CS-14-447 Volunteer Motivation Survey and CS-14-448 Online Payment Agreement

SURVEY INSTRUMENT

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Survey of Volunteerism

The IRS is committed to better understanding the types of individuals that choose to commit their time to volunteer tax preparation.

You can help in this important mission by providing your feedback below. This voluntary survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Our survey partner, [Contractor], will not provide your identity to the IRS and will keep your identity private to the extent permitted by law. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact [Contractor] at [Contractor contact phone or email].

Purpose of Volunteering

1

1A. Are you presently, or have been within the past 12 months, engaged in volunteer work?

 Yes

 No

Please rate the accuracy of the following statements:		Not At All Accurate					Completely Accurate
			1	2	3	4		5
1B.	Volunteering can help me to get my foot in the door at a potential new job.							
1C.	My friends volunteer.							
1D.	I am concerned about those less fortunate than myself.							
1E.	People I'm close to want me to volunteer.							
1F.	Volunteering makes me feel important.							
1G.	People I know share an interest in community service.							
1H.	No matter how bad I've been feeling, volunteering helps me to forget about it.							
1I.	I am genuinely concerned about the particular group I am serving.							
1J.	By volunteering I feel less lonely.							
1K.	I can make new contacts that might help my business or career.							
1L.	Doing volunteer work relieves me of some of the guilt over being more fortunate than others.							
1M.	I can learn more about the cause for which I am working.							
1N.	Volunteering increases my self-esteem.							
1O.	Volunteering allows me to gain a new perspective on things.							
1P.	Volunteering allows me to explore different career options.							
1Q.	I feel compassion toward people in need.							
1R.	Others with whom I am close place a high value on community service.							
1S.	Volunteering lets me learn things through direct, hands on experience.							
1T.	I feel it is important to help others.							
1U.	Volunteering helps me work through my own personal problems.							
1V.	Volunteering will help me to succeed in my chosen profession.							
1W.	I can do something for a cause that is important to me.							
1X.	Volunteering is an important activity to the people I know best.							
1Y.	Volunteering is a good escape from my own troubles.							
1Z.	I can learn how to deal with a variety of people.							
1AA.	Volunteering makes me feel needed.							
1AB.	Volunteering makes me feel better about myself.							
1AC.	Volunteering experience will look good on my resume.							
1AD.	Volunteering is a way to make new friends.							
1AE.	I can explore my own strengths.							

Attitudes Toward Volunteering

2

The following questions concern your attitudes towards your volunteer work and the place where you volunteer (your volunteer site). Please indicate how true each of the following statement is for you given your experiences with volunteering.

Attitudes Towards Volunteering		Not At All True					Very True
			1	2	3	4		5
2A.	I feel like I can make a lot of inputs to deciding how my volunteer work gets done.							
2B.	I really like the people I volunteer with.							
2C.	I do not feel very competent when I am volunteering.							
2D.	People at my volunteer site tell me I am good at what I do.							
2E.	I feel pressured at my volunteer site.							
2F.	I get along with people at my volunteer site.							
2G.	I pretty much keep to myself when I am at my volunteer site.							
2H.	I am free to express my ideas and opinions while volunteering.							
2I.	I consider the people I volunteer with to be my friends.							
2J.	I have been able to learn interesting new skills while volunteering.							
2K.	When I am volunteering, I have to do what I am told.							
2L.	Most days I feel a sense of accomplishment from volunteering.							
2M.	My feelings are taken into consideration at my volunteer site.							
2N.	While volunteering, I do not get much of a chance to show how capable I am.							
2O.	People at my volunteer site care about me.							
2P.	There are not many people at my volunteer site that I am close to.							
2Q.	I feel like I can pretty much be myself at my volunteer site.							
2R.	The people I volunteer with do not seem to like me much.							
2S.	When I am volunteering I often do not feel very capable.							
2T.	There is not much opportunity for me to decide for myself how to go about my volunteer work.							
2U.	People at my volunteer site are pretty friendly towards me.							

