Progress Through Business, Inc.

ANNUAL MEETING OF PROGRESS THROUGH BUSINESS
On August 4th 2010 Progress Through Business will hold it's annual meeting for Staff members. The meeting will be held in Madison Wisconsin. Advisors, Funders, Partners and Volunteers are invited to attend a Luncheon beginning at noon on the 4th. If you are interested please contact either John Hoffmire or Tom Harms at Progress for additional details.

Meeting Overview:

Staff Meeting (Brief Presentations & prep for Strategic Planning): 8-noon

Lunch with staff, advisors, funders and volunteers: noon-1:30

Progress Through Business would like to thank Professor Keith McBee and his service-learning class. Thanks to Professor McBee and his students, we were able to have a successful tax season in our first year operating a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site in Wausau, Wisconsin. Not only did we provide a valuable service to the low-income population of Marathon County, we also provided a great educational opportunity for the students at our host University.

As reported on May 14, 2010 during the Wisconsin Credit Union League's Annual Convention, the "Investor Education in Your Workplace" (IEYW) program, dubbed the "REAL Progress and Pathways to Prosperity" (RP3) project in Wisconsin, helped participants' practice of saving in an IRA go from 49% of participants to 75% of participants in just 22 weeks! This significant positive change in financial attitude and behavior is a reflection of various other financial attitudes and behaviors that were measured as part of the study.

Progress Through Business would like to extend a massive thank you to all of our volunteers who helped make the 2010 tax season such a great success. It is a very commendable act to take time out of your busy schedules to help the low-income community, and we are very grateful for your services. We could not have done it without you. Thanks!!!

Anne and Jim have joined the team. While they are formally VISTA volunteers who report through the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County and the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, they are going to be working on projects led by Progress Through Business during the next 3 months. On August 22nd, Anne will be starting her second year as a VISTA with us and Jim will be starting graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We welcome Anne and Jim and look forward to their good work on the financial literacy programs we help run throughout Wisconsin.

I just wanted to follow-up to my previous blog and let everyone know that it is official - Don Graves has accepted a position with the Treasury Department as a Policy Advisor. Position responsibilities include Job Creation, Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, Community Development, Financial Stability, and Financial Education. Don Graves, Formally Progress Through Business CEO, has taken a leave of absence from Progress in order to concentrate fully on the important priorites of this new position. We congratulate him and wish him great success.

http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/03/09/uw_madison_college_s.php

A primary goal at the new Meadowood Community Center in Madison, WI is to help area residents find jobs. Mary Lou Black is investigating the feasibility of a new Progress Through Business program that matches Meadowood residents who are looking for work with mentors who are employed and well connected in the Madison area. The goal is to not only help more Meadowood residents find gainful employment but to also offer them support as they transition into their new positions. Mary Lou will write a grant to the City of Madison Mayor's fund to help support this program.

All across the United States, the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) Program offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income (generally, $49,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. The VITA sites are located at libraries, schools, malls, community and neighborhood centers with most centers offering free e-filing.

The Annual Report for both organizations is available as of 2/17/10. Since the two organizations are formally tied together, the two reports cite the same accomplishments. The entire report is one page long to make it easier for readers to learn of our organizations quickly. Those interested in receiving a report can contact John Hoffmire at hoffmire@wisc.edu.

Helaman Berrios of the Educated Investor University, a product of Precision Information, Inc., described to the directors of Progress just how it educates Credit Union employees on-line and on financial matters. The 10 courses available to employees cover budgeting to macro economics and everything in between.

This is exciting news for Progress. We expect to know shortly if one of our members is to become a Policy Advisor in the Treasury Department. Just the fact that a member is being considered is really significant. Position responsibilities would include Job Creation, Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, Community Development, Financial Stability, and Financial Education. Once we know the outcome we will post it on our blog along with the details.

Access to Independence is a non-profit located in Madison that provides services to help people with disabilities in Dane County live independently – all ages and all disabilities. Our program that is planned to start in March, 2011 includes free tax preparation with public service benefits to 100 clients on-site, free one-on-one coaching to 20 clients (individual coaching for five, one-hour sessions over five weeks), and the completion of FAFSA forms for eight clients. There is also a possibility of providing on-line financial literacy training through a partner, Precision Information.

Don Graves, CEO of Progress Through Business, participated on January 13th in the Education and Training Subcommittee of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB) meeting in Washington, DC. The Subcommittee is looking at a variety of initiatives related to tax and tax preparation policy and other policies that will aid in the financial stability of American workers struggling in the current economy.

Every one of us at PTB is excited for the opportunities 2010 promises to bring and we're eager to make improvements in both our personal and professional lives.

From exercising and Saxophone lessons, helping with PTA committees, to creating a website on the philosophy of kite-flying, we have many things to occupy our time.

We are eager to increase our efforts to strengthen and expand tax preparation programs and sites (expecially in light of the changes in tax laws and brackets this year).

We will also continue working with credit unions, businesses, and other organizations to provide financial education to more people.

And, among many other things, we'll be dedicating our time and energy to employee ownership programs and domestic as well as overseas entrepreneurship support projects.

2010 will be great!

With the passing of John Logue, Executive Director of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and a board of advisor member of Progress Through Business, there is now a huge hole in the economic development world.

John had just started working with us, as well, on the new Alliance Holdings SES Advisors Legacy Fund. It was a pleasure to be with him whenever we could.
And we miss him already.

Our best go out to John's family. And we look forward to picking up a small part of the work that John was not able to complete.

Greg Robinson, long time friend and associate of John Hoffmire and entrepreneur of significant note has accepted an invitation to join Progress. Greg will operate from his Utah home/office. Greg will provide needed energy in both fundraising and active project management and direction. He says his guiding principal is to "make life better" for those who have not had the advantages he has. We all welcome Greg to the team.

Paul Hammeke, a VISTA volunteer with Progress through Business attended the 2010 VITA Grant Orientation Conference on how to administer the $3,725 grant from the IRS, which will provide help to low income people in completing
their income tax forms.
The Dec 1-3 conference, held in Atlanta and attended by about 150 people covered a range of technical issues including how to report expenses,
allowable uses of the grant money, and how to complete the required quarterly reports.

Paul Hammeke attended the IRS 2010 Grant Program Orientation Program which took place in Atlanta on December 1st through the 3rd. He represented Progress Through Business, Inc. at the conference. The conference covered detailed information about how to administer VITA grant funds including management of the funds and reporting requirements. Other subjects covered included Privacy Rights, Tax Wise and IRS “Shoppers”. Overall the conference was extremely informative.

Progress Through Business is planning a new and exciting program to improve the finances of battered women and their children who are temporarily living in a downtown Detroit shelter, by offering free tax preparation, financial coaching, and completion of FAFSA applications.