Your organization
plays a vital role
in this campaign.

Please call:
(952) 346-6055
with any questions
on partnering with
Go Direct.

Wondering how your organization can get involved in Go Direct? Check out the Go Direct Tool kits – turn-key information and materials that will help you spread the word about the benefits of direct deposit to people your organization serves.

Visit the
Partners Section
of our Web site and enter the password: 4partners

Mid-December 2007

Nation's Sheriffs Encourage Holiday Safety
– and Go Direct

Get Involved with the Go Direct Volunteer Tax Preparation Initiative

Get Ready for Go Direct Month!

In the Media

Nation's Sheriffs Encourage Holiday Safety – and Go Direct

This holiday season, the National Sheriffs' Association is encouraging senior citizens to take a few simple steps to protect themselves against fraud and identity theft. Their list of tips includes a Go Direct-related recommendation: to choose direct deposit for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

Other helpful holiday financial tips include paying careful attention to bank and credit card statements during the holidays and using caution when shopping online.

Other groups are also including direct deposit in their holiday safety tips, including the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey and the Texas Crime Prevention Association.

**Get Involved with the Go Direct Volunteer Tax Preparation Initiative**

As a trusted source of financial information, volunteer tax preparers and site managers can help low-income and elderly taxpayers select the safest payment option for their federal tax refunds or benefit payments – direct deposit.

Last tax season, more than 1,600 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites in 42 states participated in this initiative. This filing season, consider including information about Go Direct at tax preparation sites in your area:

Financial Institutions – Recruit and train staff members to volunteer at area sites as tax preparers or in other positions. While helping people get the Earned Income Tax Credit, you can also help them Go Direct. Staff a table at a tax site. Offer incentives for taxpayers who sign up for direct deposit.
Coalitions and Site Managers – Order Go Direct materials to display and distribute at your site(s) by visiting www.GoDirect.org. Train volunteers on the basics of Go Direct.
Site Volunteers – Discuss the advantages of direct deposit for federal benefits with taxpayers and help them sign up for direct deposit onsite, through www.GoDirect.org. If they do not have an account at a bank or credit union, encourage them to open one onsite with a participating financial institution.

For more information about incorporating Go Direct into volunteer tax preparation efforts, visit www.GoDirect.org/Partners/TaxPrep.cfm or talk to your Go Direct campaign representative.

**Get Ready for Go Direct Month!**

The holiday season may be in full swing, but the Go Direct campaign is already focusing on the New Year. Go Direct Month is coming up in February and there's no better time than right now to order free materials and information about direct deposit for your bank, credit union or organization. By ordering in December, you'll be sure to have materials on hand when February 1 rolls around!

Go Direct offers special materials just for Go Direct Month, including posters, statement stuffers, newsletter copy and more.

In the Media

A Go Direct matte article encouraging seniors heading south for the winter to switch to direct deposit for their federal benefit payments has run 22 times throughout the country, reaching an audience of more than 360,000 people.
A public service announcement (PSA) is a great way to spread the word about the safety and convenience of direct deposit. To date, Go Direct's PSA featuring U.S. Treasurer Anna Cabral has reached more than 4 million people – and during this holiday season, Go Direct is providing a special PSA. To order a free copy of the holiday season PSA to play in your lobby or at an event, or post on your Web site, call (952) 346-6055 or email godirect@webershandwick.com.