Satisfaction With Volunteer Experience

3

The following list of words describes different benefits of volunteering. Read each statement and indicate to what extent you have felt this way about your volunteer work:

Benefits of Volunteering		Strongly Disagree					Strongly Agree
			1	2	3	4		5
3A.	People close to me learned that I did volunteer work.							
3B.	I felt important.							
3C.	I expressed my ideas and opinions.							
3D.	I was able to explore my own personal strengths.							
3E.	My friends found out that I did volunteer work.							
3F.	It developed strengths and capabilities I didn’t know I had.							
3G.	I felt less lonely.							
3H.	I was able to add important experience to my resume.							
3I.	It gave me new ways to interact with others.							
3J.	I made new contacts that might help my business or career.							
3K.	It says a lot about who I am as a person.							
3L.	I am genuinely concerned about the people who were helped.							
3M.	I did something for a cause I believe in							
3N.	It gave me a sense of competence.							
3O.	I felt better about myself.							
3P.	I was able to work through some of my own personal problems.							
3Q.	I learned how to deal with a greater variety of people.							
3R.	I now know and care about what happens in my community.							

Now, please indicate how true each of the following statement is for you given your overall experiences using the following scale:

Satisfaction with Volunteering		Strongly Disagree					Strongly Agree
			1	2	3	4		5
3S.	I enjoy my volunteer experiences.							
3T.	I find my volunteer experiences to be personally fulfilling.							
3U.	I believe that my volunteering is worthwhile.							
3V.	I make an important contribution to the organization I volunteer for.							
3W.	I feel I accomplished some ‘good’ through my work.							
3X.	I am likely to volunteer for this organization in the future.							
3Y.	I look forward to doing my volunteer work.							
3Z.	I am satisfied with my experience as a volunteer.							

Personal Attitudes and Characteristics

4

This section contains a number of statements concerning personal attitudes and characteristics. Please answer the following questions truthfully, following the prompts as indicated.

Please rate the extent to which you typically agree with the following statements:		Strongly Disagree					Strongly Agree
			1	2	3	4		5
4A.	I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others.							
4B.	I feel like a person who has a number of good qualities.							
4C.	All in all, I am inclined to feel like a failure.							
4D.	I feel as if I am able to do things as well as most other people.							
4E.	I feel as if I do not have much to be proud of.							
4F.	I take a positive attitude toward myself.							
4G.	On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.							
4H.	I wish that I could have more respect for myself.							
4I.	I certainly feel useless at times.							
4J.	At times I think that I am no good at all.							

Please rate how well each statement describes how you feel about your life:		Strongly Disagree					Strongly Agree
			1	2	3	4		5
4K.	In most ways, my life is close to my ideal.							
4L.	The conditions of my life are excellent.							
4M.	I am satisfied with my life.							
4N.	If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing							
4O.	So far, I have gotten the important things I want in life.							
4P.	At present, I am completely satisfied with my life							
4Q.	In the near future, a lot of things will have to change before I feel satisfied with my life.							

Please indicate how true the following statements are for you:		Not At All True					Very True
			1	2	3	4		5
4R.	While I volunteering I think about how much I enjoy it.							
4S.	I find the volunteer work very interesting.							
4T.	Volunteering is fun.							
4U.	I enjoy volunteering very much.							
4V.	I think volunteering was very boring.							
4W.	I think volunteering was very interesting.							
4X.	I would describe volunteering as very enjoyable.							

Please read the pairs of statements, one pair at a time, and think about which statement within the pair seems more true to you at this point in your life. Indicate the degree to which statement A feels true, relative to the degree that statement B feels true.

If statement A feels completely true and statement B feels completely untrue, the appropriate response would be 1. If the two statements are equally true, the appropriate response would be a 3. If only statement B feels true then the appropriate response would be 5, and so on.

