PROJECT COMPASS: Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
Ideas for Personal Finances
IDEA GENERATORS
1.
Create a “postcard from patrons” to send to the governor and legislators expressing the
value of our library.
2.
Use your phone tree to promote events: “Press 6 for a listing of events dealing with
personal finances.”
3.
Before starting a new project, take a step back, recover, and rejuvenate.
4.
Start a blog with various tips on how to save money, budget, etc.
5.
When sending emails for interlibrary loans or “cannot fill” notices, add a tag line about
job seeker/small business/personal finances workshops, events, or resources – include a
live link to anything that has additional details that will be helpful.
6.
Don’t forget the “personal touch:” people need to know we care, not just that we can
point them to a website for information.
7.
How do we “see” ourselves as it relates to helping workforce recovery in our community?
8.
Use multiple sponsors for various offerings so you don’t drain any single resource
(especially small businesses who may themselves be struggling).
9.
Promote your resources and offerings. What you’re doing doesn’t matter if no one
knows you’re doing it.
10.
Use eye-catching titles in advertisements for all workforce recovery/personal finance
programs.
11.
Relieve stress with fun programs.
12.
Create a “thank you” card that patrons can fill out to communicate the value of your library
to your local and state officials. Have patrons return them to the library for the branch
manager to forward to legislators and other officials (cards and postage paid for by Friends
of the Library).
13.
Brainstorm with staff to uncover ways to find time to give more focus to workforce recovery
plans/personal finance programs.
14.
Use a “Coffee at the Library” time to hold workshops that might otherwise seem
intimidating to job seekers, small businesses, or those who need help with finances.
15.
Find a way to help staff remember that empathy and compassion go a long way when
people are under stress.
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PROJECT COMPASS: Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
Ideas for Personal Finances
16.
Conduct simple surveys about patrons’ likes and dislikes about the library to help us
understand their needs.
17.
Find new ways to communicate what we are doing to help workforce recovery.
18.
Be more aware of people and the personal issues they may be going through.
19.
Realize that the library’s place in our current economic situation is evolving – and will
continue to do so. What works this month may not work three months from now.
20.
Make sure staff members are approachable and knowledgeable.
21.
Know our community’s wants and needs in the area of personal finances.
22.
Make sure you develop relationships with local media to continually promote the value of
your library.
23.
Survey your patrons who need help to see when the best time to hold events, workshops,
or training would be. Some may have to arrange childcare, attend when their spouse is
home, etc.
24.
Create a “How Did We Help?” card to solicit testimonials about how your library helped
someone secure a job, feel more comfortable with computers, polish their interviewing
skills, etc.
25.
Create a checklist on how to save money.
26.
Promote any new resources and programs we develop!
27.
Start a blog with “tip of the day (week?) for saving money.”
28.
Use a “Coffee at the Library” time to hold workshops that might otherwise seem
intimidating to job seekers, small businesses, or those who need help with finances.
29.
Promote what we are doing with the media – develop a “brand.”
30.
Recruit the Friends to help fund some programs.
31.
Conduct a “How to Sell Online” workshop (eBay, etsy, zazzle, cafepress, etc.).
32.
Possible topics for other workshops: “How to Know if Work-from-Home Offers are
Legitimate,” "Which Credit Counseling Entities are Legitimate?”
33.
Encourage local businesses to make coupons available to library patrons.
34.
Hold a workshop entitled, “How to Manage No Money” as a creative way to help people
with their finances.
35.
Highlight ways people save by using the library in different areas around the library.
36.
Put a shortcut on the desktop of computers for food stamps, Medicaid, unemployment.
37.
Train staff on accessing the sites and completing the forms.
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PROJECT COMPASS: Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
Ideas for Personal Finances
38.
Once a month, offer a “How to Apply for Benefits Online” workshop.
39.
Provide information on food banks, Angelfood Ministries, church pantries, etc.
40.
Have a food bank representative come to the library once a week for one-to-one help.
41.
Research health insurance options for the unemployed and offer a bookmark and/or
workshop.
42.
Find resources for prescription help and make a list available – add other resources for
“health-related” needs. Example: www.pparx.org.
43.
Provide “stability” rating guides for health insurance and financial institutions so that people
are making wise choices.
44.
Create a post-it board where people can post ideas about saving money.
45.
Conduct a workshop featuring cost-saving tips.
46.
Teach teens and children how to open a savings or checking account.
47.
Educate patrons on how to check their credit reports at www.annualcreditreport.com
(NOT freecreditreport.com).
48.
Offer workshops on retirement planning, budgeting, student loans, money management,
credit counseling (possibly with the help of the credit union or a credit-counseling agency).
49.
Talk to the college about conducting a personal finances lecture series for the students.
50.
Create/find and print a basic budget form to offer to patrons. Help them understand their
wants versus their needs when it comes to personal finances. Create a form to help them
distinguish the difference.
51.
Promote alternative choices focusing on how to reduce your spending (ride your bike,
carpool, join a CSA, etc.).
52.
Establish a community idea board: “How do YOU save money?”
53.
Promote greener life choices and discuss how those choices can save money.
54.
Conduct workshops in the library about extreme couponing (but keep it “real”), how to
reduce your electric bill, how to save on groceries, buying a car, etc.
55.
Hold a “coupon competition” – whoever saves the biggest percentage wins a prize
(provided by an outside source or something that has been donated to your library).
56.
Host a social coupon networking class with information on Groupon, Living Social, etc.
Include other couponing ideas and follow up with a monthly coupon exchange.
57.
Set out a coupon box for sharing. Ask people to bring in their unwanted coupons or have
volunteers cut coupons from excess Sunday newspapers.
