By Christine Tran, 2021 Get It Back Campaign Intern & Reagan Van Coutren, 2022 Get It Back Campaign Intern

There are just 4 weeks left to connect families to their full expanded Child Tax Credit ($3,600 per child under 6 and $3,000 per child under 17) in 2022. The deadline for families who aren’t required to file taxes to submit their information to the IRS using GetCTC.org is November 15, 2022. 

Research shows that the 2021 monthly Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments helped families put food on the table, make rent, pay bills, afford childcare, and buy school supplies for children. The expanded Child Tax Credit also drove the child poverty rate to a record low of 5.2 percent in 2021. 

Families that received monthly Child Tax Credit payments last year must file a 2021 tax return (which you file in 2022). Families that didn’t get advance payments, who haven’t filed a tax return, or who don’t have recent income can also get the Child Tax Credit by using GetCTC.org. 

Additionally, families and individuals who were eligible for the third stimulus check and didn’t receive the full amount can use GetCTC.org to do so. (They don’t need to be eligible for the CTC to use the tool to get their missing third stimulus check as the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit). 

Organizations like yours can play a vital role in connecting people to GetCTC.org before it closes on November 15. Your outreach efforts are key to reach families who may not realize they are eligible for the expanded CTC or that they can still get it.  

Follow these three steps to prepare for the final outreach push to November 15: 

1. Assess your community

Find out if there are current CTC outreach efforts in your community that your organization can join. Collaborate with other organizations to coordinate outreach efforts to increase your reach and effectiveness. 

Reach out to organizations that provide free tax preparation, faith-based organizations, community centers, adult education centers, day care centers, food banks, schools, public libraries, local businesses, legal clinics, homeless and domestic violence shelters, and other organizations that serve harder-to-reach communities with lower incomes. Invite them to join your efforts.  

Consider that mixed-status families with immigrants, grandparents raising grandchildren, and those without permanent housing may be at greater risk of missing out on this credit. Contact groups that serve these populations to make sure they are aware of this CTC outreach opportunity.  

Think about the needs in your community and what different organizations can offer. For example, public libraries can provide computers and Internet access. Organizations that serve harder-to-reach populations can talk to clients about CTC eligibility and how to get the credit through GetCTC.org. 

2. Identify your outreach materials

There are several outreach materials available that you can use. Choose which materials to use based on the goals of your campaign. 

• Physical campaign materials: flyer, mailer, phone banking script, and SMS scripts. 
• Digital campaign materials: local organizations’ logos, customizable social media graphics and posts, a radio PSA script, a press release template, and newsletter template. 

All digital and physical campaign materials can be found in the Get it Back Campaign’s Child Tax Credit Outreach Toolkit. See the CTC resources for additional customizable outreach materials from Coalition on Human Needs, Partnership for America’s Children, and Code for America. 

3. Develop your outreach campaign plan

Use this suggested weekly guide to form your organization’s plan. You can lengthen or shorten your outreach timeline based on when you will start. Modify your outreach campaign plan depending on your organization’s capacity and what you can realistically achieve in the upcoming weeks.  

Click here for detailed descriptions of each week’s activities.  

Week 1 Activity List: Oct 17-23

• Distribute flyers 
• Provide spaces with internet access and devices, if possible 
• Table in public areas 
• Coordinate and launch your outreach campaign 
• Phone bank and send mailers out to your contact list 
• Record an informational message on your voicemail and/or hold system 
• Recruit volunteers 
• Connect with local businesses and organizations 

Week 2 Activity List: Oct 24-30

All of the above, plus:

• Canvass in your community 
• Plan virtual informational events 
• Contact local newspapers and radio stations 
• Email and text your contact list 
• Post social media graphics 

Week 3 Activity List: Oct 31-Nov 6

All of the above, plus:

• Engage local officials and government agencies 

Week 4 Activity List (and beyond): Nov 7-15

All of the above, plus:

• Escalate all of your outreach efforts for the final push! 

Week 1

Distribute Flyers. Distribute flyers through your organization and partner groups to reach people you serve throughout the week. Emphasize that it’s not too late to get the Child Tax Credit and encourage people to use GetCTC.org to file. 

• Give a flyer to everyone who visits your organization. Homeless shelters can pass out flyers to community members that use their services. Daycare centers can give flyers to parents. 
• Include a flyer in materials you give to your clients. Food banks can attach flyers to food pantry boxes. Organizations that work with schools can supply teachers with flyers to include in take home materials for students. 
• Prioritize communities with lower incomes, mixed-status families, grandparents raising grandchildren, or residential areas with public housing units to place flyers on community members’ doors.  
• Connect with diaper banks, WIC agencies, and other groups that serve new parents to reach people who had a child in 2021. Use materials with messaging that addresses the concerns of this population. 
• Post in public areas, such as parks, grocery stores, community centers, DMVs, and public libraries. Focus on residential areas that are under-served, where harder-to-reach non-filers may live. In residential areas, flyers can also be posted in the mailboxes of residential homes.

Provide Internet access, computers, and physical space where people can use GetCTC.org and fill out the form on their own. GetCTC.org is mobile-friendly so many people can sign up from their cell phones. People without a smart phone or who have limited plans may prefer to use a computer. If your organization has the capacity, allow clients to use your resources.  

Table in public areas such as parks, grocery stores, community centers, thrift stores, and public libraries. Work with schools, faith-based organizations, and shelters to table in their space. 

