Bilingual Volunteer Intake Specialists

The New York City Financial Network Action Consortium (NYCfNAC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income city residents gain access to affordable financial services and achieve financial security, is looking for volunteers to serve as Bilingual Volunteer Intake Specialists during the 2009 tax season (Jan-April 2010). 

Background:  NYCfNAC provides financial, technical and operational assistance to the city's leading community development credit unions.  These credit unions are non-profit, financial cooperatives dedicated to promoting economic opportunity for their members through access to affordable financial services. They also facilitate economic development of their communities by reinvesting their members' deposits in the community through their personal, business and housing loans. 

NYCfNAC established the VITA(Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program in 2004 to respond to the exploitation of low-income taxpayers by commercial tax preparation firms, which often charge excessive fees and encourage these taxpayers to borrow their refunds at high interest rates.  The VITA Program permits these families to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and receive the entire refund they are due.  In addition, it helps bring in more of the estimated $500 million being lost annually to New York City by EITC-eligible families that do not claim their refunds.  The program also promotes financial literacy and offers filers, particularly those without a bank account, the opportunity to open an account at a credit union to receive their refunds and gain access to savings, credit and other financial services. Last year, NYCfNAC's VITA program served 5,700 low-income households. 

Position Description:  Volunteer Intake Specialists will work 3 to 8 hours per week during weekdays, evenings or Saturdays at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites operated by community-based credit unions in East Harlem, the Lower East Side, Bedford Stuyvesant, Bushwick or Queens during the tax season (January through April).  They will assist tax clients to fill out questionnaires and surveys and may assist with translation and benefits screening

Eligibility Requirements:  We are looking for motivated individuals who meet these minimum requirements:

* Bilingual Spanish/ English skills;

*Strong record keeping and communication skills;

*Commitment to promoting opportunities for low-income city residents and communities;

*Desire to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds;

*Patience and flexibility .

To Apply: Please contact Pamela Davis, NYCfNAC's Program Manager, at 212-254-6060, ext. 102 or by e-mail at: pdavis@nycfnac.org.