Earned Income Tax Credit:

The West Virginia Alliance for Sustainable Families works with several other state organizations each year to encourage citizens to apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is for working families with low and moderate incomes. It can help reduce tax burdens, boost income and help people move from welfare to work. Outreach activities include the dissemination of educational materials, a media campaign and tax assistance. For more information call (304) 342-6972 or visit www.wveitc.com.

WVASF Role:

The West Virginia Alliance for Sustainable Families (WVASF) serves as the statewide leader for the EITC outreach effort by building capacity for seven regional EITC coalitions, establishing strategic partnerships, and providing promotional materials and resources.

Statewide Campaign Purpose:

By focusing on seven regions, this cooperative grassroots outreach effort will increase the percentage of eligible filers in all 55 counties resulting in a multi-million dollar increase in return to West Virginia’s economy and improved quality of life for working families.

2007-2008 Goal Statement:

Increase financial independence education through the EITC statewide campaign success by strengthening coalition diversity and membership, maintaining outreach education and marketing materials, expanding the role of VITA site coordinators, and designing a rural strategy for employer outreach.

Strategic Goals Overview:

  1.Expand the WV EITC education and outreach campaign to include financial independence education through informal application of America Saves strategies in each coalition’s outreach plans for the coming year.

2.Strengthen regional coalition capacity by setting standards for increased and diverse membership; we will also provide technical assistance to coalitions to develop best practices around committee structure and use to get the most out of the volunteer members.

3.Expand the role of and provide technical assistance to support VITA site coordinators in order to improve the volunteer tax preparer year-round recruitment, training, and development.

4.Refine employer outreach with increased roving VITA sites that “go to” the employee at work, as well as an employer-specific outreach packet designed to speak the language of business and to educate the employer on the advantages of the EITC to their workforce.

 




















Strategic Partnerships:

  • WV Department of Health and Human Resources
  • Internal Revenue Service
  • Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
  • West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office
  • WV Department of Revenue
  • West Virginia’s EITC Champion – First Lady Gayle Manchin

Regional EITC Coalitions:

  • Northern Panhandle
  • North-Central
  • Mid-Ohio Valley
  • Southwest
  • Southern
  • Eastern Panhandle
  • Central

Anticipated Highlights of this Year’s Campaign

  • Regional coalition representatives will explore multiple
    strategies for developing a     West Virginia Saves program.

  • Continue to use peer-to-peer technical assistance to
    design a “best practice” model for coalition use of volunteers.

  • Conduct ‘train-the-trainer’ training in a centralized location
    early in the year,     as well as regional VITA Site Coordinator
    training. (Identify 2-3 volunteer train-the-trainers in each
    region; develop a train-the-trainer job description and
    user-friendly training agendas and curriculum; develop
    training evaluation and process for compiling feedback.)

  • Each of 7 regional coalitions will implement roving tax
    preparation sites     by taking the service to the employer.

  • The above goal will be facilitated by the development of
    an employer-specific outreach packet to support
    recruitment success.