VITA Volunteer Newsletter

Week of January 21st, 2022

Your weekly resource for tax tips, important dates, and other news of note

from the VITA staff!

Tax Updates

Volunteer Ramp-Up

More than halfway through January already! Tax season is just around the corner, and volunteers should be focused on completing Thinkific trainings and/or certification exams. Here are notes to keep in mind for this week:

New Volunteers

Thinkific: All new volunteers should have received access to our new online pilot training platform, Thinkific, last Friday 1/14. You will receive an email from the address 'noreply@notify.thinkific.com' with the subject line 'Welcome to United Way of Tucson.' When you receive that email, use the links to set up your password, sign in, and get started. If you don't see the email by Saturday 1/15, first check your 'Junk' folder to make sure it didn't accidentally end up there. If you still are missing the email after checking these notes, let us know at vita@unitedwaytucson.org. Note that the Thinkific modules include directions for uploading your volunteer agreements and proof of certification exam(s).

GetYourRefund Demo Hub (Practice): The Thinkific trainings include an overview of the Hub, our virtual system for tracking returns submitted online. GYR Training is required for remote and Valet volunteers, but all volunteers are welcome to explore it. If you would like to practice using the Hub, you can do so on the Hub Demo site soon. We are setting up 'dummy tickets' in the system and plan to send demo login information to all of you by Saturday 1/22. This email will come from 'no-reply@mg-demo.getyourrefund-testing.org' - watch your inbox and junk folders! Full access to the (real) Hub will be made available by the start of tax season.

TaxSlayer Practice Lab: Your Thinkific training also includes information about how to access the PracticeLab for TaxSlayer to try out that system before tax season. Full access to the (real) TaxSlayer system will be made available by the start of tax season.

Online Study Groups: See blue sidebar - new days/times added! The Zoom link will work for all sessions listed. Huge thanks to our longtime volunteers Jerry, Caryl, and Gary for their assistance with this sessions! You are also welcome to email your tax questions to vita@unitedwaytucson.org.

Returning Volunteers

Site Preferences: Most of you have let us know where you prefer to volunteer, but if you haven't, please use this link submit your site preference: Returning Volunteering Site Preference Form

Certification Exams: Plan to complete your certification tests before your first day of volunteering. Returning volunteers can find the exam on VITALinks (Link & Learn Certification Portal, under Training Resources). Once exams are completed, please upload your agreement, which notes certification(s), here - https://form.jotform.com/220136964372052

Thinkific: Surprise! We ended up giving all volunteers access to the Thinkific online pilot program. Returning volunteers are welcome, but not required, to explore and use the trainings. Note that Thinkific includes information about the Hub and TaxSlayer PraticeLab if that might be helpful.

GetYourRefund Hub: Virtual and Valet volunteers will need to know how to use the Hub this year. If you would like to practice, you can do so on the Hub Demo site soon. We are setting up 'dummy tickets' in the system and plan to send demo login information to by Saturday 1/22. This email will come from 'no-reply@mg-demo.getyourrefund-testing.org' - watch your inbox and junk folders! Full access to the (real) Hub will be made available by the start of tax season.

TaxSlayer Practice Lab: Full access to the (real) TaxSlayer system will be made available by the start of tax season. If you would like to use the Practice Lab in the meantime, returning volunteers can find login instructions on VITALinks (under Training Resources).

Tax Updates: If you missed the session about tax law updates, catch up here:

Other Notes

Site Assignments: After you have uploaded your service agreements/exam certification(s), you will hear from your site coordinator via email to confirm where and when you have been placed, as well as details specific to your team and location.

Calendar

Online Study Sessions

Have questions as you work through the Thinkific training or certification exams?

Our team and volunteers will be available via this Zoom link (https://unitedwaytucson.zoom.us/s/9403467595) at the following times for you to drop-in and work through tax questions (*= newly added session!):

*Saturday 1/22

8am-12pm

*Tuesday 1/25

8-10am

12-2pm

*Wednesday 1/26

6-8pm

Thursday 1/27

12-2pm

*Saturday 1/29

8-10am

Monday 1/31

VITA Opening Day!

Each site will have a different opening day and time

Volunteer Resources

VITALinks has long been our primary webpage for volunteer tax resources - it's your one-stop reference for tax preparation guides and tools. Resources will be added to VITALinks as the tax season gets going - check out the following links in the meantime:

VITALinks: https://unitedwaytucson.org/vita/links/ (still has many resources from last year - will be updated soon!)
4012 - VITA/TCE Resource Guide for 2021 Returns (digital copy)
6744 - Volunteer Assistor's Test/Retest for 2021 Returns (digital copy)
4491 - Volunteer Training Guide for 2021 (digital copy)

Note for Remote Volunteers

Do you have everything you need to ensure a productive volunteer experience? Your VITA Team wants to set you up for success, so we are offering equipment rentals for remote volunteers. Please use this link to order the necessary equipment such as laptops, headsets, monitors or hotspots: https://forms.office.com/r/dBceGyWERV

Once complete you will be given a link to schedule an appointment to pick up. Pickup hours are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10am – 3pm. If this window doesn't work, please make a note and we will respond in a timely manner to make other arrangements.

United Way of Tucson Updates

United Way of Tucson is working to build a thriving community by uniting people, ideas, and resources. We envision a community where every child receives a high-quality education from birth to career, every adult has the opportunity to thrive financially and in the workplace and every older person can retire and age with dignity and independence. From birth to career, career to retirement, and retirement to end of life, United Way supports the well-being and success of every person in Southern Arizona.

Financial Wellness Partnership

2021 marked a restart for United Way of Tucson and Southern AZ's Financial Wellness Partnership - our effort to build a stronger foundation for collective impact work around economic mobility.

Here are some highlights from the Partnership's work last year:

Engaged more than 40 partner organizations and local government through Partnership meetings, trainings, and workshops.
Held 7 network meetings, which offered presentations about two-gen strategies, integrated service delivery models, outreach and participant recruitment, and programs from Take Charge America Institute, Goodwill of Southern AZ, and Pima FastTrack.
Hosted 3 special sessions: the Eviction Prevention Case Study in Collaboration, with staff from the City of Tucson, Pima County, and Community Investment Corporation in April; an overview of the Health Currents Social Determinant of Health pilot program in August; and a Trauma-Informed Economic Empowerment workshop with the Domestic Violence Law Clinic in November.
With the support of our two focus teams, developed a central financial wellness resource list, a shared referral form for pilot, a financial wellness policy stakeholder list, and a partner pulse survey.

Interested in learning more about the Financial Wellness Partnership? Visit United Way Financial Wellness

Questions, comments, or feedback?

Contact the VITA team:

vita@unitedwaytucson.org

https://unitedwaytucson.org/vita/