Lisa Brautigam has been volunteering with Dallas Community Tax Centers (DCTC) for the past 3-4 years, helping low-income families file their taxes and claim credits they are entitled to. Prior to volunteering, Lisa had a 15-year career in tax preparation and obtained her Enrolled Agent designation. Unfortunately, health issues forced her to leave her job. With extra time on her hands, she looked for ways to volunteer in her community and found DCTC. 

When asked what brought her to DCTC, Lisa explained, “I used to work in tax preparation and did that for close to 15 years. In the last couple years that I worked; I also got my EA designations. I became an Enrolled Agent. Unfortunately, my health took a bad turn, and I was unable to hold down a job anymore, so I’m on Social Security Disability now.” 

Lisa started volunteering virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. She did not go into any of the in-person sites until last year. She found she prefers in-person interactions, saying, “I like having that one-on-one with the clients.” The one frustration with virtual volunteering was the lack of steady work and finding herself with downtime when she was ready to take on more.  

One thing Lisa really enjoys about volunteering with DCTC is “the good that they’re doing and helping all of these people and families get all the credits they’re entitled to. A lot of these people wouldn’t know what to do, so I think this is an incredible, valuable service and I’m proud to be a part of it.” She’s appreciative of the fact that DCTC provides Uber ride-share because driving is not her strongest strength. It’s volunteers like Lisa who make DCTC’s mission possible and allow them to serve the community.