Benefits Coordinator

S P E C I A L B E N E F I T S P R O G R A M

Coordinator Resources

How to Manage Your Unit for Maximum Benefits

Congratulations!

On behalf of the Coconut Group, Maeva and I would like to welcome you as a new Unit Coordinator.

The following information will help you enjoy extremely positive results in the program. In addition to the following resources, we are always available here as an extra resource if you need us.

So let us consider some of the important points you surely want to know:

What is my position – what am I actually called?

Your position as an independent manager for the Special Benefits Program may be referred to by several terms: Coordinator, Unit Coordinator, IPC, Income Program Coordinator, Independent Program Coordinator, or even Neighborhood Coordinator.

These terms can all be used interchangeably and refer to the same thing. It depends on who you're talking to. The most common is probably IPC or just simply Coordinator.

What is a Unit, and how do I relate to it?

A Unit is a benefits account set up by the Program Provider (the entity that handles all aspects of the program).

Your Unit is always referred to by its account number.
This number is often referred to as an ID number.
When someone asks you for your ID number, they are probably referring to your Unit account number.

Within the Benefits Program system, your account can be in your own personal name, in the joint names of you and your spouse, or even in a business or trust name (when the proper paperwork is provided). You may sometimes be referred to as the "owner" of the Unit, just as you may be the owner of a bank account. However, in a legal sense, you are not technically the owner of any particular property. You merely enjoy certain benefits and advantages through an agreement with the Program Provider.

As you would expect, the privilege of managing a Unit is governed by certain policies and requirements. Some of these will be mentioned below. If you have questions about other policies, you can let us know.

Why would I want to give away shares in my Unit?

Many coordinators do not give out shares in their Unit. This is a personal decision. Some of the reasons to consider giving out shares include the following:

Save money. If you keep your Unit for yourself, you will need to pay the monthly premium for all four shares. This is not a problem for many people, but you need to keep in mind that it may take several months for your cash benefits to grow significantly (to completely cover your premiums). Therefore, you will need to budget for this contingency.
Help others. Giving away shares allows other people an affordable opportunity to participate, especially those who may not have the resources to manage a Unit alone. This kind of generous service can be a big help to many people.
Work as a team. If you have other members who share in your Unit, you have the opportunity to benefit from their input, support, and enthusiasm. The more people who are involved, the more friends and other contacts you will have. This will make sharing information about the Benefits Program easier and faster.

If a person approaches you who wants a share of your Unit, but you do not have shares available (either because you have already given them away, or you don't wish to give out any shares), you can encourage the person to set up their own Unit, either by themselves or in conjunction with other acquaintances. As a coordinator, you can act as sponsor for their new Unit, and assist them as they move forward.

What is a Unit Board Meeting, and why is it important?

As a Unit Coordinator you should have a short meeting at least once a month with the members who have shares in your Unit.

This is particularly important during the months right after you set up your new Unit.

Since you are a neighborhood coordinator, the members of your Unit will likely live in your immediate area. The coordinator normally takes the initiative to schedule the Unit Board Meeting and outline the agenda. Ideally, you should meet together in person. However, you can have an online meeting if necessary and more convenient.

The Board Meeting can be held in a residence or any other suitable location. It should be a fun, enjoyable experience, with plenty of socializing and inexpensive refreshments (beverage and snacks) served at the conclusion.

If you don't have members who have shares in your Unit, you should still participate in regular 'extended' Board Meetings where several Unit Coordinators from your area meet together.

Agenda. Key items that should be considered during a Unit Board Meeting include the following:

The well-being and needs of Unit members and their families. What can you do together to help each other?
The names of family members, friends, and other acquaintances who might need the Benefits Program. Also, specifically, when, how, and by whom information will be shared with them.
Planning or discussion for any upcoming social activities, meetings, events, or other calendar items, including those organized by the Program Provider.

Unit Board Meetings should deal only with matters that relate to the Special Benefits Program. They should not be a forum to discuss, promote, or sell unrelated products or services, and all such unrelated activity should be strictly controlled.

How do we share information about the Benefits Program?

A vital part of the service aspect of the Special Benefits Program is the shared mission of all participants to spread the word about this unique opportunity. There are several ways this can be done, as well as some ways that must be avoided. You can:

Mention the advantages and benefits of the program to other people during your normal, everyday conversations.
Use the information resources that have been prepared for you, especially the introductory video.
Be alert to situations where individuals could obviously benefit from the program, such as observing someone overpaying for medication at the pharmacy, or hearing someone expressing concern about living on a fixed income.