Personal Attitudes		Only A Feels True					Only B Feels True
			1	2	3	4		5
4Y.	A. I always feel like I choose the things I do. B. I sometimes feel that it’s not really me choosing the things I do.							
4Z.	A. My emotions sometimes seem alien to me. B. My emotions always seem to belong to me.							
4AA.	A. I choose to do what I have to do. B. I do what I have to, but I don’t feel like it is really my choice.							
4AB.	A. I feel that I am rarely myself. B. I feel like I am always completely myself.							
4AC.	A. I do what I do because it interests me. B. I do what I do because I have to.							
4AD.	A. When I accomplish something, I often feel it wasn't really me who did it. B. When I accomplish something, I always feel it's me who did it.							
4AE.	A. I am free to do whatever I decide to do. B. What I do is often not what I'd choose to do.							
4AF.	A. My body sometimes feels like a stranger to me B. My body always feels like me.							
4AG.	A. I feel pretty free to do whatever I choose to. B. I often do things that I don't choose to do.							
4AH.	A. Sometimes I look into the mirror and see a stranger. B. When I look into the mirror I see myself.							

Other Information

5

5A. How long have you been a volunteer?

 Less than 1 year

 1-2 years

 3-5 years

 6-10 years

 More than 10 years

5B. How many hours during an average week are you engaged in volunteer work?

 Less than 1 hour

 1-3 hours

 4-8 hours

 8-10 hours

 10 or more hours

 I do not engage in volunteer work every week.

5C. How many organizations have you volunteered with during the past 12 months?

 1

 2

 3

 4

 5 or more

5D. How would you describe the type(s) of volunteering you do? Please check all that apply.

 Volunteer tax preparer (e.g., Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteer)

 Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams

 Tutor or teach

 Mentor youth

 Be an usher, greeter, or minister

 Collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food

 Fundraise or sell items to make money

 Provide counseling, medical care, FIRE/EMS, or protective services

 Provide general office services

 Provide professional or management assistance, including serving on a board or committee

 Engage in music performance, or other artistic activities

 Engage in general labor, supply general transportation to people

 Some other activity

5E. Which of these best describes your primary volunteer activity?

 Volunteer tax preparer (e.g., Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteer)

 Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams

 Tutor or teach

 Mentor youth

 Be an usher, greeter, or minister

 Collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food

 Fundraise or sell items to make money

 Provide counseling, medical care, FIRE/EMS, or protective services

 Provide general office services

 Provide professional or management assistance, including serving on a board or committee

 Engage in music performance, or other artistic activities

 Engage in general labor, supply general transportation to people

 Some other activity

5F. How do you typically volunteer? Please check all that apply.

 Alone

 With family

 With one or two friends

 With a large group (e.g., social organization or church group)

5G. Where do you typically look for information about volunteer opportunities? Please check all that apply.

 Facebook

 Twitter

 Google+

 Church or organizational publication (e.g., newsletters)

 National publications (e.g. newspapers, magazines)

 Local publications (e.g.newspapers, magazines)

 News websites

 Blogs

5H. On which social media sites do you typically share information about or publicize your volunteerism? Please check all that apply.

 Facebook

 Twitter

 Tumblr

 LinkdIn

 Google+

 YouTube

 Other (please specify): _______________________________

 I do not share information about my volunteerism on social media.

5I. Where do you access the Internet? Please check all that apply.

 Home

 Work

 Public library or other public place that provides internet access (e.g., school, Internet café)

 Not applicable/Do not have internet access (please skip to question 5K)

5J. What devices do you typically use to access the Internet? Please check all that apply.

 Desktop computer

 Laptop computer

 Tablet (e.g., iPad)

 Smartphone (e.g., iPhone, Droid, Blackberry)

 Other (please specify): ________________________

5K. What is your employment status?

 Student, working part time

 Student, working full time

 Full time student (please skip to Question 5M)

 Employed full time

 Employed part time

 Not employed, but looking for work

 Not employed and not looking for work (please skip to Question 5M)

 Retired, working part time

 Retired, not employed (please skip to Question 5M)

5L. If you are currently employed or looking for work, what is your field of work (e.g., education, finance, health)?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5M. What is your marital status?

 Single, never married

 Married

 Civil union/Domestic partnership

 Separated

 Divorced

 Widowed

5N. Which category describes your current age?

