TAP A04-018

SPEC Partnership Process

Statement of Issue:

Problems partnering with SPEC experienced by the YMCA in Iowa; lack of outreach materials and support for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) groups in some communities; lack of VITA and EITC outreach activities in some locales.

Proposal:

The Committee recommended that the EITC program work with SPEC to implement the following eight improvements to SPEC partnership processes to achieve the EITC program goals of encouraging eligible taxpayers to claim the EITC and ensure that taxpayers and their advisers understand the eligibility requirements:

1. Establish a national partnership strategy including both national and local partners.
2. Establish a single point of contact for all SPEC partnership activity in a given locale.
3. Liberalize the criteria for “national” partners.
4. Establish a national marketing strategy.
5. Establish an evaluation process for existing partner organizations.
6. Re-evaluate the current business model requiring partner organizations to have substantial resources.
7. Provide clear guidance for partner organizations, including national and local priorities.
8. Provide more outreach support to partner organizations.

The EITC Director reported that the proposal was forwarded to the appropriate staff for consideration.

SPEC P&PD Director, Margaret Warren provided a point by point answer to each recommendation raised by the Committee. Following are some of the highlights:

• P&PD endeavors to create interest, participation and investment of national partners who in turn engage their local affiliates in community-based infrastructure-building across the U.S. SPEC Field Operations works to bring local partners who are not tied to national organizations together with the affiliates of national partners to form community-based coalitions focused on outreach & education, free tax assistance and asset building strategies for W&I taxpayers in the communities in which they reside.
• Local SPEC personnel work to navigate this dynamic environment with the support of each other, P&PD, SPEC leadership, and the interests and influence of local and national partners. SPEC has chosen not to apply a rigid formula to such decisions but rather to direct managers to consider multiple variables in allocating resources to achieve business objectives.
• There are 72 local SPEC offices. P&PD works in concert with national partners and local SPEC offices to engage the local affiliates of national partners in any given community. No duplication of contact occurs.
• Through numerous formal and informal feedback channels, SPEC solicits and assesses partner definition of value to improve and refine SPEC support and services. Changes to training, technology and product offerings reflect this partner driven input. Support of successful existing partnerships should take precedence over aggressive new recruitment.
• SPEC uses a management information systems tool called STARS (SPEC Taxpayer Assistance Reporting System), to maintain a database of national partners and assess their potential in SPEC initiatives.
• SPEC’s focus is not on an absolute objective of minimal resource investment, but rather on determining the proper amount of resources SPEC can and should contribute to each partner's efforts. In evolving to greater partner self-sufficiency over time, SPEC considers a number of variables.
• SPEC is continually assessing the business model and acknowledged it is not the best model for all partners. It is not feasible to develop such a model that could effectively incorporate the significant diversity among national and local organizations.
• By successfully articulating the value of engaging in partnership with the IRS to conduct outreach & education, free tax assistance and to engage in asset building strategies, SPEC persuades organizations to serve a joint constituency.
• SPEC does systemically work to understand partner marketing material needs through a formal annual needs assessment process in late spring/early summer each year. The Education & Product Development group within P&PD works through Territory Managers who collect partner needs locally each year.