By providing financial literacy programming to non-customer populations, financial firms in particular can enhance their reputations and replenish goodwill depleted during the recent global financial turmoil. A successful financial education initiative can achieve reputational gains with a host of stakeholders including media, potential customers, business partners, shareholders, employees, consumer advocates, policy makers and regulators. However, history shows that none of these benefits automatically accrue to a financial firm just by writing a check and issuing a press release.
As with any other business investment, a thoughtful, strategic approach is what makes possible a strong ROI. Finding experts who can lever both deep, first-hand experience and the best academic research is essential in: 1) launching and maintaining an in-house national financial literacy program or 2) vetting and managing the best-qualified partner organization. For a company contemplating a significant financial commitment, soliciting expert advice can make the difference between merely having one good news cycle versus actually changing lives while effectuating a long-term enhancement to that company’s brand. Back to Who We Serve: Private Sector