Financial Empowerment Member
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Apply NOW. Create an account and application in the MyAmericorps portal and apply the the position listing below.
PLEASE NOTE: Upon entry into service, full COVID-19 vaccination is required for this role [proof of record will be requested during the onboarding process].
United Way of King County’s Financial Stability Team is seeking three dynamic professionals to serve as Financial Empowerment AmeriCorps Members on one of the largest anti-poverty programs in Washington State.
Program Overview:
United Way of King County’s Financial Stability Team is seeking five dynamic professionals to serve as Financial Empowerment AmeriCorps Members for one of the largest anti-poverty programs in Washington State. The Free Tax Preparation Campaign is a community-driven effort to put money into the pockets of low- and moderate-income residents of King County by:
· increasing tax refunds
· improving access to tax credits
· assisting individuals and households to apply for food, cash, and other public benefits
These are powerful anti-poverty tools—such as tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Education Credits—that provide critical economic stability, reduce racial wealth disparities, and increase public health outcomes, particularly for communities of color. However, millions of dollars are left unclaimed by eligible recipients each year.
As a member of the Financial Stability Team, you will play a direct role in connecting residents with money to survive and thrive. Your role starts with helping households to avoid the extremely prohibitive cost of tax preparation, which often exceeds $400 in Washington state. Your work is particularly important due to our region’s growing economic instability, which has been exacerbated in recent years due to high inflation and COVID-19. Additionally, you will serve during an exciting time as Washington rolls out its first ever state tax credit for low-income residents.
Inequality, wealth disparities, homelessness, generational poverty—the Free Tax Preparation Campaign seeks to address these problems and more by providing free, high-quality tax preparation services at absolutely no cost to community members. Each year, this campaign has the capacity to help over 20,000 households and bring more than $30 million back to the community.
Your Role:
As a Financial Empowerment AmeriCorps Member, you will contribute to each phase of the Free Tax Preparation Campaign’s lifecycle, including pre-season planning, tax season, and post-season operations:
Pre-Season Planning (September – December)
• Implement a volunteer recruitment plan to recruit and train 750+ volunteers
• Conduct outreach and communicate with community members
• Engage with other organizations and support community education initiatives
• Contribute to developing a program evaluation strategy
Tax Season (January – April)
• Complete advanced training in tax preparation and financial coaching
• Work directly with community members to help them complete and file their taxes
• Educate clients on cash assistance opportunities, such as the Working Families Tax Credit
• Conduct surveys to gather valuable insights from tax clients
Post-Season (May – August)
• Work directly with community members to provide extended season tax preparation services
• Conduct surveys to gather valuable insights from campaign staff and volunteers
• Support tax season closeout and celebrate program successes
• Engage in early-stage planning for tax season 2024
As a Financial Empowerment AmeriCorps Member, you will support an important social justice initiative. You will gain firsthand experience using innovative thinking and creative problem solving to lead projects central to United Way’s mission of fighting inequality. As a project leader, you will have many opportunities to build and develop your communication skills, social awareness, and resiliency. Additionally, this role is a great chance to gain a mix of direct public service experience, tax and personal finance expertise, and programmatic professional skills—all while making a profound impact on our community. Furthermore, you will receive exclusive access to community leaders for networking, advanced training for career development, and other opportunities for professional advancement.
BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION:
· Bi-weekly stipend of $1158 (pre-tax)
· Eligible to receive Segal AmeriCorps Education Award ($6,495) after successful completion of your service term
- $1,000 bonus at completion of service!!
· Loan deferment and payment of interest accrued on qualified student loans during your service term
· Health benefits that meet the minimum standards of ACA compliance
· 10 days of personal leave and 10 days of sick leave
· Unlimited public transportation (ORCA) pass
· Mileage reimbursement for travel between service sites, if required by your site placement
· Childcare assistance
· Access to emergency assistance program to mitigate unforeseen financial emergencies that put your continued participation in AmeriCorps service at risk
· Enrollment in Member Assistance program with 24-hour access to phone counseling
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS:
· Robust professional development to support your personal, professional, and service goals and growth
· Skills to be gained include but not limited to: Interpersonal and Intercultural communication, community outreach, adaptability, relationship building, conflict management, customer service, resource navigation, data entry, knowledge of WA public benefits, knowledge of inner workings of non-profits
· One time $100 Professional Development stipend
· Optional career development trainings provided by UWKC AmeriCorps team
· Previous trainings include: How to Network, Resume Workshops, Mock Interviews, How to make your LinkedIn Profile Shine
· Networking opportunities within United Way, and Community Partners
ELIGIBILITY:
· Must be over 18 years old on the first day of service
· Must be a U.S. citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the United States. Unfortunately, F1 visas are not sufficient.
· Must be available 40 hours per week through August 2023. Exact hours may vary by site placement, but will primarily be Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· Must undergo a Washington State Patrol background check, FBI background check and National Sex Offender Registry Check, plus state of residence background check if not currently living in Washington
· Per United Way of King County policy, AmeriCorps members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 1, 2022, as a condition of service. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. If you are a selected candidate, you will be required to provide proof of vaccination. Please reach out to unitedwayamericorps@uwkc.org if you need information on medical or religious accommodation.