MoneyWi$e: Then and now

Since 2002, Consumer Action’s MoneyWi$e financial literacy project has trained 4,900 community partners at roundtables, regional meetings and webinars. These events have been co-hosted and/or sponsored by project partner Capital One.

Over the years, the Consumer Action outreach and training staff has incorporated a lot of the comments and requests from past training participants into our new training format rolled out in 2013. In the last quarter of 2013, Consumer Action and Capital One hosted two webinars for New York attendees, two daylong regional meetings in California and two all-day roundtables in Texas and Louisiana.

In 2009, Consumer Action began using a new evaluation system that surveyed participants before the training to gauge how many groups had a financial education program, which MoneyWi$e modules groups were using, the number of staff trained on MoneyWi$e, etc. The new evaluation system includes a post-training evaluation to learn, among other things, which modules groups hoped to use in the community, whether the groups needed technical assistance and what Consumer Action could do to improve future trainings.

In reviewing pre-training evaluations from 16 regional meetings, we learned that in all but five instances, 50 percent or more of our participants have financial education programs and in 10 instances more than half of that number are using MoneyWi$e in its entirety or making use of partial curricula (such as just brochures, PowerPoint slides or activities).

In the past four years, Consumer Action has found that the majority of registrants for MoneyWi$e regional meetings consistently ask to be trained on Track Your Money, Good Credit and Rebuilding Good Credit. Those also are the modules that MoneyWi$e regional meeting participants overwhelmingly indicate they plan to integrate into their individual training programs. Other top-listed MoneyWi$e modules include Banking Basics, Saving To Build Wealth and Identity Theft. Click here to find all MoneyWise modules.

Consumer Action consistently has received requests for technical assistance from more than 50 percent of participants during MoneyWi$e regional meetings. These requests are for updates on consumer laws, tips on teaching and engaging adults, best practices for reaching consumers, training tools, assistance in developing a financial education program, continuing education opportunities for staff, trainers for events, funding support and more information on helping clients to rebuild credit.

Based on feedback, Consumer Action continues to enhance the MoneyWi$e training experience. Some of the improvements adopted in 2013 are full-day trainings for roundtables (previously half-days); note-taking guides for various educational modules; training on content from all 12 modules and in-depth training on the top modules; updated slides for Why Adults Learn; demonstration of how to use games and activities to engage adult learners; and printed hand-outs of various resources discussed during trainings. Consumer Action staff update module information online routinely. Consumer Action has active Facebook (facebook.com/consumeraction) and Twitter (@consumeraction) accounts and we encourage interested groups and individuals to follow us.

We are interested in hearing some of the best practices and success stories of how groups have used the materials and training received at MoneyWi$e events to educate clients, community partners and staff members. Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and include the following:

• Organization or financial institution name
• Name of program
• Demographic served
• Name(s) of MoneyWi$e module(s) that you are using
• Other curricula you are using in addition to MoneyWi$e
• How the training, funding and/or technical assistance from Consumer Action and the MoneyWi$e program has enhanced your program
• Photo of staff using MoneyWi$e (optional)
• Suggestions on how we can obtain success stories about your use of Consumer Action training materials, tools and tips