Pro Bono

FPA of Central Ohio participates in various Pro Bono opportunities throughout the year. If you are interested in getting involved, email our Director of Pro Bono, Candace DeLuca at candace@delucafinancialstrategies.com 

Pro Bono Programs:

MoneyW!se Program:

Financial literacy programs are effective in helping domestic violence survivors and at-risk women increase their financial knowledge, build their confidence about managing their finances, and improve their financial behaviors. Yet, despite the compelling evidence, there is a scarcity of relevant financial education programing. In the most recent annual “Domestic Violence Counts” census, 400+ DV
service providers report that financial assistance and education are unmet needs.

We created MoneyW!SE in 2009 to address this need. Through the program, we offer a 10-12 session course on personal finance. Classes meet for 1.5 to 2 hours; in the first session, participants take our pretest to benchmark knowledge prior to instruction; on the last day, they take the W!se Financial Literacy Certification Test. Those passing become Certified Financially Literate – a credential that can help them in their search for work.

Program Features: We provide clients who register in a MoneyW!SE course with:
1) 90-120 minutes of instruction for 10-12 sessions
2) Lesson materials, available in English and Spanish
3) W!se’s Pretest and Certification Test
4) The W!se CFLTM credential when they pass the Certification Test
5) The CFLTM Certificate for clients who pass the Certification Test and the Certificate of Completion for all.
6) An end-of-course recognition ceremony to celebrate clients’ achievement and hard work
7) A light dinner for clients and their children prior to each class
8) Childcare during each class

Instruction by Volunteers:

We work with volunteers who deliver the classroom instruction. Volunteers present each weekly class which covers a different personal finance topic including goal setting and budgeting, credit repair and debt management, insurance, investing, rent or buy, taxes, wills, kids and money, banking, paychecks,
retirement planning and course review. W!se provides activity worksheets and PowerPoints for every class.

Virtual MoneyW!SE: Due to COVID 19, we created a virtual solution enabling participants to complete the course from their homes. Instead of onsite instruction, we are using video conferencing technology for instructors to deliver the classroom material. Password access is required to protect the privacy of course participants. And, instead of administering a paper pencil Certification Test at the end of the course, as in the past, the Certification Test is an online test using the testing platform of our long-time systems vendor. The Test is proctored virtually using video conferencing technology.