FAFSA begins TODAY (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

It's FAFSA Time! For those of you just getting back into this, the FAFSA opening day has changed from January 1st of a high school student's senior year to TODAY, October 1st of that same high school student's senior year. That's 3 months earlier than in years past (and actually 6 months earlier than how families 20 years ago filled out the FAFSA).

The reason for this is so that new soon-to-be college students who are applying in the fall can almost immediately compare their options, especially if the final decision comes down to finances. Check our graphic at the bottom of this post so you can visualize how, in order to receive an official financial aid award, a student needs to have both an accepted college application as well as a processed FAFSA.

Do-Gooder Consulting is here to help organizations plan, advertise, or even run a FAFSA completion session. Please contact us by phone at 872-222-8008 or by email at FAFSA(at)do-gooder.us or call us at 872-222-8008 .

We look forward to serving you in the near future.


One final note: please encourage your current college students to renew their FAFSA as soon as possible. It's easy to forget, but with the renewal using the same information they just inputted 6 months ago, it's also easy to fill out, and could provide more money than last well. Simply text and/or e-mail them this secure website address = www.FAFSA.gov


In fact, we'd suggest contacting the following people to fill out the FAFSA as soon as pssible after October 1 (as it costs no money to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid):

1) Returning college students (see above)
2) High school seniors (as mentioned above)
3) Adults simply thinking about returning to college. Filling out the FAFSA does not obligate someone to go to college, but is one vital step in getting an official financial aid package.

 

 

FAFSA opening date change can HELP your organization help students!

We talked about this major change with the FAFSA (FREE Application for Federal Student Aid)  in a  previous post. As we have reported on this blog several months ago, the FAFSA opening day has changed from January 1st of a high school student's senior year to October 1st of that same high school student's senior year. That's 3 months earlier than in years past (and actually 6 months earlier than how families 20 years ago filled out the FAFSA)

The reason for this is so that new soon-to-be college students who are applying in the fall can almost immediately compare their options, especially if the final decision comes down to finances. Check our graphic at the bottom of this post so you can visualize how, in order to receive an official financial aid award, a student needs to have both an accepted college application as well as a processed FAFSA.

While this is perhaps a little confusing for many families right now, this is also a great opportunity for churches and nonprofits to provide leadership and resources to their community. By helping families fill out the FAFSA early, you and your organization may be able to provide them with thousands of dollars and financial aid without the organization itself needing to contribute towards that purpose. You also build trust in the community, and show one reason why you are a key community resource.

We see this as a great outreach because it's a very strong need for our families. Churches and nonprofits which are located near schools have an excellent opportunity for outreach and connecting with their local community. Churches can schedule a session right after their church service, and if possible, even provide lunch. Or, if it's possible , providing an afterschool or evening program with a light dinner, such as pizza, which can also be a huge benefit two families. Nonprofits as well can help their community and also their schools as well with an activity that helps families but let's the school clothes on time we be greatly appreciated by the local school.

Do-Gooder Consulting would like encourage you to start your plan this is possible. We understand it might be too late for you to start any event in October, but we encourage you to set up a session in November, December or even the first week of January (before current college students return to school) , and then plan for a FAFSA completion session in early October of 2017.

We have also written in the past about how financial aid deadlines are shrinking, and the importance of having the FAFSA completed as soon pas possible after that opening date.   However, we believe that missing October of 2016 (despite it being the opening date) will be just fine  because for this first year, a number of students will still be getting used to this new date and you may be able to do late by a month or so. For the future, however, we strongly suggest that you schedule a fast the completion session as close to October 1st as possible.


Do-Gooder Consulting is here to help you plan, advertise, or even run a FAFSA completion session. Please contact us by phone at 872-222-8008 or by email at FAFSA(at)do-gooder.us or call us at 872-222-8008 .

We look forward to serving you in the near future.


One final note: please encourage your current college students to renew their FAFSA as soon as possible. It's easy to forget, but with the renewal using the same information they just inputted 6 months ago, it's also easy to fill out, and could provide more money than last well. Simply text and/or e-mail them this secure website address = www.FAFSA.gov


In fact, we'd suggest contacting the following people to fill out the FAFSA as soon as pssible after October 1 (as it costs no money to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid):

1) Returning college students (see above)
2) High school seniors (as mentioned above)
3) Adults simply thinking about returning to college. Filling out the FAFSA does not obligate someone to go to college, but is one vital step in getting an official financial aid package.