 18 to 24 years

 25 to 34 years

 35 to 44 years

 45 to 54 years

 55 to 64 years

 65 to 74 years

 75 to 84 years

 Over 85 years

5O. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

 Grade school

 Some high school

 High school diploma/GED

 Trade/Vocational school

 Some college

 Associate’s degree

 Bachelor’s degree

 Advanced degree (Master’s, Doctoral, or professional degree)

I

!

f you have been unable to resolve any specific problems with your tax matter through the normal IRS channels, or now face a significant hardship due to the application of the tax law, we encourage you to contact the National Taxpayer Advocate Helpline at 1-877-777-4778.

Thank you for completing the survey. Please return this questionnaire by mail using the enclosed international business return envelope or by mailing the survey to the following address:

[Contractor Name]

IRS Survey of Volunteerism

[Contractor Street Address]

[Contractor City, State, Zip]

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires that the IRS display an OMB control number on all public information requests. The OMB Control Number for this study is 1545-1432. Also, if you have any comments regarding the time estimates associated with this study or suggestions on making this process simpler, please write to the: Internal Revenue Service, Tax Products Coordinating Committee, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP,1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6406, Washington, DC 20224.

IRS LETTERHEAD

DATE

ID#

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME

SAMPLE ADDRESS 1

SAMPLE ADDRESS 2 POSTAL CODE

Dear FIRSTNAME LASTNAME:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) needs your help in improving the services it provides to volunteers. I invite you to take part in the Survey of Volunteerism, which asks for your attitudes, opinions, and your experiences volunteering. Your candid feedback is critical to the accuracy of this study and will help the IRS determine what enhancements are needed to improve the experiences volunteer tax preparers.

[Contractor], an independent research company, is administering the survey for the IRS. In a few weeks, you will receive a letter from [Contractor] with instructions for completing the survey online or by mail. By completing this survey, you will help the IRS better serve its volunteer tax preparers.

You do not need to wait for the paper survey. [Contractor] has made the online version available right now. I encourage you to complete the survey by typing the following link into your web browser and entering the unique password provided:

[insert Contractor link here]

Password: [insert password]

[Contractor] will not provide any identifying information to the IRS and will keep your identity private to the extent permitted by law. Your participation in this study is voluntary. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete.

I am personally committed to improving service to all volunteers, not just those that choose to do volunteer tax preparation. Please help me in this effort by completing the survey as soon as possible. If you do not receive a paper survey by [insert date], please contact the [Contractor Help Desk] by [Contractor phone or email]. If you wish to verify the IRS’s sponsorship of the survey, please contact Patti Davis-Smith at 404-338-8714 or [email protected].

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Sincerely,

Antoinette M. Cross

Director, Research and Analysis

IRS, Wage and Investment Division

[Contractor Letterhead]

IRS Survey of Volunteerism

[Contractor Address]

DATE

ID#

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME

SAMPLE ADDRESS 1

SAMPLE ADDRESS 2 POSTAL CODE

Dear FIRSTNAME LASTNAME:

A few weeks ago, you received a letter from Antoinette M. Cross, Director, Research and Analysis, Wage and Investment Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) asking for your assistance with an important initiative to improve the IRS’s service to volunteers. As part of this improvement effort, the IRS is conducting the Survey of Volunteerism. Your candid feedback is critical to the accuracy and utility of this study. The survey will help the IRS determine what enhancements will improve current and future services the IRS provides to volunteer tax preparers.

You were chosen at random to participate in this survey, which is administered by [Contractor], an independent research company. If you have already completed this survey online, thank you for your feedback. If not, you may complete the survey either online or by mail using the enclosed paper survey. If you are completing the survey by mail, please use the postage-paid reply envelope to return your completed survey by [insert date].

If you choose to complete it online, you can access the survey from any computer that has web access by typing the following address into your browser and then entering your unique password:

[insert Contractor link here]

Password: [insert password]

You will be able to exit the survey and re-enter at a later time using this password. It will also protect any data you have entered if you experience any computer disruptions. [Contractor] will not provide any identifying information to the IRS along with your responses and will hold your identity private to the extent permitted by law. Your individual responses will not be shared with the IRS but will be grouped with the responses from all individuals who complete this survey.

