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Tax planning is for everyone. Get ready today to file your federal income tax return. Planning ahead can help you file an accurate return and avoid delays that can slow your tax refund. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill can have a significant effect on federal taxes, credits and deductions. The IRS and Treasury are working to implement the law and provide guidance for taxpayers. Visit the  One, Big, Beautiful Bill provisions page on IRS.gov for the latest information on tax law provisions, such as no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on car loan interest, the new deduction for seniors and other provisions, to determine how those changes could impact tax return filing. Full article at IRS.gov : https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-ready-to-file-your-taxes

VITA Tax Program Manager Primary Role: The VITA Manager is responsible for supervising the operations for the asset building coordination through the VITA program by recruiting volunteers, training volunteers, and supervising and aiding staff and volunteers in setting up tax sites. This individual will manage and execute all free tax preparation with volunteers at community sites. The VITA Manager will work in concert with the economic literacy activities for IDA clients, agency wide clients, and community partners when appropriate. The unified coordinated efforts will aim to address the changing trends that impact families/individuals facing asset poverty. Additionally, the VITA Manager will aid in doing presentations to inform the public/clients in the importance of free tax preparation and information associated with taxes. This individual will lead the efforts of evaluating existing programs and activities in order to make suggestions/changes based on reported client/community needs and business trends. Reports to: Director of Agency Operations with guidance from the Executive Director for community collaborations. Duties: Organizational Program Leadership: Trains volunteers and ESR staff on the benefits of EITC specially the EITC for clients pursuing self-sufficiency and housing stability. Also train staff on the basics of how to use tax system to benefit working families including the use of the Child Tax Credit, the Education Tax Credit and the Savers' Tax Credit. Conducts training for VITA volunteers, set up current tax sites, facilitate process for new sites in concert with the IRS standards Conducts training for tax site host and create site standards in concert with IRS standards Attends and facilitates meetings for Forsyth County Working Family Partnership. Develops strategic plans for the changing community and professional trends by designing and implementing progressive educational programs. Maintains tracking system and data to monitor accomplishments on-going. Contributes to the effectiveness of the program by maintaining active interest in the field, consulting and advocating for change. Assists Executive Director in marketing services to the community or others as directed. Maintains professional competency by participating in continued education, workshops, seminars, etc. and personal growth experiences. Meets regularly with supervisor to discuss community needs, workload, communication concepts and, make suggestions for changes/new programs, etc. Works in concert with IDA Director to promote asset building efforts. Participates and provide written and oral updates to Community Collaborators during scheduled meetings. Maintains working relationships with participants and provide suggestions and/or recommendations as needed. Fulfills other related job duties as needed. Programmatic Marketing and Communication: Develops all outreach materials so that materials can be customized as needed for both the free tax sites and for VITA outreach materials for both eligible individuals and employers. This will include but not limited to fliers, brochures, employer toolkits, and other materials as agreed to by partner agencies. Develops an outreach strategy to reach employers, non-profits who serve low-income clients and eligible families on the benefits of the EITC. Provides educational presentations and marketing presentations to a wide variety of audiences, ensuring a broader range of potential sites and lead financial partners for VITA and asset building efforts. Promotes a positive image of the program by ensuring an understanding of the services available and conducting oneself according to a professional code of ethics. Programmatic Fundraising and Development Aids in grant writing and fundraising for VITA and asset building projects. Enhance Community Collaboration Develops strategic plans to recruit and assist in training volunteers and strengthen alliances for expanding and promoting VITA through the community. Aligns asset building strategies with community-wide expectations to address poverty in families/individuals. Maintains harmonious working relationships with co-workers, United Way, educators, and other related service agencies and collaborative contacts. Risk Management Maintains tax certifications to prepare taxes and attend related training sessions to expand knowledge of tax related laws and expectations. Renews and creates MOU's with tax site host Ambassadorship Serves as an ambassador for ESR and all collaborating partners and maintain the integrity of the organizations involved. Serves as a team player and assist in furthering the mission of the organization. Reasoning Ability Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stand, crawl, bend, stoop, climb, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms, here. The employee frequently required to sit and talk. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job includes close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception. Work Environment The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is rarely exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Specifications The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. Licenses, Registrations, Certifications Valid Driver’s License and reliable transportation that may be used in the performance of duties. Qualifications: Should possess a 4-year college degree in business or related field, volunteer recruitment experience, tax preparation, and five years’ experience in financial, education or related field. Preferred candidates will have a Human Services, Business, Marketing, Operations or related degree, with two years related experience. Must have working knowledge of computer data entry process of Microsoft programs and other related software programs with strong computer skills in Microsoft Excel and tax software. The position also requires the ability to speak in public and to relate and maintain relationships with educators, clients, businesses, creditors, other agencies, etc.

Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR) is a Non-Profit Community Action Agency dedicated to empowering social and economic self-reliance for low-income citizens in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community. About Us Our Mission & Vision Experiment in Self-Reliance is a non-profit agency that was chartered in 1964 and has served the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community for over 60 years. Our mission is to empower social and economic self-reliance for working low-income. We are committed to creating a judgment-free zone and treating everyone with respect, all while pursuing our vision of reducing poverty in our community. Who We Serve ESR serves the low-to-moderate-income population of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. Clients must meet eligibility criteria (income level, etc.). We attempt to connect everyone who walks through our door with the resources they need to attain or regain self-reliance. This could be through enrollment in our programs or referral to another service provider whose programs are more suited to the individual’s needs. We are a Community Action Agency and a United Way Agency. Our History ESR was chartered in 1964 and has served the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community for more than 50 years, working to eliminate poverty and homelessness, and help people help themselves. Like its sister Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the nation, ESR was born out of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and the Equal Opportunity Act of 1964. In North Carolina, ESR was one of the original 11 CAAs supported by Governor Terry Sanford’s North Carolina Fund. ESR’s growth during the 1970s and early ‘80s was assured under the leadership of the legendary community servant Louise Wilson. Its mission was preserved and fostered through the 1980s and early ‘90s by Bob Law. ESR played a pivotal role in launching such integral local organizations as Head Start, Crisis Control, TransAid, Legal Aide in its early years before transitioning to the Senior, Youth and Emergency Assistance Services of the middle years. Its efforts under the leadership of Executive Director Twana W. Roebuck aimed to bridge the gaps in welfare-to-work, including promoting long-term self-sufficiency for the working poor, housing for working and chronically homeless, first-time homeownership, tax services, vocational and college education, and Hispanic/Latino services. ESR has been here for the community and its families. We serve hundreds of families in a variety of situations that many of us could conceivably find ourselves in—victims of house fires and domestic violence, those who have encountered a major financial setback due to health care costs, those who have experienced a change in life circumstances such as divorce or death of a family member, and people who are caught up in the endless cycles of generational poverty and chronic homelessness. As ESR passes its 60th anniversary and looks forward into the next half century, the expectation is that it will continue to lead in community action in Forsyth County, and continue to provide a safety net and a hand up to those in need. Our Partnerships As a community leader, ESR collaborates with many community agencies to ensure the growth and enrichment of the community. This helps us ensure that community members can be connected with agencies that are best equipped to provide services for them. Additionally, collaboration limits gaps and overlaps in service that can be wasteful. Below is a partial list of ESR’s partnerships. Partners marked with an asterisk (*) are agencies with which ESR is currently involved on an ongoing basis. At any given time, ESR is actively seeking community connections through which to serve the community and support our programming. Fund Sources City of Winston-Salem Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Department of Labor FEMA Forsyth County Local Banks MDC/EITC Carolinas Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust NC Department of Health & Human Services(OEO) RJ Reynolds/Reynolds American United Way of Forsyth County Winston-Salem Foundation W-S Community & Business Development Dept. Referral Partners Crisis Control Ministries Goodwill Industries greeNest Of Winston-Salem* Legal Aid of North Carolina Local Faith Community* Rescue Mission Samaritan Ministries The Salvation Army Urban League Training, Referral Source, In-Kind American Red Cross Career Connections and Prosperity Center* Department of Commerce Department of Employment Security Forsyth County DSS Forsyth County Health Department Forsyth County Mental Health Department Forsyth Technical Community College* Goodwill Industries* JobLink Career Center* Local Faith Community Lou Baldwin Realty NC Cooperative Extension* Next Step Ministries Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC Salem College* Veteran’s Administration* Wake Forest University* Winston-Salem Housing Authority* Winston-Salem State University* W-S/Forsyth County Homeless Council* Workforce Development Board* Coordinated Intake Center (CIC) * Forsyth Free Tax Resources/Sites Career Connections and Prosperity Center Goodwill Industries Internal Revenue Service Local Banks Local Libraries Malloy Jordan Heritage Center Mi Casa VITA/EITC Engagement Committee Walnut Cove Senior Center Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind Winston-Salem Transit Authority IDA Partners/Resources Center for Home Ownership (CHO) Financial Pathways of the Piedmont* Forsyth County Housing Department* Habitat for Humanity IDA Work Group* Local Banks Local Realtors* NC Housing Finance Agency NC IDA Collaborative* "We believe that every person has the potential to overcome their circumstances and achieve their dreams." 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Meet ESR's dedicated staff team, leadership, and board members! Experiment in Self-Reliance Staff Front Row (left to right): April Marlin, Alicia Anthony, Fred Bazemore, Tonya Oliphant, Shadowe Magaraci, Saundra Adams Second Row (left to right): Hilda Moore, Delores McCullough, Nicole Rhinehardt, DeJuana Eastland, Nikita Wallace, Bryon Harrison, Verona Gordon, Melinda Hash, Janet Ashe, Kimberly Hardy, Janet Carlton, Myriam Hall Not Pictured: Shirley Abdullah, LaTonya Amos Management Team Shirley Abdullah Forsyth Free Tax VITA Manager Fred Bazemore Executive Director Melinda Hash Self-Sufficiency Manager Delores McCullough Employee Relations Manager Nikita Wallace New Century IDA Manager Tonya Oliphant Finance Director Administrative Team Saundra Adams Administrative Assistant Janet Ashe Fiscal and Compliance Associate Shadowe Magaraci Executive Assistant/Data Analyst Self-Sufficiency Team Verona Gordon Receptionist/Resource & Referral Agent Myriam Hall Success Coach/Outreach Kimberly Hardy Orientation/ Eligibility Specialist April Marlin Success Coach/Outreach Coordinator Nicole Rhinehardt Success Coach/Outreach Antionette Sheppard Success Coach/Outreach Melinda Hash Program Manager New Century IDA Team First-time Homeownership and Small Business Programs Alicia Anthony Data Manager & Administrative Assistant Janet Carlton IDA Homeownership Success Coach Charlene Funderburk Small Business Success Coach Nikita Wallace Program Manager VITA Forsyth Free Tax Team Shirley Abdullah Program Manager LaTonya Amos Program Assistant