Here are some additional tips to help you avoid some pitfalls:

Less is better. Be enthusiastic, but say as little as possible about the Benefits Program. Let the online tools explain the details.
Play it cool. Be sensitive to people's feelings and rights of privacy. Be respectful, caring, and restrained.
Be a good listener. Let the other person talk. You will be much more helpful if you say less and listen more because you will learn what the other person needs.
No spamming! Send information links via email only to those persons you know well, who will definitely not object to receiving the information. No one likes spammers. You may also get your own email blocked if you send unwanted messages.
Private messaging. Social media, such as Facebook, is an excellent way to share information about the program, especially via private messages. However, the same considerations apply as for email. To avoid intruding on people's social media experience, we strongly discourage the public posting of links, even on your own account.
Be true friends. Remember that your sharing activities are not items on a to-do list. We care about the people we interact with, and our friendship and conversations must be genuine and ongoing.

When a person decides to take advantage of the Benefits Program, you must be there for them to help answer questions and to provide any assistance they may need. The idea of dropping people, or moving on to the next prospect, is not a part of this program.

What do I do when I get a benefit check?

As a Unit Coordinator, you will receive benefit checks directly from the Program Provider. If you have members who own shares in your Unit, it is your responsibility to distribute the funds to each member according to their share.

Deposit the benefit check into your own account.
Prepare a personal or business check for each member.
You can also cash the benefit check, and pay each member in cash or with a money order. If you do this, you must get a receipt from each member to whom you distribute cash benefits.

If you do not have members who have shares in your Unit, then you can keep the entire benefit check for yourself.

As a coordinator who has members with shares, you must keep careful records of the cash benefits that you distribute. This is very important for tax purposes.

Since the Program Provider pays all benefit checks directly to you, the Provider will report this to the taxing authority under your name.
When you distribute cash benefits to other members, you are allowed to deduct these amounts for tax purposes.

If you have questions about this, you should consult your account or tax preparer.

Can I get tax benefits through this Program?

Although the cash benefits you receive through the Program are not tax-free, your participation in the Program can afford you a number of tax advantages.

When you are active in helping to "spread the word" about the Program, you are allowed to deduct many expenses on your taxes for things you are already paying, but for which you may not be getting a deduction.

This can have a significant impact on lowering your overall tax liability. Some of the expenses you may be able to deduct, depending on your circumstances, include the following:

Your telephone bill.
Your vehicles, including fuel, repairs, and car payments.
A home office, including some utilities, upkeep, and mortgage payments.
Your Benefits Program membership premiums.
Your computer equipment, cell phone, and other electronic devices.
Office equipment and supplies.
Your Internet services.
Certain travel expenses.
Some meal expenses.
Some furniture and fixtures.
Gifts to other Program members.
Certain parking fees and tolls.
A portion of your rent.
Ads and publicity.
Software expenses.

The above list is just a general idea of the types of deductions that may be available to help you save money on your taxes. For specific information as it relates to you, you should consult your accountant or tax preparer.

How can I increase my cash benefits?

As you are aware, cash benefits are paid according to the flow of premiums along the Benefits Program timeline. As explained, part of the premiums paid by those on the left side of your timeline – that is, those who enroll in the Program after you – flows to you as a cash benefit.

Because you and others on the left side of your timeline have the opportunity to create multiple channels for the flow of cash benefits, the cumulative total of cash benefits can be substantial.

As you and other members share information about the Benefits Program, you should begin with an initial goal to assist other persons to set up at least three new Units under your sponsorship. If you have members with shares in your own Unit, you can work together to pool your resources and contacts. This is relatively easy when several of you unite in your activities.

Compounding numbers. When the principle of compounding numbers is applied to the massive group of aging seniors (a minimum of 75 million baby boomers), you can readily see the potential for significant growth.

Based on an initial goal of three new Units per link, the following chart illustrates an example of how this type of growth could occur for your Unit.

The monthly benefit of $8,744 in the example above would be for your Unit as a whole. If there were members who had shares in your Unit, then the amount would have to be divided and distributed accordingly.

