"Before I became a tax volunteer I did a lot of one-time volunteer projects… While that feels good, you get a different level of satisfaction when you find volunteer work you really like and focus your efforts."

For Microsoft employee Jill Shrader, volunteering with United Way's Free Tax Preparation Campaign pays tremendous dividends.  

"Before I became a tax volunteer I did a lot of one-time volunteer projects for various nonprofit organizations," she said. "While that feels good, you get a different level of satisfaction when you find volunteer work you really like and focus your efforts. Doing taxes is intellectually challenging and a great opportunity to connect with clients. It is more fun and fulfilling than any other volunteer work I've done."

Jill believed so strongly in the value of volunteering with United Way's Free Tax Prep Campaign that she worked to establish another tax site on the Eastside so that more Microsoft employees could volunteer and more people in the community could be served. When she heard about a Microsoft department that had money to donate, she convinced the decision makers to invest it in a new Eastside tax site.

"They realized they could expand an already well-utilized program, engage Microsoft volunteers and have money coming back to United Way each year through the company's $17-an-hour volunteer time match," Jill said.

Thanks to her efforts, United Way of King County was able to open a tax site in Bellevue's Crossroads Mall, which provides tax help in English, Spanish and Russian. Jill recruited 20 Microsoft volunteers for the site and volunteered herself. She was also instrumental in planning outreach for the tax site to ensure that immigrant and non-English speaking communities had access to these services.

United Way of King County provides free tax preparation and access to the EITC and other tax credits to help working families increase their incomes and create savings. This allows low-income people to keep more of their hard-earned money and avoid paying unnecessary fees for commercial tax preparation and "rapid refund" loans. Being financially stable reduces the risk of becoming homeless.

Help more working families keep more of their earnings and save for the future this next tax season! Become a United Way Free Tax Preparation Volunteer and receive training to helping eligible low-income families find their way through the tax filing maze.