Volunteers making a difference in Laurens County!

We had an awesome tax season with our VITA program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), thanks to our volunteers!

Here is what was accomplished, in numbers:

• Our volunteers gave about 610 hours of time directly serving our VITA sites.

• About 100 extra hours were served indirectly through answering the phone, making appointments, etc. for a total of 714 volunteer hours!

• The average value of one hour of volunteer time is $22.55, which means you all contributed over $16,000 worth of your time! 

For our tax statistics:

• We had 262 returns accepted by the IRS and helped over 300 individuals.

• Your assistance brought over $240,000 of refunds back to taxpayers!

• The average cost of a tax return is $261, so we saved our clients over $73,000!

Overall,

• We submitted 15% more returns than last year!

• We had a lower reject rate than before by about 3%.

• Our number of volunteers more than doubled!

THANK YOU to our volunteers and all in the community who helped spread the word about VITA. Because of your help and hard work, members of the community who needed assistance the most were able to SAVE THE FEE & FILE FOR FREE!

For more information about the VITA program, please click here.

Sincerely,

Abby Hope

Assets Attainment Counselor

Americorps Member

United Way of Laurens County

Tough decisions on the horizon for UWLC…

This has been a tough year at United Way, and we want to keep you informed of the campaign trends we are following. 

Over the past several years our campaign fundraising has decreased from around the $500,000 mark to around the $350,000 mark.  Some statistics:

Corporate giving is down 8.6% from last year.

Corporate giving is down 50% from 2009.

345 donors that gave last year did not give this year.

From 2,500+ donors in 2009, we’ve lost 900 members of our donor base.

We understand, based on your feedback that you are wary about future health care costs and that most of you have not received raises in several years while the cost of living has gone up.  This is unfortunate and we do understand.  Thank you for letting us know that you still believe in us and support our cause.

We operate and provide local community program funding solely off of private donations, corporate gifts, and small collaborative grants.  We do not receive State or Federal funding from the government.  And all of the funds that UWLC raises are used locally – helping Laurens County residents.  This means that YOU decide whether our funded programs/services stay or go.

Yes, fears for the upcoming year include funding; but there is a lot more than just “money issues” that keep me up at night.  If United Way were to close and no longer be in operation one day…who would carry on the programs that we run directly (VITA, Imagination Library, Benefit Bank, Born Learning, etc.)?  Who would be the referral site for the emergency relief calls that come in (utility assistance, food assistance, etc.)?  Who would provide the funding for the many helpful United Way funded programs (32 this year) in Laurens County?

United Way of Laurens County is working alongside of many organizations to meet needs and provide opportunities for better futures.  There is still time to get involved with our campaign and help fund vital services and programs in this community. 

Unless you have used United Way services/programs (received your tax refund without fees, signed up for assistance benefits online, found free services for children and senior adults, etc.), you might not see the importance of United Way.  You might know that we “do good things" but the clients we care for, your neighbors and mine, really understand that we are a first point of contact and sometimes a last resort for help.  

Because our dollars are down, we are extending our campaign this year.  If you are not already involved, we ask that you join us in our mission to LIVE UNITED and care for those around us.  Please contact me if you have questions about our viability and or planning as we will be faced with making hard decisions in March and April 2014. 

VITA Program Still in High Demand

Save the fee; file for free. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is a collaborated effort between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and United Way. This program was established to provide free tax preparation services to moderate-to-lower-income families who earn less than $50,000 a year. This tax season, close to 200 clients will benefit from this money-saving program, which will save an average of $200 in tax preparation fees for each return filed.  United Way of Laurens County has three VITA sites open this year: PRTC in Laurens, ISO Poly Films in Gray Court, and Christ Central Ministries in Joanna. Appointments are preferred, so please call 864-833-3623 if you would like to have your taxes done with the VITA program.

Visit http://www.uwlc-online.org/VITA.php for more information.