AN INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO... BUILDING LOCAL PARTNERS TO SUPPORT YOUR PERSONAL FINANCE COURSE
GET STARTED TODAY! Dear FEFE Friends, You are doing incredible work with students for building better lives through financial literacy. Share the news with your community about your impact on young consumers and how you contribute to growing an improved local economy. You deserve to be recognized in your community and seek support for your program. In keeping with the mission of FEFE, to provide educators with free curriculum materials, and the skills and confidence to effectively teach personal finance, FEFE now brings you supporting tools to help you cultivate new relationships within your community. Have you ever found yourself talking about your students while grocery shopping or talking about your financial literacy class while making a bank transaction? You are probably already creating new relationships by telling others what you teach without even realizing it! We invite you now to take the opportunity to connect with your local community, friends, neighbors, and prospective partners. Making new partners is easy and will greatly benefit your students. FEFE is here to help you with promoting your financial literacy program and seeking resources in your community. Developing new relationships can lead to additional opportunities including classroom support, field trips, guest speakers, and giving support for your professional development to be able to attend the FEFE National Educator Training. FEFE has created tools to help you get started with building local partnerships. Check out available templates with suggestions for ways to tailor your message to your specific audience. Tools included in your kit are available to download as one packet at http://fefe.arizona.edu/educator-support/building-local-partners or you may customize the tools and download each document individually. Components of the packet are: Tips for initiating and developing partner relationships (pages 3-5) Sample initial letter/email (pages 6-8) Sample PowerPoint talking points (pages 9-11) Sample PowerPoint template with 6 slides available at: http://fefe.arizona.edu/system/files/building_local_partners_presentation_template.pptx Sample press release (page 12) By promoting your financial literacy class and telling others about the valuable long-term impact you will start to form new relationships that are sure to expand your networks and establish a team of champions that support financial education. Contact us at 520.626.4209 or fefe@cals.arizona.edu with questions you may have about building community support. Thank you once again for all that you do as part of the FEFE friends impacting over 500,000 students each year. Sincerely, The FEFE Team Page 2
TIPS FOR INITIATING & DEVELOPING PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS STEP 1: CREATING AWARENESS Brainstorm a list of local organizations in your community where you could lobby support, and people you might know from the organization. They may not be able to directly provide you with financial support, but could possibly connect you with another contact, provide guest speakers for your classroom or advocate for your program, etc. Examples may include Local financial institutions, banks, and credit unions Store retailers (e.g., local owner or store manager of a national corporation) School and district administrators Parent teacher organizations Mini-grants from state level administration or nearby colleges Insurance agencies Radio stations Local coffee shop Local grocer Junior League or other professional networking organizations Sports teams Local and regional publications, newspapers, or magazines Research the potential partner organization to learn more about their interests. Read about the mission and the future direction Learn more about who they are partnering with or have supported in the past Check out recent headlines, company history, and industry news Find out who their Board of Directors are and if you may already be connected to one of them through your community network (the Board provides guidance and may in some cases have decision-making power for funding community partnerships) STEP 2: CREATING A SPENDING PLAN Creating a spending plan that encompasses all of your projected needs for the next couple of years paves the foundation for building local partners. A spending plan will be especially beneficial for educators new to the family finance field and may not have accumulated a tool box of supplies. Creating a spending plan will give you an overall target goal to guide how much financial support you will need. See the links below for resources FEFE has developed to support you in anticipating needs. Learn about supplies needed, approximate cost, and recommended resources to facilitate FEFE s activity-based lesson plans at http://fefe.arizona.edu/system/files/supplemental_costs.pdf Attend FEFE s premier National Educator Training in Tucson, Arizona. Identify potential training costs using FEFE s training interactive spending plan tool available at http://fefe.arizona.edu/system/files/interactive_cost_analysis.xls Discover if FEFE is conducting a training in your state by visiting: www.fefe.arizona.edu/pro-dev/training/specialized-trainings Identify student-led projects to enhance financial education in your community through FEFE s Enhancement Tools available at http://fefe.arizona.edu/tff/curriculum-types/enhancement-tools Page 3