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PROJECT COMPASS: Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
Ideas for Personal Finances
58.
Create a coupon “club.” Hold couponing workshops.
59.
Entitle a “frugal living” class, “Change the Way You Shop Forever.”
60.
Conduct a program on recipe websites and host a “low-cost recipe exchange” group.
61.
Collaborate with CCCS organization (i.e. credibility) for programming about financial
scams or how to improve your credit score. Consumer Affairs might also offer programs
on online scams, fraud, and identity theft.
62.
Make sure we have a good physical collection on finances.
63.
Under a “smart investing” grant, offer a series of topics (101, 201 301). 101: community
outreach to young mothers, single parent households, coupon exchange box, shop-smart
education. 201: retired CPA to conduct credit counseling. 301: investment advice through
library reference staff or someone who is retired and knowledgeable.
64.
Research Pell grants and other education resources – requirements, etc., and have that
information available to those interested in continuing education and re-training.
65.
Collaborate with United Way, Salvation Army, Goodwill, thrift stores, etc.
66.
Find resources on transportation and hand out bookmarks or flyers.
67.
Hold a “Check Your Credit, Because Employers Will” workshop and make sure attendees
know about www.annualcreditreport.com (and that they should not use
freecreditreport.com).
68.
Ask a financially savvy teen to present a “personal finance” workshop class for other teens.
Partner with schools, banks, consumer credit counseling agencies, extension eservices,
etc., to make it the cool thing to do.
69.
Collaborate with the extension service to create “community gardens.”
70.
Ask local gardeners and farmers to donate excess produce and have a “giveaway day.”
71.
Sponsor a “fix a car day.”
72.
Research helpful resources such as if there are any gas cards available through Workforce
or some other agency.
73.
Help sponsor a “Save… (your town or county)” program, promoting ways for our citizens
to save money. Check with the local extension office and offer programs and workshops
geared to this theme. “Frugal Living.”
74.
Provide pension and retirement information to government employees; become a satellite
facility to update them on financial changes in their plans.
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PROJECT COMPASS: Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
Ideas for Personal Finances
75.
Conduct a mini-workshop for potential retirees: “What really happens with your income
when you retire?” Have an “expert” explain the rules of social security when retiring at
different ages, the affect on taxes, etc.
76.
Contact local utilities to find out what kind of financial assistance programs are available.
77.
Provide information on alternatives people can consider to save money such as gardening,
solar energy, etc.
78.
Create a “Finances for Kids” program (Dave Ramsey).
79.
Create a catalog of federal domestic assistance grants available.
80.
$ link on webpage for financial resources.
81.
Offer a “How to Cut Your Budget by a Third” workshop (determine wants vs. needs, etc.)
82.
Conduct “Financial Recovery” workshops; budgeting, credit repair, etc.
83.
Teach patrons about fraud prevention, identity theft, credit counseling, wills, etc.
84.
Offer workshops on “How to Subsidize College.”
85.
Use library story time themes to subtly emphasize thrift to young people. Show parents
how to teach their children how to save and invest money; dividend reinvestment plans for
instance. If children learn to enjoy saving and accumulating money (even stocks), then
they can learn to moderate the wants that have often overburdened their parents with
credit card debt.
86.
Offer a workshop on how to find legitimate social service websites.
87.
Conduct a workshop on how to live frugally – “Learn to Live on Less.”
88.
Educate patrons on one-time use credit cards that they can use online.
89.
Connect with Social Services in our community so we know what they can offer our
patrons.
90.
Offer a workshop about grandparents raising grandchildren.
91.
Conduct a workshop for seniors who have lost partners and need help tackling their
budget, their checkbook, their taxes, etc.
92.
Have a young person conduct a workshop for teens on how to save money and how to be
a savvy shopper (teach them about the “power of compounding”).
93.
Offer a first-time homebuyers workshop.
94.
Highlight a book display on budgeting/living frugally/saving money/couponing, etc.
95.
Provide a separate “senior center for finance” section.
96.
Contact the Department of Elder Affairs to get information on care giving.
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PROJECT COMPASS: Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
Ideas for Personal Finances
97.
Have a lawyer who specializes in elder services present a workshop.
98.
Offer a list of useful sites such as the free site www.handsonbanking.org from Wells Fargo.
99.
Go to small colleges around graduation time and hand out library materials and information
about “Dollars from Sense.”
100.
Hold a “Library Finance Seminar” where a financial advisor talks to them about getting
finances ready for retirement.
101.
“Share a Coupon – or 2!”
102.
Create a “discussion group” based on Dave Ramsey’s debt reduction plan.
103.
Hold a “money-saving idea” swap night.
104.
Be aware of Money Smart Week and tie in events and workshops.
105.
For tax day, collaborate with volunteers who will offer help to senior citizens, low income,
recently unemployed, etc.
106.
Conduct a “Budgeting Apps for Phones” class. Expand the idea to include physical fitness
apps, etc. (min.com might be one site).
107.
Offer classes on how to maximize savings (when is buying in bulk best, is Sam’s Club
really a savings tool, etc.).
108.
Teach patrons how to use Excel as a budgeting tool.
109.
Have resource guides available in the library for local/online financial workshops and
resources. Sprinkle them throughout the library so no one is embarrassed by asking at the
desk.
110.
Draw heavily on community volunteers to promote savings programs – many are proud of
saving money!
111.
Have a volunteer hold a cooking class on how to fix nutritious but inexpensive meals.
112.
Research “Endorsed Local Providers” on the Dave Ramsey website and see if some of
them will hold a workshop on appropriate topics.
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