Your FPA Advisory Council Contact

PLAN OF WORK

YEAR______CHAPTER______Director______

Your FPA Advisory Council Contact:

Name: ______

Email: ______

Phone: ______

To be effective, we need to be clear about our goals and focus our efforts. FPA’s pro bono program seeks to help people in need achieve financial stability – individuals and families who are underserved and/or in financial crisis but lack access to financial planning – as well as community organizations that serve such populations. This planning document will help you to turn ideas you learned at CLC into actions to advance your pro bono outreach.

Pro Bono Mission:

Articulate in one – two sentences the mission for your chapter’s pro bono outreach. This mission statement will help you to solidify the partnership with both your volunteers and your CBO’s as everyone has a common understanding of what you hope to achieve: ______

Pro Bono Strategy:

What activities will your Pro Bono Team do in the coming year?

http://www.fpanet.org/professionals/Connect/Chapters/ChapterOfficerResources/ProBono/

□  Workshops

□  Financial Planning Day

□  Financial Education

□  One on One Pro Bono

http://www.fpanet.org/professionals/Connect/Chapters/ChapterOfficerResources/ProBono/

Pro Bono Director/Administrator Job Descriptions:

Having a clear documentation of your role as Pro Bono Director will help clarify responsibilities as part of your Chapter Board. For a template to begin see the Chapter Officer Resources/Pro Bono site.

Pro Bono Committee:

Recruit a planning team. You probably need three to eight people, depending on size of chapter. One of the most common barriers to sustained success is overdependence on one “super volunteer”. Build a team to support the director, provide multiple perspectives on how to proceed, and expand the capacity for outreach inside and outside the chapter.

Identify your key volunteers who can help you connect to CBOs, recruit volunteers, provide administrative support, assist with communications, provide volunteer training:

______

Volunteer Recruitment:

What tools will you use to recruit volunteers?

http://www.fpanet.org/professionals/Connect/Chapters/ChapterOfficerResources/ProBono/

□  FPA Newsletter

□  FPA Chapter Meeting Announcements

□  Social Marketing

□  Chapter Website

□  Flyers

□  Volunteer Signup Sheets

□  Symposium Presence

http://www.fpanet.org/professionals/Connect/Chapters/ChapterOfficerResources/ProBono/

______

Volunteer Training:

To give volunteers a general overview of what pro bono is and what the basic do’s and don’ts are, use the following documents:

FPA Pro Bono Program Guidelines for Participating Members (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions regarding FPA Pro Bono (PDF)

FPA Pro Bono Boot Camp for Volunteers (PowerPoint presentation)

Talk to your partner organization about what volunteers need to know regarding their clients. Questions might include:

□  Financial issues common in that community

□  Restrictions that might affect financial planning, such as income and asset thresholds for public benefits and tax breaks

□  Social and psychological issues that might affect the client

□  Social and psychological issues that might affect the volunteers

A cross training session, during which volunteers can learn about the clients and the CBO staff can learn about financial planning, might be a useful exercise.

A great training technique is to allow volunteers to become observers for several sessions to get a feel for the work of pro bono.

http://www.fpanet.org/professionals/Connect/Chapters/ChapterOfficerResources/ProBono/

______

FPA Volunteer Resources:

http://www.fpanet.org/professionals/Connect/Chapters/ChapterOfficerResources/ProBono/

Volunteer Recruitment Flyer Template (Word)
Customizable template for a flyer to promote a chapter's pro bono program to its members.

Volunteer Sign-up Form Template (Word)
Customizable volunteer sign-up sheet.

Pro Bono Boot Camp Training Program for Volunteers(Web site)
A presentation and script explaining the basics of FPA's pro bono program, which provides tips on working with pro bono clients. This presentation is approved for 1-hour of CE credit by the CFP Board. Please contact or more information.

Candidate for CFP Experience Credit Request Template (Word)
A customizable template for chapter pro bono leaders requesting CFP Board to grant experience credit for pro bono hours worked.

Sample Broker-Dealer Compliance Acknowledgement (Word)
A sample letter for volunteers to obtain compliance department approval in order to take part in pro bono activities.

Connecting with your Community Based Organization:

Experience has shown that working with a partner – such as a nonprofit Community-Based Organization (CBO) or a government program – is often the best way to reach your target population. Compared to creating an infrastructure from scratch and conducting a public relations campaign notifying the public that pro bono financial planning is available, joining hands with a partner with an established infrastructure and constituency can be much more effective.

Existing CBO Relationships to Develop:

Survey volunteers to learn about their existing relationships with local non-profits. This can be a source for identifying partner organizations that already have a relationship with an FPA partner. If your Pro Bono has done work with CBO’s but has not worked directly with you, these are relationships to cultivate:

______

New CBO Relationships to Develop:

At CLC, you may have learned about organizations that look for partners like FPA to assist them in achieving their mission. Create a list of follow ups to complete when you return:

______

Key Goals to Achieve in the coming year:

______

Follow up Ideas from CLC:

______

http://www.fpanet.org/professionals/Connect/Chapters/ChapterOfficerResources/ProBono/