Welcome!
Thanks for your interest in volunteering! Volunteers are the heart and soul of everything we do. Learn a how you can make a difference and about the different Volunteer Opportunities we offer. If you're interested in becoming a tax counselor, you may also want to read about Training for Tax Counselors.
Volunteering with CASH Oregon is a fun and rewarding experience. But don't take our word for it - read what our volunteers have to say!
Why Volunteer with CASH?
YOU can make a substantial and immediate difference with your gift of time! On average, each volunteer put $48,400 into the pockets of families living on poverty's edge and seniors. All together, their work helped over 17,592 taxpayers receive $20.9 million in federal tax refunds.
Last year, more than 400 volunteers gave approximately 20,000 hours of their time to provide FREE tax preparation services. Still we had to turn people away because we did not have enough volunteers to help them.
Fight Poverty
Put thousands of dollars into the pockets of local families, many living on poverty's edge, by helping them to file their taxes and get the refunds they deserve. Taxpayers we serve have an average income of only $23,134 with n average refund of $1,534. Tax refund dollars go directly to those who need money to heat their homes, get to work, or buy clothing for their children.
Stop Predatory Fees and Lending Practices
Hardworking Oregonians who cannot afford it spend hundreds of dollars on tax preparation. Many fall prey to predator lenders selling high-cost loans advertised as "fast refunds." Offer an alternative in your community.
Participate in Our Nation's Largest Antipoverty Program, Run by the IRS
Find The Earned Income Tax Credit can mean thousands for low income families. The IRS estimates that 20-25% of people eligible for EITC go without because they don't claim the credit. Get that money to families in need.
Serve Your Very Own Community
There are over 50 tax sites in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington Counties and you can volunteer weekdays, evenings, and weekends
Learn How to Prepare Taxes! Develop Job Skills! Get Continuing Education Credits!
Obtain this invaluable lifelong skill by training with a group or online. Cultivating your interpersonal and teamwork skills can help you succeed as a professional. For more information on training, see More about Training.
There are still millions more in refunds that we can put into the pockets of Oregonians in need. Volunteer and help us do it by providing free tax assistance. Learn more about the ways you can help!
Volunteer Opportunities 
Tax Preparer
As a tax preparer, you will receive free IRS
training from our AARP Tax-Aide trainers. Volunteers will work with clients to
electronically prepare and file their taxes.
Useful skills: Customer service, communication, comfortable using a computer, detail-oriented.
Greeter
Greeters will maintain the waiting list and refer tax payers to the next available tax preparer. Other paper work, including client surveys will be managed by greeters. These volunteers must be willing to assist in other roles when needed.
Useful skills: Customer service, communication, enthusiasm, friendliness, knowledge of Tax-Aide process
Interpreter
Interpreters will translate necessary discussion that occurs between tax payers and tax preparers. All prospective bilingual volunteers are encouraged to apply. We are especially in need of Spanish-speaking volunteers.
Useful skills: Must speak both English and a non-English language fluently, ability to multi-task in busy environments.
Volunteer Community
CASH Volunteers: Who Are We?
We Are Involved Seniors!
Our partnership with AARP Tax-Aide connects us to hundreds of seniors interested in giving back to their community.
We Are Concerned Citizens!
Everybody at CASH Oregon is committed to providing free services that make our community a better place to live.
We Are Motivated Students!
What better way to get on-the-ground experience in your field of interest and make a difference at the same time!
Volunteers Speak Out
Irena Soloman, Tax Preparer since 2008, “My experience with Tax-Aide was fantastic! I felt well-supported and informed by the trainings and site leaders, and very appreciated by the clients. It was rewarding and exciting to guide someone gracefully and with support through a task with such a potential to be emotionally difficult. I also learned enough to go back and file an amended return that resulted in a $1200 check from the IRS, so in my case, I felt very well compensated!”
Suzanne Warn, a Greeter since 2008, says, “Volunteering with the AARP Tax Aide program is a real, tangible way of knowing that I'm making a difference in my community. When I write a check to charity, I don't know where the money is going or who is being helped. This investment of my time has names, faces, and hugs. Yes, I've gotten hugs from many of the people I've assisted. It doesn't get any better than that.”
Anne Cummings, Tax Preparer since 2009 says “I learned a lot thanks to all of you and my other team mates at Shute Park library. I felt appreciated and I am thankful that I can do a small part to help my community. Count me in for next season, and thanks for the opportunity to work with such great people.”
Maria Chavez Barajas volunteered through the LISTOS program at Forest Grove High School to serve as a translator and taxpayer assistant at the Centro Cultural Tax Aide site, she had already had her taxes prepared by a professional service.
While helping Spanish-speaking families obtain all the tax benefits to which they are entitled, she began to wonder if her own return had been prepared correctly. She brought her return to one of our Tax-Aide sites, where our IRS-certified volunteers examined it. As it turns out, her filing status was wrong, her child was not listed as a dependent, and worst of all, her day care expenses had not been used for the Oregon Working Families Child Care Credit.
When all the corrections were made, Tax-Aide filed an amended return for her, which resulted in an additional $1,600 refund.
Training for Tax Counselors
Tax Counselors receive free, IRS-approved training in the most common areas of tax law. We offer training options to fit your learning style and schedule. Classes are offered during the week and on weekends in several locations during December and January. During your training you will have support by phone and in a computer study center staffed by experienced tax counselors. We prepare volunteers to take the IRS Volunteer Certification test and prepare quality tax returns. Training is free and volunteers may receive continuing education credits for successful completion.
Independent Study: With our most flexible option, volunteers study independently. They get a complete study packet and have access to interactive online training. The time for independent study varies; 30-40 hours is a good estimate for most people. Following independent study, volunteers attend a one-day class that covers tax preparation software, Oregon tax law and administrative policies.
Classroom: For volunteers who prefer a face-to-face setting, we have classroom training lasting several days. Training takes place in a computer lab for hands-on learning.
Already have tax knowledge? You can simply pass the Volunteer Certification test and attend a 1-day class primarily covering administrative procedures and the tax software we use.
Find out what it takes to Become a Tax Counselor. Read our flier to see your step-by-step path to becoming a certified Volunteer Tax Counselor.
