United Way’s “bundled” services aren’t about keeping warm for the winter. They’re about providing integrated programs to help struggling Bay Area residents address their complete financial picture and achieve financial stability.

Our Earn It! Keep It! Save It! free tax preparation service is often a gateway to those bundled services. Low-income residents come in to one of our 200 tax sites thinking they will just get free tax preparation, and they  leave with connections to other programs that can help them improve their finances.

For example, Charselle Hooper visited the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! tax site at SparkPoint Marin because she couldn’t afford a commercial preparer. She had lost her job and was unsure how to account for her unemployment benefits on her tax return. After completing her return, the volunteer tax preparer suggested that Charselle look into SparkPoint’s other services.

At SparkPoint, people can get one-on-one financial coaching, credit counseling, and career assistance, in addition to getting connected with public assistance, matched savings accounts, and first-time home buyer programs.

For Charselle, her situation was complicated because she couldn’t work while awaiting back surgery. However, she had lots of creativity, and had written a children’s book. At SparkPoint, she learned how to create a business plan, and she hopes to publish later this year or next year.

“I first came to SparkPoint to get my taxes done. Now, they are helping me plan for my future and stay focused and upbeat, which isn’t easy in this tough economy. With their encouragement, I know I’m going to get through this tough patch,” said Charselle.

Charselle is one of about 60,000 people who will use United Way’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! free services this year, and many will be referred to SparkPoint and other services so they can gain more solid financial footing.

Learn more about Earn It! Keep It! Save It! and find the tax site near you at www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.  You can also call 211 to find a tax site and learn what documents to bring.

Put your Spanish-language skills to work for our community as a SparkPoint San Francisco volunteer!

United Way needs Spanish-speaking volunteers to greet clients at our SparkPoint Center at Plaza Adelante in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Volunteers will help introduce clients to the wide variety of services available at SparkPoint, including:

• Free tax preparation
• Job training and career development
• Financial coaching • Accessing higher education
• Establishing and building savings

Volunteers can serve as their schedules permit, within the following dates and times:  January to April,  Monday – Friday, 1 to 8 p.m. or Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn more by contacting Stephan Pippen,  United Way’s Director of Volunteer Engagement, at  spippen@uwba.org or (415) 808-4345.

Help us spread the word by downloading and posting our SparkPoint Volunteer Flyer in your workplace.

It’s hard to believe, but there is a benefit to filing your taxes – even if you don’t get a refund!  That’s because getting free tax preparation at an Earn It! Keep It! Save It! site can open the door to hundreds of local programs that can help you improve your finances.

For example, Yolanda D. visited the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! site at the SparkPoint San Francisco at Plaza Adelante last year. Free tax preparation was just the first step for Yolanda. She earns a living by cleaning houses, and dreamed of formally starting her own house-cleaning business someday.

Our free tax sites can connect you with local programs that can help you start saving, go back to school, get a good job, buy a first home or start a new business.

With SparkPoint’s help, she connected with a business consultant who helped her register her business and develop a business plan. Mission Economic Development Agency, which runs the SparkPoint San Francisco center, provided Yolanda with a $1,500 business-startup grant, which she invested in her business.  Yolanda was also referred to the Mission Asset Fund, a partner organization at Plaza Adelante, to sign up for the Individual Development Account (IDA) matched-savings program with the intention of saving more money to invest in her business.

With a robust plan for expanding and sustaining her company, Yolanda is well on her way to financial success. And, it all started with a tax return.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! kicked off in the Bay Area last week and is providing free tax preparation at more than 200 locations to households that earned less than $50,000 in 2011.  Call 211 or visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org to find the free tax site near you.

And when your taxes are done, don’t forget to ask about programs

Ever wonder which industries are growing? What kind of jobs will be available in 5 or 10 years?

Wonder no more. Campaign for Young America has produced a one-page brief that highlights the best job opportunities in California over the next several years.

According to the brief, 61% of jobs in California will require more than a high school diploma in 2018.  It highlights the top “growth” jobs that require education or training after high school.

Do you know a young person who wants to improve his or her career prospects? In addition to sharing the brief, encourage him or her to connect with United Way’s MatchBridge and SparkPoint.

MatchBridge helps young people find jobs and internships, gaining work-based learning experiences that inspire them to pursue the post-secondary credentials that can prepare them for a rewarding career and self-sufficiency.

At SparkPoint, partners like Opportunity Junction and the Stride Center provide vocational training opportunities for individuals seeking to gain additional skills that will make them stand out in the job market.

Learn more at www.MatchBridge.org and www.SparkPointCenters.org.

When James Buggs was growing up, he had to hustle for lunch money and wore only hand me downs. He got teased and got into fights.  When he was 18, he entered the army and turned his anger toward boxing. The sport taught him self-esteem and how to push himself. Years later, he had a similar experience at United Way’s SparkPoint.

James first came to SparkPoint for help looking for a job. He got set up with a financial coach who worked with him with him on his resume, helped him be more professional, and connected him to a jobs program for ex-military. With SparkPoint, he now feels he has a better future.

“I’ve got three kids, and I never want to wait until their shoes are worn out until I replace them,” said James.  “I want to do right by my kids, and when you come into SparkPoint, you can’t help but feel like you’re going to move forward. The coaches want to help you and truly want to see you do better.”

Through the jobs program, James earned certification to become a security guard. He’s already picked up some part time work. At the same time, he produced an instructional video about boxing that he hopes will generate additional income.

“What boxing and SparkPoint have in common is that they both make me push myself and challenge myself,” said James. “Anything is possible as long as you believe it’s possible. Nothing is impossible unless you say it is.”