The Seattle-King County Asset Building Collaborative will be having their annual Financial Fitness day on March 31^st. They have joined with over 40 community partners to be able to bring community members FREE financial services. These services include everything from one-on-one help filling out a tax return, printing and analyzing free credit reports, opening bank accounts, creating a household budget, working with a financial planner, applying for public benefits (food, utilities, child care, health insurance, social security), learning how to start a business, shredding…

“Token days are not the ebb and flow of life.  They ease our feelings of regret about the way things have to be for the remainder of the year.  They do not really change the way things are.”–Jonathan Kozol, “The Shame of the Nation”

Last Friday was Day of Caring, my 13th with United Way of King County.  I was among about 300 volunteers (there were over 10,500 total throughout the county) that spent the day at Qwest Field for the Community Resource Exchange.  In…

The other day, we had the honor of having Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn stop by our tax site at the downtown public library.

Mayor McGinn learned more about the awesome work we do, toured the library site, and even volunteered to do some client intake!

We are thrilled that the city and Mayor McGinn supports our free tax campaign.  Thanks to a grant from the city, we are able to file 13,000+ returns that lead to over $17 million worth…

There are a lot of us exhibiting some pretty negative emotions these days towards our federal government, and as April 15th approaches a lot of that sentiment will inevitably turn towards our buddies at the Internal Revenue Service.  And let’s face it, some of those feelings are warranted, no doubt.

But I’d like to talk about an IRS program that many people may not even know about.  It’s one of the most successful community volunteer initiatives ever, in terms of return on investment (for you…

Yesterday, the IRS released a statement indicating that there are more than $1.3 billion in unclaimed federal tax refunds for people who did not file for 2006. This includes approximately 37,000 filers in Washington state! If you are one of those people, you need to file your 2006 return by April 15, 2010, or you lose that refund…

Our sites can help!  Don’t miss out on your money!!

Get your taxes done for FREE!!

Now through April 15, 2010, United Way of King County will operate 17 free tax preparation sites throughout King County.  Tax assistance will be provided by over 550 volunteers who are trained and certified by the IRS.

Who is eligible for this service?

What services are available at tax sites?

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Here’s a nice re-cap of how the Earned Income Tax Credit can actually help break the cycle of poverty for someone, and why it’s so incredibly important to help people who receive the EITC to understand how to use the credit to build personal wealth and assets for the future.

Get your taxes done for FREE!!

Starting on January 12th, 2010, United Way of King County will operate 17 free tax preparation sites throughout King County.  Tax assistance will be provided by over 550 volunteers…

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Now that we’ve dusted ourselves off from another wacky election season, many of us are now turning our focus to this joyous time of year where simply finding a parking space at the mall has been cause for celebration…But I find it interesting in talking to many of my friends that, this year, it’s different.  And I guess it doesn’t surprise me.  I mean, unemployment just hit double digits for the first time since the early 80′s.  Of course it’s different.

So, what to do? …

Who said grassroots organizing has gone the way of tie-dye t-shirts and lava lamps?

Last week, United Way of King County’s Free Tax Campaign served up a fresh piece of democratic activism by participating in the National Community Tax Coalition’s first ever VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Day of Action.

Across the county, hundreds of programs like ours met with the district staff of local Congressional members to stress the importance of the work we do, as well as the critical role the Earned…