The new deadline helps you receive the financial aid award faster than previous years.

FAFSA opening date has changed to THIS October 1!

The FAFSA opening date has changed! "Traditionally" the opening date was January 1. But things have changed,

The main trouble will be for families who have returning students. They will think “Didn’t we just fill this out?”  And that feeling is justified, as it may have been 8 months or less when they filled out the FAFSA.  That is going to require a change in mindset. For years, Do-Gooder Consulting has advocated FAFSA completion sessions at the beginning of the year. We have worked with churches to do such a session following their service on the first Sunday of January.

Now, we encourage churches to hold such a session in October or if needed, November. Nonprofits can work with families with holding evening sessions, or also during the day if the families have Columbus Day or Veterans’ Day off.  It’s a huge shift in scheduling, and may conflict with other activities. But if going to - and graduating - college is a priority, then lifestyle changes need to be made.

So please, plan accordingly, so your student can get the best financial aid possible. If you are part of a church or nonprofit (or even business that wishes to maximize help for your employees, customers and their families), please contact us at Do-Gooder Consulting, and let’s see how we can work together for the best interest of students. We would be happy to help you organize a coalition of organizations to maximize resources and impact. Feel free to call or text Do-Gooder Consulting at 872-222-8008 or e-mail at  blog@do-gooder.us

Your student needs to fill out the FAFSA -- NOW!!!

We at Do-Gooder Consulting really want to implore anyone with a student going to college - whether high school senior, returning student, or an adult even thinking about going to college - to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) NOW! Don’t wait! 

Back in our day, the FAFSA was filled out by hand. The financial aid officer also had to calculate by hand, which made the process long and strenuous. Any revisions would be equally as long , so it was suggested that students wait until taxes were done before submitting the FAFSA. That allowed families to make copies of tax forms, and provide accurate information. Financial aid programs like the Illinois Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grant were able to provide money up until classes actually began.

However, technology, especially through the web and computers, has completely changed the process - for the better.  Using www.FAFSA.gov families can quickly input (and change) information.  Most people send their taxes in online, whether by using an application at home such as Turbo Tax, or going to a professional such as H & R Block, or even most independent accountants.  That information can then be easily downloaded via the IRS Retrieval Tool. That one click often replaces the photocopies and mailings and calls to the financial aid office of the past.

The downside of the technology upgrades is that since it makes it easier to fill out applications for financial aid, more people know about the opportunities and are rushing to take advantage of it.  We talked about the shrinking MAP deadlines in the past. Even though the state of Illinois is having problems now with disbursing MAP funds for the current year, in order to possibly funds for the next school year (2016-2017), Illinois residents need to fill out the FAFSA within the next week.

We previously wrote about MAP deadlines, with 2015 running out by approximately Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). Below is our projections for when MAP money will run out not just for the upcoming school year, but the school year following.

In looking at the graphic, you may have noticed that our projection for the end of MAP money is the middle of this November. That’s because of some major changes with the FAFSA for the next school year. Do-Gooder Consulting documented these changes in an earlier blog.

There are some good reasons for this change.  The earlier deadline, which now coincides with many college application deadlines. This allows students to make a timely decision to see if a college is a good fit not just academically but also financially. See our graphic below for details on the need to have both a completed FAFSA and a college application that is not just completed, but accepted by the college.

The main trouble will be for families who have returning students. They will think “Didn’t we just fill this out?”  And that feeling is justified, as it may have been 8 months or less when they filled out the FAFSA.  That is going to require a change in mindset. For years, Do-Gooder Consulting has advocated FAFSA completion sessions at the beginning of the year. We have worked with churches to do such a session following their service on the first Sunday of January.

Now, we encourage churches to hold such a session in October or if needed, November. Nonprofits can work with families with holding evening sessions, or also during the day if the families have Columbus Day or Veterans’ Day off.  It’s a huge shift in scheduling, and may conflict with other activities. But if going to - and graduating - college is a priority, then lifestyle changes need to be made.