• Ask people that pass by if they have gotten all their Child Tax Credit yet. 
• Offer to answer questions about the CTC. 
• Direct people to GetCTC.org. 

Sign people up to get the CTC and any missing third stimulus checks on the spot using tablets or laptops. Providing outdoor support options is especially important to reach people experiencing homelessness. Since this option is more involved, read these tips to connect people experiencing homelessness to their stimulus checks first. 

Coordinate and launch your social media campaign. Your organization and your partners can post social media graphics on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

• Decide if all organizations will post at the same time or stagger social media posts throughout the day. 
• Make sure to tag each other in your social media posts to highlight all the organizations that people can turn to!

Phone bank and send mailers out to people on your organization’s contact list to remind them to file for the CTC. Inform them of where they can ask any questions they have about the CTC or GetCTC.org. 

Record a message on your automated phone system. Talk about CTC eligibility and how to sign up using GetCTC.org as people wait on the line. For example, schools, local government agencies, community centers, shelters, and community housing assistance programs can incorporate a CTC hold message. 

Recruit CTC volunteers. Encourage volunteers and staff members within your organization to volunteer with partner organizations for tabling or canvassing (see week 2). 

Connect with local businesses, public libraries, legal clinics, adult education centers, DMVs, and community centers and ask to place flyers in their establishments.

Week 2

Canvass in your community. Coordinate days where volunteers and staff can door-knock in neighborhoods to talk about the CTC, answer questions, and direct people to use GetCTC.org to sign up for the CTC.

Launch virtual events with partner organizations that explain what the CTC is and encourage people to sign up through GetCTC.org. 

• The event can be held on platforms like Zoom or Facebook Live. 
• Consider partnering with different organizations that provide a variety of resources and services. 
• Choose an exciting keynote speaker to create buzz around the event. 
• Promote the event in your phone banking conversations and email blasts about the CTC. 
• Reach out to state and local agencies or community organizations that work with your targeted population to ask for help publicizing your event. 
• Post consistently about the event on your partners’ and your social media platforms. 

Email and text people on your organization’s contact list to remind them to use GetCTC.org to file for their CTC if they have not already done so. If your organization has the capacity, consider launching a widespread text campaign as these have been very successful. 

Contact community newspapers to request that they write a story on the CTC and highlight that people can use GetCTC.org through November 15. You can use this template pitch. 

Contact your local radio stations to request that they run a PSA about the CTC. You can use this radio PSA script (also available in Spanish). 

Post social media graphics on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

• Publish this image with the following caption: 

Twitter: It’s not too late! You could receive up to $3,600 per child from the expanded #ChildTaxCredit and not realize it. Don’t miss out!  Visit GetCTC.org through November 15, 2022 to find out more about how to get your credit this year.

Download for Twitter

Week 3

Engage local officials and government agencies. Request that your local elected officials and city halls issue a press release about the CTC and GetCTC.org closing on November 15. Ask government agencies, such as WIC offices and SNAP agencies to notify program participants about the CTC and how to get it. 

Post the following social media graphics on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

• Publish this image with the following caption: 

Facebook: It’s not too late to get the Child Tax Credit!  Even though the tax season has ended, almost all families qualify and can still get their money. Submit a simplified return at GetCTC.org through November 15, 2022.

Download for FB

Week 4

Post the following social media graphics on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

• Publish this image with the following caption: 

Instagram: Did you know?: If you missed out on #ChildTaxCredit payments last year, you can still receive the full credit. Submit a simplified return using GetCTC.org through November 15, 2022. #ChildTaxCredit

Download for IG

Escalate your outreach efforts, driving the sense of urgency to get their CTCs. Pull out all the stops! 

• Coordinate large-scale door knocking efforts, where you and your partner organizations can cover multiple neighborhoods. 
• Flyer in public areas and put CTC mailers in people’s mailboxes. 
• Table in public spaces and at organizations that serve harder-to-reach populations. Sign people up on the spot using GetCTC.org if you can. 
• Phone bank, email and text people on your organization’s contact list to remind them to get their CTC if they have not already done so. 

The Child Tax Credit provides critical financial support for families and children that are most impacted by the pandemic and inflation, the majority of whom have low incomes and are people of color. Census data shows that the expanded Child Tax Credit drove the child poverty rate to drop to a record low of 5.2 percent in 2021.  

We have 4 weeks (until November 15) to help connect even more families to this critical Credit. Together, let’s help ensure that as many eligible people as possible get their money! 

Let us know what you will do or reach out if you need help developing your campaign.

CTC Resources

• 2022 Child Tax Credit Outreach Resources: This Get it Back Campaign outreach hub features a CTC outreach toolkit and inks to additional CTC resources developed by other organizations. 
• ChildTaxCreditOutreach.org Resources: This hub features customizable flyers, text messages, emails, and robocall samples in 11 languages and links to toolkits, FAQs, and other resources from Coalition on Human Needs and Partnership for America’s Children.  
• GetCTC.org Outreach & Navigator Resources: This hub features resources from Code for America to help connect your community to the CTC. 
• GetCTC.org: This resource helps people determine eligibility for the CTC and how to get it. It is also available in Spanish. 
• 211: Call for live assistance with general CTC questions or look up local resources online. 

Additional Resources

• What do I do if I didn’t get my stimulus checks? 
• Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics: Provides free legal help on tax issues with the IRS. 
• Taxpayer Assistance Centers: Provides support with limited tax issues. Appointments required.