@prepareandprosper.org 651-262-2160
WHO WE ARE W e w ork w ith low - to m oderate-incom e people to build financial w ell-being. • Free tax preparation, financial services, products, and coaching • Claim it! campaign • FAIR initiative: Products set coupled with coaching • Policy change in areas of tax credits, asset building, and consumer protection
TAXATHON BY THE NUMBERS 9 5 volunteers 1 9 1 taxpayers Returned filed their taxes Helped at the taxathon $ 5 9 1 ,8 3 3 in tax refunds
WHY HOLD A TAXATHON • Raise awareness of free tax preparation, tax credits • Serve more people • Fun approach to EITC Awareness Day • Garner media coverage • Engage volunteers • Celebrate our awesome work
TAX REFORM + TAXATHON • Take advantage of media spotlight around tax issues in 2019. • Serve more people in the busy, early season to make up for a possible late start
MEDIA COVERAGE • Provides a fun hook, great visuals, variety of spokespersons in one spot • We had the biggest successes with TV stations showing up during the first day • Position as trusted source of info and tax service with uncertainty of tax reform
KEY COMPONENTS Find the best approaches for your organization • Celebratory kick-off • Food and beverages • Contests, games and guests/ performers • Activities for kids • Social media and photos
WHAT WE DID
TAXATHON PLANNING • Led by the marketing + communications team at P+ P • Held 2-3 planning meetings in January • Our lead staff worked with others from the tax, volunteer, development, and marketing teams • Encouraged full-time staff to help during the Taxathon
KICK-OFF EVENT • 10 minutes before the first shift • Invited our partners • Held a short program • Did a group countdown!
FOOD AND COFFEE • Partners stopped by and dropped off treats throughout the event • Fresh popcorn for customers and volunteers all day • Fair Trade coffee throughout the event
CONTESTS, GAMES, OR PERFORMERS • Every 25th customer received $5 and took a picture with a volunteer or staff • Guess the number of candy bars (Payday and 100,000 Grand, naturally) • Held a “tax quiz” contest
CONTESTS, GAMES, AND PERFORMERS What ideas and resources do your staff, partners, and volunteers have to give your event an extra celebratory spark?
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS • Worked with a local designer on a coloring sheet for kids • Hung the coloring sheets on the wall throughout the event • Balloons for kids to take home
SOCIAL MEDIA AND PHOTOS Tracking results: • Updated after every shift • Took pictures for social media • Tracked while checking customers out
SOCIAL MEDIA AND PHOTOS Fram es: • Used the frames to engage customers, volunteers, and partners • Great for social media • Great opportunity for photos of volunteers, customers, partners
SOCIAL MEDIA AND PHOTOS Group photo: • Involved staff, volunteers, and customers. • Great for social media! • Acted as the finale for the event
LESSONS LEARNED • Make room for walk-ins who hear about the Taxathon on the news • Be sure you provide good coverage for tracking • Buy more give-aways than you think you’ll need, kids will want to take them home • Clearly communicate who is the event lead • Plan extra fun activities for the regular shift
Thank you!
L o uis ville A s s et B uilding C o alitio n Taxatho n Training: A lternative C o ns ideratio ns fo r S m aller O rganizatio ns B rittany S im s , P ro gram D irecto r Brittany Sims, Program Director
A bo ut U U s s 501(c)(3) o rganizatio n that dedicated to pro m o ting financial s tability and as s et building fo r individuals and fam ilies P rim ary pro gram s are free tax preparatio n (V ITA ) and E arned Inco m e Tax C redit (E IC T) C am paign P artners w ith o rganizatio ns that pro vide a co ntinuum o f financial educatio n res o urce and as s et develo pm ent initiatives
W hy hy w e he held a a Taxatho ho n C apacity to s erve m o re E ITC taxpayers V o lunteer and bo ard engagem ent M edia attentio n B ringing to gether o ur co m m unity partners Ins pired by las t year’s pres enters !
O ur planning a appro ach a h as a s m all o o rganizatio n E ngage o ur co m m unity partners and s takeho lders S ell them o n the benefits o f the event D evelo p a planning co m m ittee that included repres entatives fro m thes e different o rganizatio ns L et peo ple be creative and then take o w ners hipo f their ideas !
F undi ding S g S trategy gy F lexibility w as key! A m o unt rais ed = $750 A m o unt s pent = $930 (no t including s taff) * * A ls o received do natio ns
C o m m unicatio n P P lan H aving an o utreach plan w as a great learning experience fo r us as a s m all o rganizatio n C o m m unicatio n P lan fo r 2018 included in To o lkit D o n’t be afraid to go o uts ide o f yo ur co m fo rt zo ne! Tried to create reco gnizable them e -S uperhero
L o gis is tic ics Taxatho n held at o ur larges t s ite + res erved extra ro o m s K ept all o ther s ites o pen 24 H o urs 9am –1am F riday, 9am –5pm S aturday E xtra activities o nly 9am –5pm S ign-U p G enius
H o w w e b e built ex excitem em en ent o o n a b budget et K ick-o ff R es ults bo ard P ho to bo o th C o m m unity res o urce fair P o pco rn m achine C o ffee S uperhero them e C o lo ring s heets S to rytelling M o vies
H o w w e b e built ex excitem em en ent o o n a b budget et
P ro blem s s w e w ant t to addres s s s this s y year A ppo intm ents vs . w alk-in G etting taxpayers to engage w ith the res o urce fair and pho to bo o th D ay-o f s o cial m edia C hange in ho urs C o m bine w ith E ITC A w arenes s !
Thank y yo u!
Utilizing a Taxathon to Develop Partnerships and Provide Additional Resources to Families
The Piton Foundation, EITC Outreach Campaign & Tax Help Colorado The Piton Foundation Improving the lives of Colorado’s low-income children and their families Tax Credits or Working Families Outreach Campaign Over 400 partners statewide 1.14 million reached with electronic and hard-copy materials Tax Help Colorado Program 330 new students 100 returning volunteers
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