TIPS FOR INITIATING & DEVELOPING PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS STEP 3: INITIATING CONTACT Think about ways you might initiate contact with those from the previous list, in some cases it may be easy to simply pick up the phone or stop by to drop off some material, then ask for a business card of the manager or person in charge so you can follow up with them in a few days If you know the contact, or know someone who has a contact within the organization: Ask them to introduce you to the contact Arrange a meeting with the person in charge of sponsorships for the organization Refer to the sample letter/email text for ideas to send written correspondence If you don t know the contact: Visit the organization s Web site, store, or main office to pick up some brochures to read up on the organization Find out who you should connect with that coordinates community giving for the particular organization Refer to the sample letter/email text for ideas to initiate written correspondence Be bold and feel free to casually mention to others what you do: If you are at the mall and the sales associate asks how they can help you, tell them you teach financial literacy reaching over X number of students and you are shopping for something that is reasonably priced for whatever the item may be When you are at the bank, mention to the banker that you enjoy being a customer and that you would love to tell others about your financial literacy class When getting your taxes completed, mention to your accountant that you help educate young consumers to be responsible tax payers by teaching financial literacy and ask about potential partners that may be interested in supporting financial education Ask to schedule an appointment with the manager so that you may have just 20-30 minutes to talk about how you are making an impact on young consumers and building the local economy Ask if you could be a presenter at an upcoming meeting for the organization STEP 4: PLANNING FOR YOUR MEETING OR PRESENTATION POWERPOINT: Refer to the sample PowerPoint template FEFE has provided and check out suggested talking points included in the notes section for each slide available for you to download at: http://fefe.arizona.edu/system/files/building_local_partners_presentation_template.pptx Tailor slides to your audience, build your case by inserting demographic information Consider how you have or will make future impact on young consumers and that you are seeking professional development FEATURE STUDENTS: Invite a couple of students in advance to join you and ask them to share an example of how your class has made an impact on them Page 4
TIPS FOR INITIATING & DEVELOPING PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS HANDOUTS TO SUPPORT YOUR PRESNTATION: Plan to prepare short packets to distribute to the audience and bring a couple of extras just in case. If possible, ask how many people will be part of the meeting or presentation. Tailor your packets based on your audience and the area you are seeking support. The following is a list of potential documents you might want to include in the packet: Sample projects that your students completed Photos demonstrating the learning process through hands-on activities Letters and emails from former students describing the impact your class had on them List of needed supplies to keep your class running One page National Training Announcement available at: http://fefe.arizona.edu/system/files/national_training_announcement.pdf Selected pages from the National Training Registration packet such as the list of trainers and keynote speakers available at http://fefe.arizona.edu/system/files/national_training_2010_registration_packet.pdf Refer to the National Training Partnership packet for quantifiable results from past trainings available to download at http://fefe.arizona.edu/system/files/training_partnership_packet.pdf FEFE has printed promotional packets to distribute that can be sent to your school or home. Contact us at 520.626.4209 or fefe@cals.arizona.edu to talk about your upcoming presentation and request copies of materials in advance. STEP 5: CONTINUING THE RELATIONSHIP Continue the relationship building process after your meeting depending on the outcome of your meeting and how things were concluded. Send a well written thank-you note on nice stationary, personally delivered goes a long way, thanking your audience for their time Send a separate thank you note to your contact who put you in touch with the organization or company Send a thank you note to the manager Place a phone call with the person you met or the person in charge of community giving Invite them to observe one of your more interactive classes Offer to give them a tour of your classroom and samples of your students projects Offer to have a guest speaker come to class Ask about a possible field trip to the organization with your students Page 5