So please, plan accordingly, so your student can get the best financial aid possible. If you are part of a church or nonprofit (or even business that wishes to maximize help for your employees, customers and their families), please contact us at Do-Gooder Consulting, and let’s see how we can work together for the best interest of students. We would be happy to help you organize a coalition of organizations to maximize resources and impact. Feel free to call or text Do-Gooder Consulting at 872-222-8008 or e-mail at  blog@do-gooder.us

FAFSA opening day has been moved up!

The US Department of Education is changing when families can begin filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). "Traditionally", it has begin January 1 of the year the student begins fall semester. With the changes, that opening date is moved to October 1 (starting in 2017).

(see below for the full announcement.)

What does that mean?

Factually speaking, a student can fill out the FAFSA, and possibly get information on their financial aid eligibility for a college, almost 1 full year before they begin fall classes.

On the positive, financial aid packages can be created earlier, so that students can get a better idea of if they will receive financial aid at a particular school, or if they should apply for a different one (before those deadlines passes). Another possible positive may be that other financial aid forms , such as the CSS(which some private colleges require) may not be necessary. So possibly less paperwork, and less money (CSS charges a fee; FAFSA is always free, with it being the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid).

On the negative, financial aid deadlines will also be moved up, meaning things such as Illinois' MAP grant (worth up to $4700) will run out of money even sooner.

What you can/should do about it?

Plan to have a FAFSA completion service the first week of January. Whether it is on the actual holiday of New Year's, or the first Sunday, or during the week, the next round of financial aid won't begin until January 1, 2016.

Then immediately plan TWO big financial aid pushes for the following year. The first should occur near the first week of October 2016. Another alternative is to hold a FAFSA completion session on Columbus Day. Both Students and many parents should have that day off. Churches could hold their session on the holiday, or following their service on Sunday.


The second big push should continue to be either the first Sunday of the new Year, or starting in 2016, in December, when your returning college students are back as well.

See Do-Gooder's previous blog on planning a FAFSA completion session.

Here is the official announcement from the US Department of Education. They also have a PDF with FAQ's (Frquently Asked Questions) about this change.

Today, Monday, September 14, 2015, President Obama announced significant changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) process that will impact millions of students. We want to inform you—our partners in the college access, planning, and funding process—about these changes and provide you with tools and information you can use.  Changes for the 2017–18 FAFSA® (1)   (1) The 2016–17 FAFSA® will be the final FAFSA to launch on January 1.  Beginning with the 2017–18 application, the FAFSA will be available to students and families October 1 of the previous year. This means students who need to complete the 2017–18 FAFSA will be able to access and submit the form anytime from October 1, 2016, through June 30, 2018. (2)    (2)   (2) In addition to changing the launch date for the application cycle, beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA, we also will change the requirements for reporting income information. Currently, FAFSA applicants are required to provide income information from the “prior year.”  For example, 2016–17 applicants must report 2015 income information.  Beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA, applicants will be required to provide “prior-prior” year income information. This means that the 2017–18 FAFSA will collect 2015 income information.  The following table provides a summary of key dates as we transition to using the early FAFSA submission time frame and earlier tax information. When a Student Is Attending College (School Year) When a Student Can Submit a FAFSA Which Year’s Income Information Is Required July 1, 2015–June 30, 2016 January 1, 2015–June 30, 2016 2014 July 1, 2016–June 30, 2017 January 1, 2016–June 30, 2017 2015 July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018 October 1, 2016–June 30, 2018 2015 July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019 October 1, 2017–June 30, 2019 2016                                                                                                                                Resources for You and Your Students To assist you and your students in learning about these changes, the U.S. Department of Education and the White House have prepared several informational pieces (a fact sheet, FAQ, etc.). You can access some of them at FinancialAidToolkit.ed.gov/fafsa-changes now; and others will be added later today. We will update the Financial Aid Toolkit and StudentAid.gov sites as the 2017–18 FAFSA launch approaches. Keep an eye out in spring 2016 for further resources such as talking points, suggested tweets and Facebook posts, etc.   Please know the President’s remarks which will be streamed live from Des Moines beginning at 4:40 p.m. ET at whitehouse.gov/live. As always, we thank you for everything you do to advance equity in access to higher education for the nation’s students.

Federal Student Aid Outreach Team
830 First Street, NE
Washington D.C. 20202


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Do-Gooder Consulting is a consulting firm for churches, nonprofits, and small businesses. We provide coaching and teaching on issues relevant to the field, and aim to "help you help others." Please contact us at 872-222-8008 or blog@do-gooder.us to see how we can help you and possibly other partners get your students to college -- and then graduate.

