Mandarin / Cantonese speakers needed! Volunteer to support social services

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Do you speak Cantonese or Mandarin? Want to give back to your local Oakland Chinatown community? You've come to the right place! Emphasizing our historic and continuing commitment to Asian and Pacific Islander communities, the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation works with and for all the diverse populations of the East Bay to build healthy, vibrant and safe neighborhoods through community development. Our VITA program has served thousands of clients over the past seventeen years, including many Sinophone newcomers.

Our biggest volunteer program, EBALDC's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, is looking for both Mandarin and Cantonese speakers to help interpret and provide support to Chinese speakers. No social services or financial experience necessary; we provide all training. This is a great way to give back to your local community using your language skills and get involved with the local social services / nonprofit ecosystem.

By working with our site, you'll help provide free tax assistance to people with low-to-moderate income, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, those with limited English proficiency, and others who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns.

Responsibilities:

• Answer phone calls and questions related to VITA processing such as general eligibility, required documentation, and walk-in and appointment hours
• Use scheduling software to set up and manage appointments for clients
• Make confirmation calls to clients one day prior to their appointments
• Answer all client questions
• Encourage clients to save a portion of their refund as a savings bond or in a savings account or safe and secure prepaid debit card
• Maintain confidentiality of taxpayer information
• Ensure no compensation of any kind is accepted for volunteer services provided

Requirements:

• Pass the Standard of Conduct and Intake/Interview & Quality Review certifications through Link and Learn
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills and comfort with a wide range of people
• Read all communications and updates on tax requirements or procedural changes
• Respect client privacy
• Maintain accurate records of assistance provided
• Give 24-hour cancellation notice when unable to volunteer at your site

Qualifications:

• Ability to work as a volunteer one shift per week (4 hours), totaling at least 30 hours from late January to mid-April 2022
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills and comfort with a wide range of people
• Ability to take initiative and work with minimal supervision
• Commitment to strengthening families by increasing self-sufficiency
• Strong computer literacy with experience using multiple applications (including Word, Excel, and Google Apps)
• Strong time management skills with the ability to quickly access priorities and make adjustments as needed
• Basic tax law knowledge

To volunteer, please sign up for an info session and fill out our Volunteer Interest form here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_zcuFdnlyn5qHnJfJ48fylH9iTRYnSYM4drq_zZsZkA/edit

If you have any questions, please email us at volunteer@ebaldc.org.