2014 Civic Engagement Institute Leveraging Campus Partnerships to Build Community Engagement and Services Donna Gallagher February 4, 2013
Mission: Promote economic security for low income individuals and families through savings and financial education programming Vision: People in all 100 counties have access to financial education and savings opportunities
Partnerships with Nonprofits and Community Institutions Savings programming Financial education Program development and impact measurement Capacity building Community outreach Individual development accounts
North Carolina Assets Alliance To educate the public and policymakers about the importance of assets 82 organizations Lead agency for national CFED Assets & Opportunity Network Prosperity Grid for North Carolina 9 Economic Security Forums 2009-2011
Community-Based Asset-Building: Creation of local assetbuilding coalitions; with our partners, over 22,000 people received financial education in 2012 Durham Kinston Rich Square Charlotte Winston-Salem Greensboro Hillsborough Chapel Hill
Two new projects Creating the Economically Secure Workforce Benefits employers in Durham, Wake, Wayne and Pitt counties Getting banked, automatic savings, accumulating assets, financial coaching Access to affordable financial services Free for employers and employees, funded through a grant from the Citi Foundation
Two new projects Learn to Earn Raleigh Youth Financial Education with a parent Incentives for attendance and participation Goal setting Savings match Funding from City of Raleigh: This federal Community Development Block Grant grant is partially funded through the City of Raleigh based on recommendation of the City Council.
Why Financial Education and Savings? Having a savings account, a college education, a home, work skills, or a small business can help individuals and families: live securely today; weather difficult financial times and cash shortages; Avoid predatory lenders/cycles of poverty; plan for the future; and pass assets on to the next generation.
PROSPERITY GRID = POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS DELIVER ECONOMIC SECURITY Connecting Households and Communities to Economic Opportunity
Research Shows Assets can make the difference between getting by and getting ahead. Increasingly, we are recognizing the need to address asset inequality, which is much greater than income inequality, in order to address poverty long-term. Connecting Households and Communities to Economic Opportunity
WORKING DOES NOT GUARANTEE ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR MANY NORTH CAROLINIANS More than ¾ of NC jobs pay below the Living Income Standard (204% of poverty level) 42% of NC workers lack paid sick days 18.9% lack health insurance 60% lack an employerprovided pension
One in five households live in asset poverty with insufficient savings to remain about the federal poverty level for three months without earned income. Action for Children North Carolina
The unbanked in North Carolina There are an estimated 472,000 households in North Carolina that do not have any kind of bank or credit union account. Source:EstimatesfromthePewCharitableTrust ssafebankingopportunitiesproject,basedon datafromtheu.s.censusbureau,thefederalreserve s2004surveyofconsumerfinances,andthenorth CarolinaCommissionerofBanks.
The unbanked in North Carolina According to the Brookings Institution, the cost of not being banked, and using alternative financial products, is approximately $40,000 over a working career.
All Americans should have the opportunity to make the choices that allow them to live a long, healthy life, regardless of their income, education or ethnic background.
Creating our own individual journey means reading the roadmap and charting the course.
Messages are everywhere Lives are complex Financial decisions have lasting affects on our future
Opportunities for community responsiveness by University Communities Community engagement and services Responsiveness to local economies Preparation for workforce Educating the state s future leaders Challenges Student retention College affordability Community engagement and services
HBCU Savings Showdown Partnered with Fifth Third Bank to provide free credit reports and credit scores Offered classes on credit, homeownership, identity theft, and savings Over 10,000 students were reached 258 signed up to be NC Savers 103 free credit reports
North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
St. Augustine s-raleigh, NC
Johnson C. Smith Charlotte, NC
University of North Carolina Greensboro BEYOND ACADEMICS Partnership since 2010 with VISTA placement Financial education and savings capacity building for students Greensboro Asset Building Coalition Formation of community partners committee Recruitment of volunteers Leadership/Priorities for the volunteer committees Regular convening
Duke and Durham Saves: February 24-28, 2014 Duke University Personal Finance Class Building the Economically Secure Workforce Outreach to local employers Financial education: Credit Spending Plans Getting banked Savings Plans
Economic Security Forums-9 Forums between 2009-2011 Martin County Community College North Carolina Central University East Carolina University
Pathways to Prosperity Conference October 16-17, 2013, Sheraton RTP Goals: To share innovations and vision in research and policy, showcasing best practices in the asset-development field, To better understand how community organizations can work collaboratively to integrate efforts that provide economic mobility and opportunity for all, To connect diverse community leaders, and To provide skills and tools for practitioners serving low-to-moderate income people
Reaching the Summit of Success: Transition to higher education and work first for persons with disabilities Three summits last fall in Charlotte, Wilmington and Raleigh Options that Community Colleges provide for students with I/DD Policy and procedural linkages to high school and individual education plans Financial sustainability over the long term
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program in Charlotte through Community Link VISTA placed for 3 years to build capacity in the program Interns recruit and train volunteers from businesses Colleges and Universities provide meeting/training space Interns are from: Johnson C. Smith Johnson and Wales University of North Carolina Charlotte Charlotte School of Law
Financial opportunity models to integrate services with the goals of needed services all provided at the same time Job training Financial Education Connections to public benefits
Learning communities carrying the network forward together Intentional connections Referral, partnerships, collaborations Capacity building and thought partnerships Performance management and evaluation Community Outcomes, not just program outcomes
SuccessNet at DesMoines Area Community College 3 campuses--target barriers to college success: low income, ESL learners, No High School completion, unemployed, ex-offenders, displaced workers, single parents (www.dmacc.edu) Workforce and Career Services Income and Work Supports Financial Services and Asset Building Customized screening allows each partnering organization to merge intake with SuccessNet, while maintaining compliance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Center for Families and Students at Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT (gatewayct.edu) Academic Advising Career planning and pre-employment referrals Emergency Financial Assistance Pre-screening for benefits: health insurance, utility assistance, food stamps, housing assistance Financial education and credit repair Free Income Tax Preparation Referrals Emergency transportation assistance Ex-offender assistance Legal assistance For students only
MDC, Durham, NC Working Families Success Strategy College Implementation Guide www.wfsncollegeguide.org This implementation guide is designed to be used by community college leaders, faculty and staff who are interested in starting or expanding a Working Families Success effort at their institution. The guide can be read from start to finish or accessed at different points depending how far along your college is.
Thinking about how to do the outreach/services/implementation REFER PARTNER DO-IT-YOURSELF
REFER--Less resource intensive, relies on the capacity of other organizations Clients travel to another location, limiting take-up of services Partners may have different goals and outcomes Services may not be a good fit for clients
PARTNER-Deeper relationships maximizes strengths of each organization, sharing clients; Co-location (one-stop) increases uptake of services; Co-branding with other organizations and centralized services for a holistic approach Compromise and give up autonomy Partnerships take time to establish
Do-It-Yourself: Ensure that goals and outcomes meet your school s mission and services can be provided in one location Resource intensive to build capacity Staff support and training Community duplication of services
What can you do? What are the needs in your community and who does that assessment? Map the landscape who does what? Attend community meetings Meet with faculty and administrators Enlist students muscles
EDUCATE YOURSELF AROUND ASSET-BUILDING: Like us on FaceBook: TheCollaborativeofNC, North Carolina Saves, and North Carolina Assets Alliance Join our mailing list: www.cultureofsavings.org, www.ncassets.org Become a North Carolina Saver: www.northcarolinasaves.org Follow us on twitter:#cultureofsavngs
THANK YOU! Donna Gallagher Executive Director IDA and Asset Building Collaborative of NC Donna@cultureofsavings.org 919-248-2000 www.cultureofsavings.org