SAMPLE COVER LETTER/EMAIL Now that you have a list of potential partners you are ready to engage them in your financial literacy classroom and reinforce the greater impact it has on the community. The following is a step-by-step guide for initiating written communication with the potential partner. Text provided for the sample letter merely serves as a suggestion so that you can ultimately tailor your message in a way that will be the most meaningful to your prospective partners based on how you want to cultivate the relationship. If possible, try to address the letter to the specific manager or person in decision-making power that you are reaching out to. The following text contains suggested paragraphs and key points for ways to personalize your letter. Sample Opening Paragraph Dear Ms./Mr./Dr. : I educate our community youth as a financial literacy classroom educator from (insert school name here) at (insert school district name here). Each year I teach over (insert number of students you teach annually) students and integrate personal finance concepts in every class. I would like to tell you about the many ways that the classroom leads to a ripple effect impact with helping students, families, and our community. Financial education helps stimulate our local economy with workers who are more informed and able to make better choices about their cash management ultimately improving their productivity, their confidence, and ability to teach their families about the importance of money management. I invite you to join me as a partner with this incredible opportunity to build a better community together. Depending on the nature of your relationship with the person, the following is a list of other points to consider when crafting your opening paragraph. Reference the name of the person who connected you with the prospective partner, especially if you were referred by a parent or student from your program. Acknowledge past working relations you have had with the individual or organization as it relates to your class. Provide your full school name and possibly the school district name depending on the size of your community and geographic proximity of the location relative to your school. Include information about the number of students you have taught over the years or if you have not been teaching for long then write about the number of students you will impact annually through your financial literacy class. Sample Body Paragraphs The materials I use to teach our youth are free-to-download and extremely well developed, saving me time and money as a classroom educator. The Take Charge America Institute at the University of Arizona is nationally renowned for familycentered, research-based education outreach programs and provides curriculum materials that are made available free to download to over 18,000 educators impacting more than half a million students every year. Family Economics and Financial Education (FEFE), the cornerstone of Take Charge America Institute, provides premier training for classroom educators with ongoing support through the year. FEFE gives me the opportunity to provide interactive lessons for students that truly make a difference because they appeal to multiple learning styles and provide a comprehensive memorable learning experience. It is because of these amazing materials that I am able to give our youth a much more impactful educational environment that stimulates their critical thinking and reading skills in order to become more self sufficient as consumers and ultimately better contributors to society. Page 6
SAMPLE COVER LETTER/EMAIL Here are a few more points to consider when you develop the body of your letter. Draw the reader in by explaining why the potential partner would want to be part of the students learning with a personal story while also including some objective facts. Show the reader how you build a better learning experience by providing examples: Describe a project you use in class and past results. Explain how you get parents involved in the students learning. Incorporate a story about your students or alumni who have returned to tell you how your class made a positive impact on them. Provide a statistic that illustrates where there is a great need for personal financial education and how your classroom is helping to mitigate the problem through giving hope and empowering youth as future community leaders. State overall results about the number of students you have educated in your career. Explain how your administrators provide you with support. Provide an example of how you are already partnering with others in the community. Keep in mind how potential partners can provide support and you may want to be candid and specifically state it in the letter. If you are asking for support with attending the FEFE National Educator Training then here is a sample sentence to include, Training is a key component for learning how to be a better educator so it is for this reason that I would like to be part of the 9th Annual National Family Economics & Financial Education Educator Training this year. If you are asking for support with classroom supplies or teaching tools, then here is sample sentence to include, With your help I can afford to purchase classroom tools that are not provided by my school, but will help further enhance the learning opportunity and provide meaningful teachable moments that have a greater longterm impact on students lives and their future decisions about money. Explain how the support will benefit you and your students. For example, By attending the training I will experience a unique training opportunity for educators by educators, creating networking opportunities for exchanging best practices, and connecting classroom educators with industry and research experts to discuss cutting-edge research and trends. With your help, I will gain the tools needed to successfully teach (insert number of students) students to become self-sufficient and learn to make more educated financial decisions. Sample Conclusion Join me in the opportunity to foster an interactive and meaningful learning environment for our community s youth as they develop leadership skills to be future leaders, consumers, and contributors for our local economy. I would like to arrange a meeting to talk with you about ways to partner for classroom opportunities and how this can be a mutually beneficial experience together. I can be reached at (insert email) or by phone at (insert phone number). Your support will truly make a difference with building better lives through financial literacy. Sincerely, Your Signature Your name Your school or organization name Page 7
