Success Stories

A Few Words About What it Takes to be a Site Coordinator from  Lorry Quihuis

What does a Site Coordinator do-stay tuned!  Why would you want to be a Site Coordinator?  I don't know!  But, I can share with you my thoughts, feelings and experiences, having been a coordinator some eight years.

Personally, being a coordinator has been a satisfying, rewarding experience for me.  Then again, I believe ALL citizens owe their community and should do volunteer work - I have been a volunteer for some 35 years, serving my community in a variety of capacities, including doing volunteer tax work, off and on for all those years.

A site coordinator runs a location (site) in the preparation of tax returns for low income individuals, by insuring all the materials needed to do so are available for volunteers who help you in accomplishing the tax return preparation.  United Way will identify the location and will insure all your materials are available. 

Site Coordinator Tasks Include

• Scheduling the volunteer time. 
• Refereeing disputes regarding tax preparation
• Establishing the order of tax clients
• Determining tax law questions like why someone is not a dependent
• Determining when you need to close so that the tax preparers will be home at a decent hour.

The Site Coordinator is responsible for the smooth running of a site.  All of these problems can be solved with a little common sense. 

I do enjoy explaining the law to people and trying to answer all their questions - when possible.  I enjoy seeing their smile when told the fee for our work is nothing. I also enjoy telling people, Get out of here- we will NOT do your return because making $175,000 is not, low income!  Yes, I have seen income of $250,000 plus come to us.  Yes, I send them away! 

I enjoy talking with people.  I enjoy working with the volunteers and watching them do a good job of tax preparation and seeing their confidence level increase as time goes by.  I know because I also do "Quality Reviews"-I review the returns once prepared, for correctness- Yes, I also make mistakes like all individuals. 

If you like being independent, like solving small problems, either know tax law or have someone around who you can depend on for tax answer, are  dependable, then maybe you want to be a Site Coordinator.  Good Luck! 

If you are interested in becoming a site coordinator or would like more information please contact:

Chris McNamara, MPA
Program Manager, Family Financial Stability
cmcnamara@unitedwaytucson.org
(520) 903-9000 Ext. 198