The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. While your participation is voluntary, we encourage you to complete the survey. If you have any questions about the survey process, please contact the [Contractor Help Desk] by [Contractor phone or email]. If you wish to verify the IRS’s sponsorship of the survey, please contact Patti Davis-Smith at 404-338-8714 or [email protected].

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

[Contractor]

[Contractor Letterhead]

DATE

ID#

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME

SAMPLE ADDRESS 1

SAMPLE ADDRESS 2 POSTAL CODE

Dear FIRSTNAME LASTNAME:

A few weeks ago, I sent you the Survey of Volunteerism asking for your candid feedback regarding your experiences volunteering. If you have already completed and submitted the survey, please accept our sincere thanks.

If you have not had a chance to complete the survey, please take a few minutes to complete it online by typing the following link into your web browser and entering the password provided:

[insert Contractor link here]

Password: [insert password]

If you prefer to complete the survey by mail, in a few weeks I will send a replacement paper copy to individuals who have not completed the survey. Your candid feedback is critical to the accuracy and utility of this study. The results of the survey will help the IRS determine what enhancements will improve current and future services the IRS provides to its volunteer tax preparers.

If you have any questions about the survey process, please contact the [Contractor Help Desk] by [Contractor phone or email]. If you wish to verify the IRS’s sponsorship of the survey, please contact Patti Davis-Smith at 404-338-8714 or [email protected].

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

[Contractor]

[Contractor Letterhead]

DATE

ID#

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME

SAMPLE ADDRESS 1

SAMPLE ADDRESS 2 POSTAL CODE

Dear FIRSTNAME LASTNAME:

Recently [Contractor] sent you the Survey of Volunteerism asking for your feedback about your experiences volunteering. If you have already completed and submitted the survey, please accept our sincere thanks. If you have not done so, please take a few minutes now to complete the survey either online or by mail.

We want to learn more about your experiences, whether you choose to do volunteer tax preparation or not. Your candid feedback is critical to the accuracy of this study and will help the IRS determine what enhancements are to better serve its volunteer tax preparers.

If you choose to complete it online, you can access the survey from any computer that has web access by typing the following address into your browser and then entering your unique password:

[insert Contractor link here]

Password: [insert password]

You will be able to exit the survey and re-enter at a later time using this password. It will also protect any data you have entered if you experience any computer disruptions. Please complete the online or paper copy of the survey by [insert date]. If you choose to respond by mail, please use the postage-paid reply envelope to return your completed paper survey.

[Contractor] will not provide any identifying information to the IRS along with your responses and will hold your identity private to the extent permitted by law. Your individual responses will not be shared with the IRS but will be grouped with the responses from all individuals who complete this survey. The survey is quite brief and should take about 10 minutes to complete.

The IRS is committed to improving its performance and service to the public. Your honest opinions will help bring about these improvements. If you have any questions, please contact the [Contractor Help Desk] by [Contractor telephone or email]. If you wish to verify the IRS’s sponsorship of the survey, please contact Patti Davis-Smith at 404-338-8714 or [email protected].

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

[Contractor]

Thank you for logging on to this site to complete the Survey of Volunteerism which asks for your opinions and experiences volunteering. The IRS needs your help in improving the services it provides to its volunteer tax preparers and individuals that volunteer, though not necessarily with tax preparation. Your candid feedback is critical to the accuracy of this study and will help the IRS determine what enhancements are needed to improve the experiences of volunteer tax preparers. [Contractor], an independent research company, is conducting this research on behalf of the IRS, and we would like to include your opinions. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the [Contractor Help Desk] at [Contractor phone or email].

Please be assured that this survey is for research purposes only. You will not be required to give any personal financial information, nor will you be contacted by the IRS as a result of participating in the research. All responses will be held private to the extent covered by law.

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. If you need to pause the survey at anytime, you can come back later and begin again where you left off. Simply save the web link and unique password to access your survey again. The survey will automatically take you to the point where you left off.

Please click “NEXT” to begin.

The OMB number for this study is 1545-1432.

If you have any comments regarding this study, please write to:

Internal Revenue Service, Tax Products Coordinating Committee, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6406, Washington, DC 20224.

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