Ways to Support the Institute

There are many ways an individual or private organization can support the Institute for Financial Literacy and its mission:

• Donate to the Institute’s Annual Campaign
• Sponsor Volunteer Educators and/or financial education programs in your community
• Become a patron of the Library of Personal Finance
• Donate financial literacy education materials to the Library of Personal Finance.
• Sponsor the Annual Conference on Financial Education

Help Bring Financial Literacy Education to the Classroom

At the Institute for Financial Literacy, financial educators are working hard each day to help people resolve their immediate financial problems, better understand their personal finances and start planning for the future.

But, what if we could reach those individuals before they found themselves in financial distress?

When children learn the skills they need to effectively manage their money, set financial goals, work toward them and learn to be good consumers of financial products, they are better prepared to weather financial storms. What if we equipped teachers with the skills they need to seamlessly incorporate financial literacy concepts in K-12 schools?

Wait… this isn’t happening already?

Financial literacy education is not consistently taught in schools, and it shows. A recent survey showed that only 48.3% of students could answer financial literacy questions correctly — a 4.1% drop from the previous survey. As a general rule, teachers will not present concepts they don’t feel they have mastered themselves. Even teachers willing (or required) to tackle financial literacy concepts often feel uncomfortable or under prepared, greatly reducing their effectiveness. As a result, the knowledge base and comfort level of teachers has proven to be a significant barrier to effective K-12 financial literacy education.

When teachers are supported, students learn.

Teachers Take FLITE (Financial Literacy Instructional Techniques for Educators) provides teachers with the background knowledge and curriculum ideas they need to give students a lifelong foundation for making smart financial decisions. A program of the Institute, FLITE enrolls teachers in the Certified Educator in Personal Finance® program, a professional certification and training program developed to improve the knowledge and expertise of financial literacy educators. FLITE focuses on teachers’ professional development and increases their confidence in their own ability to teach students about personal finance. This approach provides teachers with the tools they need to teach financial literacy effectively in the classroom.

Small investments today will pay dividends in the years to come.

Community support is crucial to the success of Teachers Take FLITE. The FLITE program is provided at no cost to teachers thanks to the generous support of individuals, businesses and charitable foundations.

Every $500 raised puts one K-12 teacher through the program, increasing their knowledge of financial concepts, providing curriculum ideas, ongoing support through the Institute, and access to an online community of fellow FLITE alumnae. Imagine how many students’ lives one teacher will touch — your gift can help provide a solid financial literacy education to thousands of students each year.

To learn more about FLITE or to become a supporter of the program, please call
(207) 221.3613, email FLITE@FinancialLit.org or click the button below to make an online donation.

Sincerely,

Leslie Linfield, Esq.
Executive Director