TAC Outreach and Education

Whether through the use of educational videos, radio public service announcements, distribution of written materials such as brochures and flyers, or traditional workshop formats, NC-TAC Partners offer individuals information regarding their financial well-being, rights, responsibilities, and options as taxpayers, and their role in impacting the decisions of financial institutions. Our community education is designed to evoke change in individual financial decisions, so that real change can occur in promoting their collective
community wealth.

TAC partners utilize their VITA and LITC sites as vehicles to educate the public about tax issues. Because of the outreach efforts in promoting VITA, thousands of residents are served through these two programs annually in Greater Durham.

ESL Outreach and Education

Funded by an IRS grant to conduct ESL Outreach and Education through its LITC program, TAC Partner, Reinvestment Partners is currently developing a 10-minute video presentation to assist in educating the ESL population of their rights, responsibilities and options as it relates to income tax issues. The video, produced in Spanish and incorporating English subtitles will be made available to LITCs in other service locations to further their education and outreach goals.

Qualified volunteers from the NC-TAC regularly participate in information fairs hosted by other agencies by setting up informational booths and providing brochures, flyers and other available materials describing tax issues, services and LITC offerings. They are available to answer questions and direct inquiries to appropriate next steps. If power is available, the educational video will also be continuously played at these fairs.

TAC representatives also conduct facilitated training/informational sessions both at predominantly ESL
populated worksites and at LITC Sites. These are designed to give taxpayers a general overview of their rights and responsibilities, and then to assist those who need additional tax assistance, such as completing prior year returns, applying for ITINs, and assisting clients in negotiating the IRS system when they owe Federal taxes.

Workforce Development/Training
Training Workfirst Employees as Tax Preparers

The TAC utilizes participants from the Department of Social Services Work First Program to prepare taxes at some of its VITA sites. These workers are “hired” and paid comparable wages, in addition to receiving invaluable training and work experience. In addition to the clear benefit to the VITA staff, the
clients served at VITA sites benefit because staff are actually members of the target population, and therefore have intimate knowledge of that population. This allows staff to personally connect in a more meaningful way to the clients being served.

Work-First preparers are put through a rigorous formal intake process, an interactive interview process, and a full training and testing period which ends with their certification by the IRS to prepare taxes on multiple levels of diffidulty. They receive ongoing training in tax preparation throughout their employment and continue testing to advance through the certification levels offered. Unique to this program, Work-First preparers are also offered weekly classes to enrich their personal development,
both in the workplace and regarding their personal finances.