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Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Contra Costa Volunteer Application

Come Volunteer for Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Contra Costa

In order to fax or mail your application, please use our printable version (126k PDF, 1p.)

Learn more about Earn It! Keep It! Save It!

You can help working families and individuals in your community file taxes, claim credits and build their assets! By assisting them, you will:

Gain a marketable skill
Help low-income families and individuals achieve greater economic security
Expand your resume and help your community
Help workers bolster the economy

Who will I be helping?

You will help workers with earnings of approximately $42,000 or less claim the tax credits they're owed for the 2007 tax year. Based on our experience last year, you can help boost a family's or individual's annual income by an average of $1,100. Many low-income workers are eligible for tax credits but without help, many workers won't collect them.

Do I need to have experience as a tax preparer to help?

No. Volunteer tax preparers will be provided with the training they need to prepare taxes and file returns.

Brief training will be provided to volunteers who greet clients and review paperwork before clients meet with volunteer tax preparers. Volunteer tax preparers will be provided with approximately 20 hours of training in December and January. Volunteers can attend training sessions on Saturdays or do their training online if they volunteered last year. For online training, visit www.irs.gov and type "Link and Learn" in the IRS Keyword field. The deadline for submitting volunteer applications is December 15.

If you don't want to prepare taxes, but can help interpret Spanish, Vietnamese, Mien, Lao and other languages, we especially need your help.

Where will I work as a volunteer?

You'll volunteer at one of more than a dozen Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites in Contra Costa County. Every effort will be made to place volunteers in the site of their choice. You can also elect to work in Alameda or San Francisco counties.

What kind of commitment is required?

Volunteers must make a minimum commitment of 16 to 20 hours and can schedule regular weekly shifts throughout tax season or work two or three full Saturdays any time between January 27 and April 14, 2008. Some sites will be open during the day, evening hours on weeknights or during the day on Saturdays. Bilingual volunteers also are needed as interpreters and tax preparers. Greeters and screeners are needed, as well.

Apply now

Full Name:
Mailing Address:
City & Zip:
Home Phone:
Work Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
What is the best way to reach you during the week?	Phone E-mail

Please check all that apply in the boxes below:

1. No experience is necessary! However, we would like to know if you have previous tax preparation experience. How would you rate your experience level?

No experience

Intermediate

Beginner

Advanced

2. Which volunteer position(s) are you interested in?

Volunteer tax preparer

Client Greeter

Interpreter

Site Coordinator

3. In which part of the County would you prefer to volunteer?

West County

Central County

East County

Far East County

4. If you have a specific VITA site that you would like to be assigned to, please list the site/location

here:

5. At which times are you able to volunteer?

Weekdays

Weekday evenings

Saturdays

6. Based on your experience, what type of training you would like to be assigned?

Refresher Class

Link and Learn

Basic Tax Law/Tax Wise (All New Volunteers)

7. Are you competent in a language other than English and are you willing to serve as a translator?

No.

Yes. I am competent in the following language(s):

Spanish

Tagalog

Mien/Yao

Punjabi

Vietnamese

Other:

Thank you for your interest in volunteering.

Please return your completed form to:
Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Contra Costa
C/O Maria Benjamin, 1555 Third Street., Richmond, CA 94801
510-412-9290
mbenjamin@chdcnr.com

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Contra Costa is sponsored by United Way of the Bay Area, Contra Costa Health Services, Employment & Human Services Department, First 5 Contra Costa, the Internal Revenue Services and the Richmond Works/City of Richmond