Make sure your students fill out the FAFSA -- RIGHT NOW!!!

Your students need to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible.

Last year, the state of Illinois' MAP grant ran out on February 28. Based on the infograph below we published last year, the 2015 deadline could be February 25 or earlier!

In the "old days" of the FAFSA, we were told to fill out the FAFSA after taxes were done. This was so because recalculating financial aid was done by hand, and so by giving estimated information created a lot of lot of work and time delay.

With the wonders of the internet and computer automation,  this process is much easier.

If you need help in this process, please contact Do-Gooder Consulting at 872-222-8008 or college@do-gooder.us

Check some of our best work

We just wanted to do an end-of-the-year review of some of our best work over the years

Within a week the article on the FAFSA transitioning from a PIN system to a Username/Password system became our second most-read post.

It took a couple of years (past the 2013 expected date), but some new web domain extensions are now available, such as .church
Our article about "bootleg business cards" talks about the need to create some sort of business card, even if doesn't "look professional" -- the key is getting your information out there.

Have an idea of a topic we should focus on? Let us know! Contact us at blog@do-gooder.us or call us at 872-222-8008 for details on the free and paid services. We look forward to hearing from you. Find out more about us at www.do-gooder.us

Where to find JP Paulus and Do-Gooder Consulting in December

December will be a very busy month for JP Paulus and Do-Gooder Consulting, with several major events. Here's where you can find us in the next few weeks and beyond. Call or text us at 872-222-8008 or e-mail us at  blog@do-gooder.us if you have questions or would like to meet! (Also, see the bottom of this post regarding an opportunity to help your students with financial aid!

Urban Youth Network

The next meeting is this Thursday, Dec. 4 at 9am. Time: 9am-11am

Location: Park Community Church, 1001 N. Crosby, Chicago.

(Usually, the meeting is the first Thursday of the month, 9am-11am). Join fellow youth workers for fellowship & growth.  You can also call/text 872-222-8008 or e-mail blog@do-gooder.us for an update, or questions.  

Free breakfast (includes doughnuts, fruit, juice and coffee) is provided.

For more info, contact Nick River.  a at nick@gripyouth.com or see the Urban Youth Network Facebook page. 

Business First Friday @ Flecks Coffee 

We hope to meet you at Flecks Coffee for their First Friday networking event. See you at 343 E. 79th St., Chicago (South Side neighborhood of Chatham) on Friday, December 5 at 8am.

We have begun some great partnerships through these meetings. Many members of the Chatham Business Association (see below) plan on joining us. This even is hosted by Bruce Montgomery of technology TV,among many other things..

Flecks is near 79th (#79 bus route) and King Drive (#3 bus), and short walk from the 79th stop of the Red Line, as well as the 79th street exit of the Dan Ryan (I-94, south side of Chicago).

From the event's Facebook page:

Chatham Business Association 

We'll see you at the next Chatham Business Association meeting on Tuesday, December 9 at the QBG Foundation Building, Meeting Room, 806 E. 78th St. Chicago, Il 60619 .The Monthly Membership Meeting held by Chatham Business Association, Small Business Development Inc. is held to inform current members and prospective members about issues and activities going on in Chatham and the City of Chicago.  You do not need to be a member to attend.  Breakfast is provided for a small fee. See their webpage for details on this event.

FAFSA Completion sessions

We're also scheduling FAFSA completion sessions for the first week of January, where we help families correctly fill out the FAFSA. The first that we have planned is one at Oakdale Covenant Church, 9440 S. Vincennes after the 10:30am service on Sunday, January 4, 2015. We will utilize Oakdale Christian Academy's computer lab to allow up to 20 families to fill out their FAFSA at a time. Check our blog for details and updates.

Illinois College Access Network

The last Illinois College Access Network Meeting of 2014 be will meet  on Thursday, February 5th, 2015. Location is to Be Announced.  (You can also call/text 872-222-8008 or e-mail blog@do-gooder.us for an update.) They will update the website at www.illinoiscan.org   

 We also want to say thanks to everyone we met at  the 42nd Tutor-Mentor Conference 

We appreciate Daniel Bassill of the Tutor Mentor Institute inviting us to the November 2014 Tutor-Mentor Conference to present on on "4 Steps 2 College".  The next conference will be Friday, May 8, 2014 at Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago. Look for updates here on their website. Registration is will be open soon.for now, they are accepting proposals for workshops!