SAMPLE COVER LETTER/EMAIL Close your letter with a powerful message about the long-term impact that the future partnership will have on students and the community by providing additional supporting statements. You may want to re-state the number of students you have impacted and do so in a way that reinforces the number of families and households that you have helped through your financial literacy class. Explain how the potential partner can benefit from the relationship based on the number of people impacted from your classroom. Reinforce the value of the relationship by offering to extend follow-up correspondence by a specific date. Use verbiage that shows how you are both partners in the educational experience together with phrases such as I invite you to be part of or Join me in the opportunity to develop young leaders in our community or Together we will build our local economy If you plan to send the letter electronically, then be sure to provide your email signature with contact information. If you will send the letter by mail, then use your school letterhead and provide your direct contact information. You may want to include a supplemental page with photos of your students demonstrating what they have learned through a project or participating in an interactive classroom activity. The conclusion of your letter is the guiding link for fueling your next steps in the relationship building process. Be prepared for the possibility that you may not receive a follow up phone call or email immediately. With the reality of extreme economic conditions, decreased funding for community relations and a reduced workforce with increasing workloads you may experience a slow response to your inquiry. It is for all of these reasons that financial literacy is needed now more than ever to help drive change in our communities and the marketplace. Do not feel afraid to reach out and maybe place a follow up phone call or friendly yet brief email to touch bases and see if the person received your letter. At a recent university meeting we learned that one of the most successful faculty members seeking financial support secures an average of one out of every eleven grant requests. This message is not intended to discourage, but rather to illustrate the value of perseverance with taking continuous steps in the relationship building process. We are all in this together as we seek creative ways to expand our pool of resources and build new networks for exchanging support. Page 8
SAMPLE POWERPOINT TALKING POINTS Slide 1- Welcome & Intro Personalize this for you and your community by using your school or district PowerPoint template. If your school does not have one, then apply a background template using your school colors along with the school logo for slides 1, 2, 4, 5 & 6. Consider inserting photos of your students while engaging in interactive activities during class or showcasing their work. Your name, class, who you teach Slide 2- Educating s (insert your city) Youth on Financial Literacy Showcase your class by describing: The length, such as semester long or trimester The use of hands-on activities to make learning fun and make concepts tangible for the students If your class is a district or state mandate if appropriate A list of sample content areas Think about listing content areas as it relates to your audience members. For example: If presenting to an insurance agent, then talk about Insurance & Risk lessons If presenting to a bank, talk about the Spending Plans and Credit Units If presenting to parents, talk about lessons that relate to savings, creating a spending plan, evaluating insurance, and responsible use of credit Describe the impact that your class has on the local community Number of students & families this year alone Number of students in the past since you have been teaching financial literacy Number of students in future years that you plan to teach If appropriate, stimulate visual interest by inserting a bar chart showing The increasing number of people that have been impacted each year from your class Increased knowledge demonstrated by improved test scores, project results, or overall grades Slide 3- Family Economics & Financial Education (FEFE) Talk about FEFE and explain the positive benefits to you as an educator and your students so that the audience will have a better understanding of why you have chosen to use FEFE over other financial education programs that exist. This enables you to showcase how valuable everything from the training to the materials to the ongoing educator support helps you empower youth to be positive contributors to the community. National program by educators for educators Free to download You love it and the materials are very comprehensive & effective, it helps save you time as an educator Explain what sets FEFE apart compared to other financial education programs that exist, housed at University of Arizona as part of a major research institution with access to faculty and new knowledge creation. Page 9
