A TC’s success story

Universities and colleges can equal rural success

As SPEC continues its efforts to help more taxpayers in rural communities, the RM and partner success stories are building too. The goal is to share as many of these stories as possible, with the premise that they may possibly help others expand their reach in rural areas

Senior Tax Consultant Kenneth Brown shares his Southwest Georgia rural success story 

Describe to us your geographic area and current partnership base.

I am a Senior Tax Consultant, managing one of the larger coalitions in the Atlanta Territory. Working in the Savannah, GA POD, I always get to use my consultative skills to create new partnerships and promote free-tax preparation in our territory. Our small team work actively together in our rural areas to increase productivity and support.

How did your rural success story begin?

I received a call from a former partner at the local university, extending an invitation to come to a “Meet the Firms” event.  During this event, we had the opportunity to market VITA and other free-tax prep options to more than 40 local firms. Coincidentally, we had a scheduled meeting at the university for the next day and took the liberty to invite some of the employers who were at this meeting to come to our meeting. During our meeting, we targeted three rural locations:  Valdosta, Albany and Tifton, Georgia. All three rural areas have universities who ultimately agreed to train their students to become certified for the upcoming filing season.

What steps did you take next?

We began the process to successfully set up sites remotely and face-to-face. We obtained EFINS, ordered software and certified student volunteers at two locations.

How long did it take you to work this opportunity?

It took two months during the pre-filing season to prepare the partners and sites to be ready for the filing season.

In your opinion, what were the key actions that made this turn out successfully?

The collaboration with a current VITA partner was a key element. That relationship allowed us the opportunity to host a meeting where we shared best practices and economic impact data (EID) for all three communities. Using information directly from SPEC’s return database, E-file, and TaxSlayer Reports allowed us to show attendees key information such as refund data in their areas, including EITC dollars. We also shared the potential savings of tax return preparation costs when using our free tax prep services. Presenting this information sparked an interest with the attending professors, and they agreed to share this information at their community meetings. Also, two of the universities agreed to incorporate VITA into their class curriculum next filing season, to ensure they will always have a pool of certified volunteers.

What advice would you give to fellow TCs/RMs to gain additional successes?

Many of the universities and/or colleges have programs or career days where 30 to 40 employers are invited. TCs/RMs can check with their local colleges or coalition partner to determine if they can participate in these outreach sessions to market the free-tax programs.

Any other information you’d like to add:

Coalition building in rural communities is essential.  Beginning with the colleges and universities is a great start to build your program and volunteer base. If not already established, this will be a great time to work on a partnership with the colleges, universities and employers in the rural communities and other locations.