We hope to more fully participate in events such as Reload Chicago 2015 (an Urban Youth Workers Conference), the College Changes Everything Conference in July 2015,  The Illinois Colege Access Network Conference in August 2015, and the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) Conference in September 2015. We will post details as they arrive.

We hope to see you at these and other events.  Don't forget to bring business cards, even if it is a "bootleg" business card (see our blog on it).  If you plan on coming to these events, please call/test us at 872-222-8008 or by e-mail at blog@do-gooder.us

We hope to see you soon!

Find Do-Gooder Consulting in October and beyond

Here's where you can find us in the month of October and beyond. Call or text us at 872-222-8008 or e-mail us at  blog@do-gooder.us if you have questions or would like to meet! (Also, see the bottom of this post regarding an opportunity to help your students with financial aid!

Urban Youth Network

October 2 (Thursday) , 2014 @9am. Join fellow youth workers for fellowship & growth.  The next meeting location is at Park Community Church  at 1001 N. Crosby (2nd Floor).  You can also call/text 872-222-8008 or e-mail blog@do-gooder.us for an update, or questions. 

Free breakfast (includes doughnuts, fruit, juice and coffee) is provided.

For more info, contact Nick River.  a at nick@gripyouth.com or see the Urban Youth Network Facebook page. The November meeting is planned possibly for a Saturday date.

Business First Friday @ Flecks Coffee 

Meet at Flecks Coffee for their First Friday networking event. See you at 343 E. 79th St., Chicago (South Side neighborhood of Chatham) on Friday, October 3 at 8am.

We have begun some great partnerships through these meetings. Many members of the Chatham Business Association (see below) plan on joining us.

Flecks is near 79th (#79 bus route) and King Drive (#3 bus), and short walk from the 79th stop of the Red Line, as well as the 79th street exit of the Dan Ryan (I-94, south side of Chicago).

From the event's Facebook page:

Jump Start You Weekend and Your Business at First Friday @ Flecks This Friday at 8:00am Sharp! Join this high powered group of successful business owners and soon to be's for one-to-one networking and our unique business building information exchange. Make It Your Business to Be Here! It Works, When We Work It! Let's Work It, TOGETHER!

Chatham Business Association 

We'll see you at the next Chatham Business Association meeting on Tuesday, October 14 at the QBG Foundation Building, Meeting Room, 806 E. 78th St. Chicago, Il 60619 .The Monthly Membership Meeting held by Chatham Business Association, Small Business Development Inc. is held to inform current members and prospective members about issues and activities going on in Chatham and the City of Chicago.  You do not need to be a member to attend.  Breakfast is provided for a small fee. See their webpage for details on this event.

 

42nd Tutor-Mentor Conference 

We are planning to have a workshop at the November 2014 Tutor-Mentor Conference. JP Paulus will be presenting on "4 Steps 2 College". Whether or not you join JP for his session, please consider being a part of the conference. (We will post details for those interested in presenting). The next conference will be Friday, Nov. 7, 2014 at Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago. Look for updates here on their website.

Illinois College Access Network

The last Illinois College Access Network Meeting of 2014 be will meet  on Thursday, November 6th, 2014.at DePaul University Center, Loop Campus. The time is  8am-10:30am.(You can also call/text 872-222-8008 or e-mail blog@do-gooder.us for an update.) They hope to update the website at www.illinoiscan.org and they ask to please RSVP by sending an e-mail to illinoiscollegeaccessnetwork@gmail.com   

FAFSA Completion sessions

We're also scheduling FAFSA completion sessions for the first week of January, where we help families correctly fill out the FAFSA. The first that we have planned is one at Oakdale Covenant Church, 9440 S. Vincennes after the 10:30am service on Sunday, January 4, 2015. We will utilize Oakdale Christian Academy's computer lab to allow up to 20 families to fill out their FAFSA at a time. Check our blog for details and updates.



 

We hope to see you at these and other events.  Don't forget to bring business cards, even if it is a "bootleg" business card (see our blog on it).  If you plan on coming to these events, please call/test us at 872-222-8008 or by e-mail at blog@do-gooder.us

We hope to see you soon!

