Money Smart Week Leadership Conference
Money Smart Week® is a national public education campaign featuring a variety of free classes and activities all designed to help consumers make better financial decisions. Created and launched by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, Money Smart Week has grown from a small city-based effort to an initiative that includes thousands of classes/activities in more than 45 states.
Introduction
Money Smart Week Chairs and Partners,
Our second Money Smart Week Leadership Conference convened on September 19 and 20. We convened our first conference in the fall of 2011 and it provided the opportunity to bring together planning team chairs and marquee Money Smart Week partners from multiple states. The gathering generated the energy and insight from all of you to take this campaign to the next level.
Two years later, with several new national partners and increased activity across the country, we look to create yet another springboard for future growth and success. The mission of the conference will be threefold. First, provide an overview and inside look at the state of our campaign. Learn about recent resource developments, strategic partnerships and outlook for the coming years. Second, showcase best practices and key learnings from your peers to help you implement new ideas or programs to your local effort. We will also hear from industry leaders about research and successful practices in financial education beyond Money Smart Week. And third, capture your feedback and thoughts on how to best package and deliver this effort going forward. The Money Smart Week team has always benefited from the counsel and guidance of our collective leadership.
Thank you again for your dedication to Money Smart Week, and we look forward to seeing you in Chicago!
SincerelyAlejo Torres
Senior Outreach Manager
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Welcome to the second Money Smart Week Leadership Conference. The conference brings together the volunteer chairpersons/organizations that coordinate Money Smart Week in their state/region as well as organizations interested in forming a first time campaign. The conference includes presentations and workshops addressing the growing national campaign, resource sharing, best practices, research in the field and more.
A new President's Council is being formed around financial capability and access. U.S. Treasurer Rios will give remarks on how the Treasury is facilitating this new group and also the role that coin and currency plays in how we encourage sound financial decision-making.
The latest campaign results and status of the effort will be discussed including new national partnerships, trends and findings, current/future challenges and growth opportunities. This "inside look" will set the tone for the conference and provide a baseline from which to build throughout the next two days.
This session will feature national partners and how they are contributing to the national campaign as well as how they can support your local Money Smart Week efforts. Each will also demonstrate other financial literacy tools, research or support they can offer partners year round.
Learn from experts in the field of social media and how they leverage the increasingly necessary communication channels to craft their messaging and maximize their exposure. Panelists from a wide variety of backgrounds will discuss "do's and don'ts," creative tactics and emerging trends in the ever-changing social media landscape.
Angela Lyons has extensive experience in assisting over 30 countries with efforts related to financial capability, inclusion, evaluation and strategic planning. In this session, she will share valuable insights from her international experiences. Learn about the latest innovations in financial education research, as well as new educational technologies and learning platforms. Also, learn how your organization can build more practical, sustainable and measurable models for financial capability and inclusion.
This session will include interactive dialogue surrounding some of the most effective campaign ideas and strategies. Engage with Money Smart Week veterans on what they have found to be their best practices.
The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) provides tools and resources for educators as well as helps support national research on the effectiveness of financial literacy. Learn how you can leverage NEFE's free resources for all your financial education needs as well as discuss recent findings on new research in the field.
Learn about new tools and resources available to partners at moneysmartweek.org as well as application updates and redesign developments. Web and social media analytics will also be presented and discussed.
Melissa Libert, chair of the MSW Bloomington-Normal Illinois committee, and Joanne Kuster, Iowa's state coordinator, share ideas and unique practices in media, sponsorship/fundraising, committee structure and events in order to grow your campaign.
The recent recession and slowly growing economy has impacted financial education providers in a big way. Hear from Chicago Fed Economist Bill Testa on the current state of the economy as well as what the Fed is doing to spur economic growth into the future. This "inside look" will provide partners with a better understanding of today's monetary policy and potentially hint at what consumers will need from educators into next year.
In this session, Michigan Money Smart Week Chair, Kelly Masters, will explore some proven methods for grabbing attention and garnering support from the media. How do you get their attention? What will make your ‘story’ stand out from the hundreds of other requests they receive each week? Get some insider tips for how to create the sizzle to get the media to notice you!
• Grow calendar distribution organically, by over 34%?? Absolutely!
• Workshop attendance up by 75%? Yes siree!
• Increase your media placements by 500%?? It’s time to sizzle!