SAMPLE POWERPOINT Extensive impact- educator support is huge, you are part of a bigger network that reaches 18,000 educators and over half a million students each year to show the partner that whether you are in a small community or large metropolitan area that students can learn from FEFE. Continuous developments- describe the ongoing updates to lesson plan materials, continued educator support that extends beyond training such as one-day training updates and newsletters. Proven success- FEFE is successful because it is created by educators for educators, all lessons are tested in live classrooms with real students, extreme care is invested in the quality of the learning experience for educators and students. Slide 4- Get Recognized For Your Support Use this moment to describe how a partnership together will be mutually beneficial. Just as it is important for you to be bold and give specific examples of how the potential partner can help, you will want to explain how this meets their interests and what s in it for them and their organization. Ways to partner may include: Curriculum materials Teaching tools Training support (this includes travel expenses and the registration fees) Ways potential partners may benefit include, but are not limited to: Publicity Submitting a letter to the editor at your local newspaper This may even include a formal media press release containing the name of the partner and how the support will help benefit you, your students, and the community Printed Article Could be an article featured in your local school or district-wide newsletter Verbal recognition Sharing the announcement among colleagues at a faculty staff meeting Talking about this everywhere you go with everyone you meet including your own family and friends Calling up your local radio station to extend a verbal announcement and appreciation Classroom exposure Display a poster in classroom Distribute materials to families Handouts to students and parents Letter of recognition sent home to parents that acknowledges the great partnership and how their child is benefitting from the additional support Page 10
SAMPLE POWERPOINT Slide 5- Your Support Makes a Difference The purpose for this slide is to show how together with partner support and financial literacy the community will experience major impact in terms of The gift of financial literacy leads to more informed consumers and personal accountability. Talk about how educated consumers help support the community with financially responsible young adults, helps the local economy, helps for more productive employees when consumers are confident about their finances and better able to save, and improved reading and math skills. Local businesses benefit from happier employees because they are more productive and will be more positive when representing the company or doing business with customers; this point is major when considering students are close to entering the work force even through part-time employment. Improved business and community giving helps stimulate the local economy. Students grow up to be more responsible as consumers and become role models for their future children. Re-state the number of students you teach annually and how many students you have impacted during your time of teaching OR how many you plan to reach in the next few year. Relate the above numbers in terms of number of parents so that you can show how families are impacted. Explain how the training will make you a better educator and how your students will benefit. You may want to wrap up by sharing a student success story about how a previous student that is now working in the community, giving back, returned to tell you how the class made a difference, maybe attended college or went away to the military and felt better prepared about new responsibilities as an adult. Slide 6- Thank you Thank them for their time Remind them of the impact and how you will apply the training Remind them that you will return and provide more ways to collaborate and will spread goodwill by telling friends & family about their support Acknowledge that you will follow up Page 11
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE Tell your community about your partners and the great things your financial literacy education program is doing. Here are quick and easy steps for how to send a press release and promote your partners: 1. Create a list of your local school, district, city, and state news publications including newsletters, daily newspapers, television stations and Web delivered news. You can also send your news to your local Associated Press bureau 2. Research who the contact is for each media source and preferred method for submitting a press release (e.g., email, online form, or fax) for each resource such as the editor or community relations department 3. Revise the sample press release template available at http://uanews.org/node/25791 and customize to your needs. Personalize by inserting your own name, organization, and partner names into highlighted areas. Add some photos of your class in action or students showcasing their work. 4. Send your press release to the list of contacts identified in steps 1 & 2. Place a follow up phone call or email to ensure your press releases was received. 5. Post the press release on Web sites you are connected to such as your school s Web site, your district office, maybe a parents Web site, your personal Web site or social networking site. Here is a list of additional online resources with ideas on how to send a press release. TCAI and FEFE are not directly associated with or endorsing these sites, but have listed as additional support. http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact_pr.html http://www.ereleases.com/howtosubmit.html http://www.developer-resource.com/how-to-write-a-press-release.htm http://www.prnewschannel.com/pr-how-to/?tag=send-a-press-release Page 12