CHAPTER 12-4: Outreach Delivery

SPEC serves as a channel to help the IRS deliver critical tax information and education to individual taxpayers. Outreach performed directly or through partners increases public awareness about key tax law topics and available options. SPEC often collaborates with other agencies in the IRS to distribute outreach materials and products that support tax education.

The IRS offers electronic communication materials to reach customers. Partners can use the information to educate customers, employees, and volunteers about any of the provided topics.

Sharing Details of Outreach Activities

Whenever partners share outreach materials with taxpayers or publicize tax or financial education and asset building (FEAB) events, SPEC asks that the partners provide their RM at the local SPEC territory office with the details, so they have an awareness of your efforts.

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Partner Role

Partners will receive email messages from the local SPEC territory office that contain IRS outreach messages. These emails ask for assistance in delivering the messages to partners’ clients. When partners receive these emails, SPEC asks them to review the materials to see how the outreach message fits their communication channels.

SPEC will ensure that partners have the current products and tools available for their clients. Partners will receive tools such as:

• Key messages

• Links to videos

• Social media messages

• Direct links to other key products

Subscribe to IRS Outreach Connection

The IRS Outreach Connection is an online center with content and products for use in your communication vehicles. As a subscriber, you will have access to ready-to-use articles for newsletters and websites. This is free news you can use, targeted by time of year, to coincide with what your customers, employees and volunteers need to know. SPEC adds items to the IRS Outreach Connection throughout the year. In addition to drop-in articles, the page also includes links to helpful tools, publications, and videos. Partners can submit suggestions for topics to partner@irs.gov .

Partner Template Toolkit

Some partners market their VITA/TCE sites and outreach using material that includes the IRS logo. If an IRS partner wishes to include the IRS logo on their VITA/TCE marketing materials, they must submit the request to their local SPEC territory office for review and approval.

To assist in making this process simpler, there are ready-made templates with the IRS logo for use by partners. Partners may choose to use these templates and not worry about the expense and time involved in creating and designing their own products. Using the IRS templates will save time with faster approval and provide consistent messaging with a professional look that includes the IRS logo.

Using the templates is optional. Partners may still create and submit their own material and request use of the IRS logo, but the approval process will take more time.

IRS Logo Approval Process

Partners using their own product design:

A partner who wishes to use their own product design and wants to include the IRS logo must submit the product(s) through their local SPEC territory office for review and approval. This approval process can take up to three weeks.

Partners using the partner template toolkit:

Publication 5176, VITA/TCE Templates Thumbnail, includes thumbnail pictures of each available ready-made template, instructions on how to get the templates and guidelines on how to use them.

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Partners that want to take advantage of using the templates may contact their local SPEC territory office. The following steps occur:

• RM at the local SPEC territory office will send the requested template(s) to the partner for completion.

• Partner returns the completed template(s) to the RM to coordinate the review and approval of the templates.

• RM forwards the approved templates back to the partner in PDF format. This approval process can take one to two weeks.

Partners using the IRS logo on their website:

If a partner wants to add the IRS logo to their webpage, they must send a request through their local SPEC territory office for review and approval. The partner must share where and how logo placement will occur on the webpage.

Once the RM at the local SPEC territory office receives all the details, the review and approval process will begin. This approval process can take up to two weeks.

The IRS logo placed on a partner’s website must direct users to the IRS.gov home page.

Key Reminders: The partner must obtain annual approval to use the IRS template(s) or partner product(s) with the IRS logo. Any changes to a product after IRS approval, must be resubmitted for review and approval. SPEC encourages partners to review the Publication 5176 and follow the instructions included if they are interested in using any of the templates.

Social Media

The IRS uses social media to share the latest updates on tax changes, scam alerts, initiatives, products, and services. Connect with the IRS through social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Go to IRS Social Media for more information on IRS’s social media presence.

Social media is at the top of the list when trying to help people get the information they need or want on demand. The IRS realizes social media is a great resource to deliver accurate and consistent outreach to millions of people instantly. SPEC knows that partners actively use social media to promote the work of the VITA/TCE program and encourages all partners to continue expanding its use for outreach and share the IRS key messages on a regular basis. SPEC encourages partners to “follow,” “like,” “retweet” and “share” messages issued from the IRS social media accounts.

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