UWYC was awarded a mini-grant to assist with focus groups investigating two topics: how to improve marketing of VITA, and the financial best practices of successful low-to-moderate income households.
The project was conducted to assist the Financial Stability Partnership of Yellowstone County (FSP) improve its marketing efforts and increase participation in its VITA program. According to UWYC’s website, 1,484 Billings residents used VITA services in 2010, generating $2,006,968 in tax refunds and saved preparation fees. FSP is a coalition of various stakeholders who coordinate financial education efforts in the Billings area.
Two focus groups were organized to study VITA marketing. The first group was recruited from existing VITA clients. This group was targeted to determine how to improve marketing among the population predisposed to using VITA. The second group was recruited from twenty- to thirty-year-olds who had never used VITA. This demographic is underrepresented among VITA clients (the average age of participants in the first focus group was fifty-four), and was targeted to determine whether different marketing approaches were needed to reach a younger audience. A detailed report of findings from the focus groups is available here.
Notable recommendations include:
- Describing VITA eligibility in terms of specific income limits (e.g., up to $49,000) rather than the term currently used, “low- to moderate-income;” the second term is vague and may be perceived as demeaning.
- Highlighting that VITA is an IRS program and that tax preparers are IRS-certified. Focus group participants felt this this would allay possible concern that VITA is a scam.
- Informing young taxpayers that they qualify. Many participants in the second focus group were not sure they qualified because they lived with their parents or did not have children.
Due to the unexpected difficulty of recruiting participants later in the year, the focus groups on financial best practices of successful low-to moderate-income households will be conducted in early 2011.
For further information on UWYC, please visit their website: http://www.unitedwayyellowstone.org/.
For further information on FSP, please visit our local coalitions page.