Tax-Aide Exit Survey April 1 June 30, 2018
Survey Response 130 volunteers ended assignments between April 1 and June 30 29 leaders 101 non-leaders 39 volunteers answered survey 9 leaders 22 non-leaders 8 indicated they are returning next season These responses are excluded Note: To maintain anonymity, specific roles not listed
Survey Response Region Retired Volunteers Retired Leaders Survey Responses Leader Responses Western 26 6 2 North Atlantic 19 6 5 3 Great Lakes 18 5 6 2 Gulf 17 4 4 New England 16 7 2 Central 9 4 1 1 Northwest 9 6 1 Plains 7 5 4 2 Pacific 6 3 3 1 Eastern 3 2 2 Grand Total 130 48 30* 9 *One volunteer did not disclose location
Survey Response States with over 5 retirements States with multiple survey responses Note: None of these states have 5 or more retirements
Hours Worked and Length of Service Hours worked 14 volunteers worked fewer than 10 hours per week 17 volunteers worked 10 or more hours per week Length of Service 8 volunteers worked 2 tax seasons or less 15 volunteers worked 3-10 tax seasons 8 volunteers worked over 10 tax seasons
Please identify the two most important reasons why you chose to volunteer with Tax-Aide (select up to two reasons) Top Responses 27 said To help others 18 said To make a difference in my community 11 said To apply my current skills and knowledge 10 said To have something important to do with my time To save the poor and elderly money that they would have paid for tax prep.
How would you rate Tax-Aide as a volunteer program compared to other programs that you have volunteered with? Rating Responses One of the best 9 Above average 12 Average 1 Below average 3 One of the worst 3 I have not volunteered with other organizations. 3 Grand Total 31
Overall, how would you rate your experience volunteering with Tax-Aide? Rating Responses Very satisfied 17 Somewhat satisfied 5 Somewhat dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5 Grand Total 31
Responses On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend volunteering with Tax-Aide to friends or family? 14 Promoters (9 s and 10 s) 45% 6 Neutral (7 s and 8 s) 20% 11 Detractors (6 or lower) 35% Net Promoter Score = 10 45% - 35% = 10 Neutral s don t impact score Overall, more volunteers retiring had a positive experience than negative Rating
Please comment about why you selected the response option 0 (not at all likely). 1 Leader Because it is embarrassing to have to tell clients that their state return is inaccurate because the software program doesn't work right. We had a great program with TaxWise and you ruined it. 3 Non-Leaders No training, no support from upper management, no support from IRS, incorrect documentation. There are no checks and balance in the operations. Very frustrating experience. The software was very poor and leadership was lacking in organizational skills.
Please identify the top two reasons that influenced your decision to stop volunteering with Tax-Aide. (select up to two reasons) Top Responses 8 said Due to program changes 7 said Did not receive adequate support from my volunteer leader/supervisor 5 said Communications problems (poor, too many, too few, etc.) 7 said Other. Examples below: Didn't like constant criticism from my site manager. I had only volunteered 1 year. I needed a basic review. Such a class was never offered. The support was poor. Only when I decided not to volunteer did was support offered. Never again will I offer to volunteer again.
Is there anything Tax-Aide could do to have you return as a volunteer?, 0 No 17 Yes 13
Is there anything Tax-Aide could do to have you return as a volunteer? NO Leaders: I never say never, but at this time, I'm committed to my decision. Tax Slayer failed to provide an adequate program for my state. I was understanding the first year, but not working the second year was inexcusable. I have no faith it would improve in year 3. Non-Leaders Your new requirement that persons we are helping must show their original (or duplicate) Social Security card in order for us to help them. We sure do have a lot of identity theft among Senior Citizens! Unfortunately not. I loved the program, but when we are in Arizona from Dec to April, we take road trips, so I couldn't make the needed commitment.
Is there anything Tax-Aide could do to have you return as a volunteer? YES Leaders Change Tax-Aide senior management to those whom will consider dissenting opinions. I just resigned as LC for the Tax-Aide program, I would still be available for ERO, QR and/or Counselor. One person can not do all these jobs as the program has gotten too big. Thanks. Non-Leaders Return to its mission of serving low to moderate income clients. If Tax-Aide is in the area where I am now. Verify the training coordinator is a leader and verify communication skills.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your volunteer experience? (please specify) Leaders For a volunteer organization, Tax-Aide has too many policies which makes volunteering difficult. We should be allowed to use software other than TaxSlayer which still performed poorly in the second year. More funding should have been spent for equipment rather than other uses such as clothing. Also, AARP Foundation is too concerned about the race of volunteers and taxpayers. While it is optional to self-identify one's race, it upsets many people and is a relic of the previous century. Rewarding, fulfilling, always a sense of giving back.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your volunteer experience? (please specify) Non-Leaders I fully enjoyed and respected my fellow volunteers in the South Miami area. In Massachusetts, trying to get qualifying seniors to apply for Circuit Breaker. Such a great program. Very rewarding. I am using my skills, helping others, and the clients are very appreciative. What more could you want in a volunteer activity.
Key Takeaways Issues with communication and support from leaders Continue to be prominent reasons to exit More pointed criticism of TaxSlayer Volunteers were more specific about their criticism of TaxSlayer than in the 2017 survey. Changes to program policies are frequently cited Administrative Burden not explicitly a significant factor in responses Number of volunteers who left is low Fewer than 150 volunteers immediately exited after tax season.
Questions?