Looking to volunteer? Help prepare tax filings where you are, with what you’ve got

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One of the questions most frequently asked when it comes to volunteering is: What can I do? Followed by the just as frequent: Where can I do it?

Both questions come from the overwhelming feeling of so much help needed in so many places. The best answer to those questions is …

Start where you are with what you have.

Among Latinos, especially, there is an ingrained sense of community, where volunteering comes naturally. There is also a valued sense of individual skill. Both are perfect starting points for taking time to volunteer.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides five ways to begin volunteering in your community with the skills you have.

Every year, as Tax Day looms, the AARP Foundation sets up it’s Tax Aide sites to provide assistance to people who need help fiilling out their tax returns.  The name implies that in order to volunteer you should have tax preparation or accounting experience, but it’s not necessarily so. AARP Foundation Tax Aide has sites across the country where more than 2.5 million taxpayers have been served by more than 35,000 volunteers of all ages and skill sets. The good news is that AARP Foundation will provide training if needed.  But there are other ways that you can join the team of volunteers.

Almost every site has a need for :

• Greeters
• Technology Coordinators
• Communications Coordinators
• Leadership of Administrative duties

And you skills are twice as valuable if you speak a second language.

This is especially true if you volunteer as a greeter at any of AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide sites.  Greeters interact directly with the community of taxpayers who come to the sites for help.  They answer questions, and may perform screening duties. As a greeter you won’t be required to do any tax related training, but there will be a brief course regarding your duties as a volunteer. If you speak a second language your value is in interacting with taxpayers.

If you have experience setting up computers, networks and data entry, your skill is needed as well. Every AARP Foundation Tax Aide site requites technology set up – computers, printers, files, troubleshooting, etc…

And there’s always need for administrative skills at all levels. Once you volunteer  the AARP Foundation will work to match your skills so that your energy and experience will be rewarding for you, as well as for their clients.

Wherever you are, whatever skills you have, you can start today!

Contact AARP Foundation Tax-Aide at www.aarp.org/tax volunteer to start your adventure.