JP Paulus presenting at the 42nd Tutor Mentor conference

Dan Bassill of  Tutor Mentor Connections attended the 2013 Illinois College Access Network Conference workshop, "Reaching Out to Religious Groups",and liked it so much that he invited JP Paulus (of Do-Gooder Consulting) and Jeremy Barahona to present again at the Tutor Mentor 40th conference.We had a great time, as did the audience. Dan has invited JP to present again, and we are extremely grateful for this opportunity..

We'll explain the 4 Steps in detail, with a timeline, at our workshop.

The topic for JP's workshop at the 42nd conference will be "Steps 2 College". The description for the workshop:

The path to college is confusing, with messages from multiple sources, many unreliable or exploitive. This seminar will clarify the path to college, and provide a clear outline so that youth workers can focus on their specialties & calling, while still accurately helping youth through the college-going process.

While we won't answer every question of going to college, we hope to give you a more streamlined path, and avoid some of the mistakes that have resulted in heavy debt, and other problems.



We encourage our colleagues to apply to be a workshop presenter.  It's a great opportunity to share your knowledge as well as help others see you as an expert in your field. The facilities are excellent, and a great venue to present. Presenters volunteer their services on behalf of the greater tutoring and mentoring community.

The Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference  takes place on Friday,  November 7, 2014  and will be held at the Metcalfe Federal Building at 77 W. Jackson Blvd in Chicago, IL. 

Whether a professional in the field, or a volunteer, this is a great conference to learn more about the field as well as begin relationships that help you in your journey.  

There are several other notable workshop presenters at the conference.. Whether or not you decide to join JP for his session, you will have a great time with the many other presenters, and network with several people in your field.

Fees for Conference: $80 for the full day but a group of 3 or more only costs $50 per person

You may also request a Scholarship to pay only a - $30 fee.

To register as a participant, please click this link to register.

Contact Tutor/Mentor Institute at tutormentor2@earthlink.net to discuss different group rates, or 50% discount half day fee.

For more information and to sign up, go to http://www.tutormentorconference.org/

If you are interested in presenting a workshop, we again encourage you to go online and submit a proposal -> apply to be a workshop presenter. 


We will update this entry with exact time and room location of our workshop.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Plan your FAFSA Completion session now

In our previous entry, we talked about the why of filling out your FAFSA early (i.e. the first week of January).  With this post, we'd like to make some suggestions as to how, when and where to make these plans now, do you can be prepared later.

  

High schools are closed during winter break, yet the need exists. Your church or nonprofit could be a perfect location to complete the FAFSA.

If you are part of a church ministry, or have partnerships with churches, the first Sunday in January could be a GREAT opportunity to host a FAFSA completion event. We have written about that here. (We'll provide an updated entry in a few weeks)

What/who you need for a FAFSA completion session:

• Computers - they can be desktops, laptops, or even tablets
• Internet access, preferably wireless.  While wired internet access is fine for desktops, and laptops with appropriate cables, wireless would be better for devices owned by families (who might want that extra layer of privacy)
• An expert on completing the FAFSA. Do-Gooder consulting can provide such an expert, with even a short Powerpoint presentation to cover common issues and concerns. If we are unavailable, we can coordinate with other experts to help you.

As to the when, here are some dates you might consider planning a FAFSA completion session

• New Year's Day. This is the first day you can fill out the FAFSA for the 2015-2016 school year. While the morning might not be the best time (as people are recovering from New Year's Eve celebrations, the afternoon could work. Most parents have the day off, and could come to your facility.
• The first Saturday after the New Year's. Many families will be available for a session.
• On Sunday afternoon immediately after church, when most members are still in the building
• Any weekday during the first week of January. Some families might work during this week, but some returning student and some working families might have
• Martin Luther King Holiday. While this is a little later than we prefer, as of this writing, you can still beat most deadlines 

Just as a reminder of the importance of this planning, here's the graphic from our previous entry.

We can help you and your organization. We might be able to supervise a FAFSA completion session. If not, we can coordinate a session with experts who can help you during your desired sate. We will then follow-up to make sure the work of your families is completed, and they can receive the maximum financial aid.

Please contact us at Do-Gooder Consulting at 872-222-8008 or web@do-gooder.us to see how we might be able to help.