<aside> 🌐 This page contains training and reference materials for Coalition Leads. Coalition Leads are the primary contact for a coalition when relaying issues to CfA and are also responsible for providing support to coalition members before and during the season. Please make sure you have reviewed the "Getting Started" materials before reviewing this guide.

For additional questions about being a Coalition Lead, please post in Slack.

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last updated on October 30, 2023

Table of Contents

Basics

Responsibilities

Support partners through onboarding and training - Share the partner handbook and onboarding checklists with coalition members, ensure that coalition members receive Partner Newsletter updates from the GYR team, ensure that partners are aware of upcoming training sessions and how to register, and request additions to your partner list as needed. As CfA does not have contact information for each coalition member until they submit the necessary forms in the onboarding checklist, so this support from the Coalition Lead is very important.
Move clients between coalition members as needed - ****While Organization Leads can submit requests to move clients to Partner Support, it’s often faster for the Coalition Lead to move the client. Coalition Leads are set up in the Hub to enable this action.

Getting Help

Partner Support - The Partner Support team answers questions, troubleshoots issues, logs bugs, and tracks themes from support requests. You can reach them by emailing [email protected]. Due to the volume of users we anticipate participating in GetYourRefund, we ask that only Coalition and Organization Leads submit partner support requests. We encourage Coalition and Organization Leads to develop a process through which others can elevate issues which can then be passed on to Partner Support. Please send each topic in a separate email. This will help the Partner Support team address simple questions and issues much faster.
- Contacting Partner Support is best when...
  - You have reviewed the latest Partner Newsletters and have not found a solution to the issue you’ve encountered
  - You need a response from a GYR team member
  - The issue is specific to your team
    - Example: “My organization’s routing needs to be changed.”
    - Example: “My organization’s capacity limit needs to be increased.”
  - The conversation should be kept private - i.e. contains client PII.
  - The issue is urgent.
    - Example: “I keep receiving an error page when I navigate to the All Clients page.”
  - Something isn’t working for you and you need a response.
    - Example: “I am sending client 1234 their tax return and they are saying they can’t download it.”
Partner Slack channel - ****The GYR-Partner Slack channel consists of representatives from each partner and is a great place to go to ask questions, offer advice, and connect with others across the VITA field. GYR staff and Partner Support Specialists also monitor the channel and can offer additional insight and support. Each partner can request up to three Slack accounts for their staff as part of their onboarding tasks. Invitations are sent via email. For more information about joining Slack, see our guide here.
- Posting in #gyr-partners Slack channel is best when…
  - You’re having trouble with something but aren’t sure if it’s a bug or user error
    - Example: “Is anyone else having trouble with the call feature right now?”
  - You have a question that you think could be answered by another partner, including about using the Hub
    - Example: “How are other organizations sending surveys to clients?”
  - You want to have a group conversation about a topic
  - You want to share advice or best practices

Best Practices

The following are practices that other GYR coalition partners used to assist their members.

Review all of the materials used by coalition members - it’s easier to answer questions when you’re familiar with the reference materials!
Connect organizations that are new to GYR with organizations that have GYR experience