The initial goal of assisting in the setup of three new Units is very important when first enrolling in the Program. If this can be accomplished within two or three weeks, in each instance, then the growth of cash benefits can compound quickly and can become substantial in a relatively short time.

What is my duty to those who have shares in my Unit?

As a Unit Coordinator, you have a moral, ethical, and legal duty to those who have shares in your Unit. Because you manage the Unit and have primary control, this is a responsibility that you must take seriously.

You must always look out for the welfare of your member partners in your Unit.

Distribution of cash benefits. This duty includes the immediate distribution of cash benefits whenever you receive a weekly or monthly benefit check from the Program Provider. It goes without saying that you have no right to keep or misappropriate any funds that are earmarked for other members of your Unit.

Your first and primary responsibility is to get the cash benefit into the hands of those who have shares.
You must never delay the distribution or use their funds for other purposes, even though it may only be temporary.

Payment of membership premiums. It is also your duty to see that the membership premiums are paid in a timely manner to the Program Provider. Once the Unit is set up, with each member providing a form of payment, the Program Provider will automatically charge the premiums to each member. This will ordinarily happen between the 10th and 14th of each month.

In the event that the full premium for the Unit is not paid, the Unit will become ineligible to receive further benefits, including cash benefits from the Program Provider.

Therefore, as coordinator, you must monitor premium payments each month to make sure they are paid. You can do this online through your coordinator account, or you can call a program representative.

If a member who has a share of your Unit fails to pay their premium, you are responsible to fix the situation. For example, perhaps a member's credit card expired, and they were not aware of it. You would need to let them know so they can update their payment information in a timely manner.

Withdrawal of a member. If a member of your Unit stops paying their premium or wishes to discontinue their membership, they should make arrangements in advance with you.

When you give a share to someone, it is your responsibility to make sure they are aware of this requirement.

When they give you advance notice, this gives you and the other members an opportunity to secure a replacement for them. Sometimes the departing member can find a replacement or recommend someone to take their share.

In any event, the full membership premium for the Unit must be paid if you wish the Unit to remain active. If a member is not paying their share and you cannot readily secure a replacement, then you will need to make up the difference for their missing premium. You can do this by paying the premium for that share yourself, which then gives you a bigger interest in the Unit. In some situations, you can also discuss the issue with the remaining members and decide how to share the payment of premiums together.

In most cases, this is a relatively easy issue to resolve. As mentioned, many coordinators do not give out shares of their Unit. They pay all premiums for their entire Unit themselves, and do not have any particular difficulty in doing so.

I heard there are some extra benefits?

Yes, in addition to the regular cash benefits that you can receive through the Program, there are three categories of extra bonus benefits.

Discount on medications. We work closely with two major providers who offer discounts on prescription medications through special industry contracts with pharmaceutical companies and thousands of pharmacists. This is an additional free benefit for all Program members, including Unit Coordinators and those who have Unit shares. This benefit can result in major savings on the cost of prescription medications without the use of insurance or any copayments.

The savings depends on the medication you need, as well as the pharmacy where you are getting the prescription filled. As you may know, prices can vary greatly from one pharmacy to another.

One advantage of this benefit is the ability to check online to find out which pharmacy in your area gives the biggest discount. We actually used this benefit in this past week, and got a prescription for zero cost. It pays to shop around!

As a Unit Coordinator, you will be given information about this discount benefit so you will be in a position to help others who may have questions.

Bonus Cash Benefits. The Program Provider has a special provision to recognize those Units who excel at sharing the Program. If your Unit performs outstanding service over a period of time, you will receive special recognition, including larger cash benefits and even extra cash bonuses. Special titles apply to those Units who distinguish themselves in this manner. In some cases, these extra cash bonuses can more than double the normal monthly cash benefits paid to your Unit.
Expense-paid travel. Based on some of the same criteria, the Program Provider also makes available some other perks for outstanding Unit management. This can include an invitation to join Program executives for various summits and conferences around the world. At the highest level, the Program Provider pays your travel expenses and your accommodations.

What if I have other questions or need help?

Help is always nearby. You can always use the online Enrollment Form to submit questions or to ask for help. You can also contact the Program Provider by phone or by email.

Please know that we are here to support and help you. And we trust that as you grow and become more experienced, you will carry forward that same attitude of service and caring.

Through this great Program, we have the opportunity to help thousands of good people. Thank you for your eagerness to help us carry out this most worthy mission.

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