Congratulations to Shobana Mani, the incoming Executive Director of SimplifyCT!
This SVP partner organization provides virtual, year-round, and human-centered tax preparation to low-income residents. Started during the pandemic, SimplifyCT combines online chat-bots and personal outreach to demystify tax filing and support clients’ personal finance.
“The impact is tangible when a single mom is able to send her kids to enrichment programs, or a car is able to be bought and enables a client to get a new job,” Mani said. “Filing taxes and releasing benefits may feel mundane,” she said, “until you take the time to understand each and every family and their stories, humanizing the process.”
SVP Partner Pat Gentile founded Simplify CT during the pandemic when in-person services were not accessible. Since then, the budding start-up non-profit has helped thousands of CT residents file their taxes and seen millions in returns to those clients.
Mani will take the helm of SimplifyCT in early 2023. As executive director, her goals include growing both the services provided and the people reached by SimplifyCT. Before stepping into this role, Mani was impressed by the stories of clients.
“I met one single mom who was so grateful to Pat Gentile. She was driving one day and saw a sign for Simplify CT on the road and felt it was a beacon of hope. Every year, she works with Simplify CT to file, and then uses her cash benefits to organize a series of summer enrichment programs for her daughter,” Mani shared.
Mani is now glad to have SVP’s help as the organization is fundraising and scaling services. “These strategy calls have been so enjoyable and provided a feeling of positivity that is needed to drive the momentum of this start-up non-profit,” she said.
