Prepared for: Chicago Finance ExchangeDecember 2014

Agenda• Ladder Up Video• Organization and Programs Overview• 2014 Results• Volunteer Partners• Volunteer Opportunities & Training• 2015 Tax Season Information• Volunteer Registration• Q & A

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Organization BackgroundLadder Up provides hardworking people with the financial resources and opportunities they need to move up the economic ladder.

Real Results: Since 1994, Ladder Up has served more than 224,000 clients and created an economic impact of $439 million throughout the Chicago area.

Strategic Partnerships: Ladder Up partners with over 100 government agencies and community organizations to reach families and students across the Chicago area.

Volunteer Professionals: Ladder Up recruits and trains 1,000+ volunteers each year, many recruited from Chicago’s leading companies and universities.

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Our Programs

TAP (Tax Assistance Program)

Over 1,000 volunteer professionals provide low-income clients with free electronic preparation and filing of their taxes, ensuring access to an array of tax credits, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

LIFT (Life-Improving Financial Tools)

Higher Education Access Initiative

Staff members help low-income, minority, and first-generation students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to secure financial aid for postsecondary education.

Financial Literacy Program

Ladder Up helps high school students and adults lay the foundation for financial stability by offering financial workshops on critical topics, including credit, bank accounts, and consumer economics.

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2014 ResultsTAP > ServicesLadder Up offered free federal and Illinois income tax return preparation at 19 community sites throughout the Chicago area, completing 9,772 returns and returning over $16 million in tax refunds.

TAP > VolunteersLadder Up recruited 1,100+ volunteers who represented over 100 companies and organizations.

LIFT > Higher Education Access InitiativeDuring the 2013-14 academic year, Ladder Up directly assisted 2,392 aspiring students with the FAFSA, helping them secure an estimated $30 million in financial aid for higher education. The organization also informed 12,600 students and parents through financial aid events and workshops.

LIFT > Financial Literacy ProgramLadder Up led financial literacy workshops for 39 high schools and organizations, reaching over 6,500 individuals, and worked with 31 individuals through one-on-one financial coaching.

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Volunteer PartnersLadder Up recruits outstanding professionals and students from the Chicago area’s top accounting firms, financial institutions, law firms, Fortune 500 companies, and universities to serve as volunteers.

Volunteer partners include (but are not limited to):

• Alvarez & Marsal• Aon Corporation• Bain & Company• Baker & McKenzie• Bank of America• Chapman & Cutler• Chicago Finance Exchange

(CFE)• CNA Insurance• Crowe Horwath• Deloitte• Ernst & Young• Exelon Corporation• Grant Thornton• Huron Consulting

•JPMorgan Chase•Kirkland & Ellis•KPMG•Marsh & McLennan•McDermott Will & Emery•Northeastern Illinois University•Northwestern School of Law•PricewaterhouseCoopers•The PrivateBank & Trust Co.•UL•United Airlines•Walgreens•Wolf & Company•ZS Associates

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Ladder Up provides a rewarding experience for volunteers who use their professional skills to deliver practical benefits to low-income communities. There are several volunteer roles available through TAP:

Intake Specialist• Conducts intake interviews with clients• Ensures eligibility for service• Helps clients organize documents and complete intake forms

Tax Preparer• Works one-on-one with clients to complete Federal and Illinois returns• Using Intuit professional tax software

Quality Reviewer• Checks prepared returns for errors (personal information, SSN, EIN, W-2’s, etc.)• Reviews returns with clients• Prepares the client for e-file or paper filing

Site Leader• Works with a site leadership team• Receives support from Ladder Up staff to manage clients and volunteers at a site • Ensures the highest level of quality and efficiency throughout the tax preparation process

Volunteering with TAP

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Volunteer OpportunitiesSaturday Sessions

• Sites serve clients between 9 AM-12 PM from January through mid-April.

• Select Chicago locations offer volunteers the option to travel to and from the site on their own, arriving by 8:30 AM and departing by 1 PM.

• Ladder Up also provides bus transportation to and from select Chicago sites. Tax preparers who want to volunteer in Chicago can meet at 111 W. Monroe by 7:45 AM to be bused to the sites with the greatest need. Buses bring volunteers back to the same location by 1:30 PM.

• Suburban site tax preparers arrive on their own by 8:30 AM and depart around 1 PM.

Weekday and Weeknight Sessions

• Weekday sessions have morning, afternoon, and evening volunteer shifts available.

• Weekday sessions will begin on January 26 and will run through April 15, 2015.

WE ASK ALL VOLUNTEER

S TO COMMIT TO 3 OR MORE SESSIONS

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Training & CertificationBasic 101: 4.5-hour training & Basic Certification ExamRecommended for…• New Ladder Up volunteers• Volunteers with little tax background, or those looking to refresh their understanding of basic tax terms,

forms, and schedules• Intake Specialist volunteers

Basic: 4-hour accelerated training & Basic Certification ExamRecommended for…• Returning tax volunteers• Finance or accounting professionals, or volunteers with some background/knowledge of individual income

tax forms and schedules

Advanced: 4-hour training & Advanced Certification ExamRecommended for…• Experienced VITA volunteers• Income tax professionals• Volunteers interested in helping with more complicated returns

Intake: 1.5-hour training & Intake Assessment• Required for intake specialist volunteers (online option available)

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TAP Site List – ChicagoOn Saturdays, please note that some of our Chicago sites are run entirely by volunteers from a specific partner company or organization and therefore will not be available for online sign-up.

Austin Town Hall 5610 W. Lake St.

Benito Juarez Community Academy1510 W. Cermak Rd.

Gary Comer Youth Center7200 S. Ingleside Ave.

Harold Washington Library400 S. State St., 5th Floor North

Kennedy-King College6301 S. Halsted St.

Northeastern Illinois University 5500 N. Saint Louis Ave.

Olive-Harvey College10001 S. Woodlawn Ave.

Roberto Clemente Community Academy1147 N. Western Ave.

WIC Food Center – Armitage3110 W. Armitage Ave.

WIC Food Center – Diversey4624 W. Diversey Ave.

WIC Food Center – Kedzie2400 S. Kedzie Ave.

WIC Food Center – Western5332 S. Western Ave.

Wilbur Wright College 4300 N. Narragansett Ave.

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TAP Site List – SuburbsVolunteers signed up for suburban sites provided their own transportation to and from the site (carpools are encouraged).

Aurora: Cowherd Middle School441 N. Farnsworth Ave.

Cicero: Unity Junior High School2100 S. Laramie Ave.

Downers Grove: DeVry Education Group3005 Highland Pkwy.

Melrose Park: Casa Esperanza (at Our Lady of Mount Carmel) 1115 N. 23rd Ave.

Plainfield: Plainfield Township Administration Building22525 W. Lockport Street

Waukegan: City Hall – Council Chambers100 N Martin Luther King Jr Ave

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Contact Us

Ladder Up

Website: www.goladderup.org

Phone: (312) 466-0771

TAP

Kathryn Grover

Volunteer Coordinator

Email: kgrover@goladderup.org

Phone: (312) 448-5281

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