MCOM 407 Approved.

Arthur Douglas, 56, relaxes in his home while his tax preparers at Tax Solutions carry most of the workload these days. Douglas suffered from a nervous breakdown in the early 2000s because of the demands of running his own nonprofit business.

Listen for more on Douglas’s story.

By Alex Douglas

BALTIMORE, Md. — Arthur Douglas has given everything he has to his tax business, and it almost took his life.

Douglas, 56, is the executive director and founder of EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION, LTD., a nonprofit organization which sponsors its largest division known as Tax Solutions on 7002 Golden Ring Road, and he recalls a time in the early 2000s when a nervous breakdown forced him to get away from it all and re-evaluate his priorities.

“The income tax business snowballed so quickly on me that I wasn’t prepared to deal with it properly at home,” he said.

According to Douglas’s wife, Vicki, it was a period where clarity was needed, but no one knew what to expect as he struggled to come to grips with the fact that a lifestyle change was now a matter of life or death.

“We didn’t know if he was ever going to come back the right way,” she said.

###

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By Alex Douglas

BALTIMORE, Md. – As big and bold as the letters CASH are in their title, the Baltimore CASH Campaign remain humble and appreciative to their ever-growing clientele.

With only four paid staff members and an abundance of volunteers spread across 20 different sites that serve more than 8,000 people, the campaign acts as a jack of all trades.

“We help working families increase financial stability,” Monica Copeland, asset development program manager for the campaign, said, among other outreach efforts and providing free income tax service to low-income families.

According to Rob Bader, the campaign’s director of tax operations, the business works to “make it easier for smaller programs to run effective tax programs,” too.  He describes the campaign as a coalition who, unlike the bigger Maryland CASH Campaign’s advocacy-centered focus, is more face-to-face with their clients.    

Interaction over the phone is essential to the organization’s success, as their 1-800 line is routinely sought out.  Over 15,000 calls were received at their call center last year, but only 8,100 tax returns were able to be prepared due to a shortage caused by the lengthy snow storm, Sara Johnson, director of the campaign, said.

The personal approach has brought to life many concerns about the current economic recession to their customers, but Bader says the same effects haven’t been felt by the campaign.

“We are still fully booked,” Bader said, “it’s just that more people are eligible for our services [now], and it’s free.” 

Johnson believes they have done well marketing their services.  While they are in direct competition with Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block, the campaign reportedly owns a three percent share of the market and they hope more is on the way.

The agency is in good shape, according to Copeland, but she is aware of many partners and friends who have suffered during the recession.  However, the campaign has reportedly seen a spike in clients and Copeland says she believes there is a greater need for their assistance.

“We still have our doors open,” Copeland said, “so we’re like, okay, bring it on.”

In keeping with their seemingly never-say-die attitude, the campaign staff continues to promote Money Power Day – their signature event held once-a-year to educate the working families of Baltimore on everything from financial planning to counseling.

Preparation for the event begins nine months in advance, Copeland says, and what once attracted 200 to 400 people in the early days when Money Power Day began five years ago is now bringing in crowds of more than 1,500 citizens.

The Baltimore CASH Campaign offers monthly Financial Fitness workshops at the Enoch Pratt Central Branch Library in downtown Baltimore with topics ranging from the popular, such as credit repair and learning how to become an entrepreneur, to programs about child support.  Copeland says she doesn’t know if the latter will be a success or not next month, but the campaign is always taking suggestions to keep relevant with their clients.

Copeland acknowledges there wouldn’t be anywhere near as many opportunities for reaching out if the campaign didn’t receive the support of volunteers that exists today. 

“They’re crucial, they’re critical,” she emphasizes, “If you put a dollar on [their worth], I wouldn’t even know what that cost would be.”

Johnson says it is fundamental for paid staff and volunteers alike to have a passion for helping others, but it isn’t always easy when the topic of money is involved.

“You don’t leave this work every day with a warm fuzzy feeling,” Johnson said.

Financial concerns are applicable to their target clients of the 30-to-40-year old age range, but campaign staff regularly deals with inquiring college students.  In some cases, students are even learning how to prepare income tax returns and using what they’ve learned on college campuses to volunteer assistance to the campaign.

The student perspective is especially useful as the campaign is working on a new grant to help students apply for financial aid.  As a testament to their level of exposure, the Baltimore CASH Campaign has been selected as one of nine pilot sites across the country to test the new program, Johnson said.

Bader agrees in saying that there is “a lot of interest in getting to the schools,” but talking with students from Stevenson and Towson University is not much different from the regular public.  Copeland says she understands what it’s like for students to feel embarrassed or intimidated by seeking out help, because even she doesn’t have the answers to everyone’s questions.

“We’re still learning,” she says with a comforting laugh.

###

***Story has been revised with third source.

This is the first post for the blog that I will keep as a Towson University student during the Fall 2010 semester in my MCOM 407 Writing For New Media class.

I am a soon-to-be-graduating senior who is majoring in Mass Communications under the Journalism and New Media track.  I’m not currently involved in any school organizations, nor have I been up to this point, but I’ve taken almost all of the Journalism classes there are to offer at Towson in my 4+ years.

As a result, my GPA is just under a 3.4 and I’ve been fortunate enough to make the Dean’s List three semesters running.  I don’t know where any of that will take me in life or if I will even continue with Journalism and writing once I graduate, but I look forward to whatever comes next.

And, obviously, that would be my second post.  So, here’s to then.

– Alex