Credit Union Resources

The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM provides credit unions with a great opportunity to establish or enhance relationships with local schools and help young adults to save and manage money. To further enhance this program's success, credit unions are encouraged to:

Reach out to local teachers and schools to raise awareness of its availability

In previous years, the first teacher to register for the Teacher Resource Center from each school was designated to receive the magazines and distribute them to their colleagues.
Starting this school year, ALL teachers that register online will receive Student Program materials sent to their school. Currently, more than 400 Wisconsin teachers are receiving the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM.

Credit unions are encouraged to make teachers more aware of the program and be able to answer their questions. The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM has developed an informational piece and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to explain the program, as well as its benefits to teachers and students. We encourage you to share these pieces with teachers in your area - either those with whom you already have a relationship or with others who may be interested in incorporating a personal finance element to their coursework, for example, as part of business, economics, math or other courses.

To find out if your local public high schools are receiving brass and which have teachers registered as a Primary Contact, contact Chad Helminak, Director of Real Solutions and Outreach, at (608) 514-0080.

Promote your credit union's involvement brass|STUDENT PROGRAM in the following ways:

• Post information on your website
  • Post a link on your website to www.studentprogramwisconsin.org, which is a public website that showcases credit union involvement in making the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM available to Wisconsin classrooms.
  • Use the following language to explain brass in context with credit unions’ many other REAL Solutions to help members: Through the Wisconsin Credit Union Foundation, (YOUR CU NAME) joins Wisconsin credit unions in providing free to all of our state’s public high schools the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM, a financial literacy initiative that is helping young adults statewide learn to save, use credit wisely and practice responsible money management. The program is currently being used by (NAME LOCAL SCHOOLS).
  • If you'd like a graphic or logo for your webpage, please contact Chad Helminak.
    
• Engage lawmakers and visible leaders
  • Provide a write-up about the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM to local leaders (e.g., lawmakers, Chambers of Commerce, local media people, columnists, etc.) and ask them to have it published.
  • Sample letter to the editor for lawmakers - Ask a lawmaker to share this sample write-up in a local newspaper or on their website.

  • Sample letter to the editor - Submit this sample letter to a local newspaper to show how your credit union is providing financial education to local high schools.

For questions or assistance contact Christine Henzig at (262) 408-6019.

• Send PSA to local radio stations to promote brass|STUDENT PROGRAM
  Credit unions can download a 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) to send to local radio stations to promote the Wisconsin Credit Union Foundation and Wisconsin credit unions' collective sponsorship of the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM for Wisconsin's public high schools. The League is relying on Activists and credit unions around the state to use ongoing business relationships with local stations to get the PSA on the air.
  
  
• Share the news with your members and the community
  Publish The League's sample newsletter article or press release. The samples should only be personalized where indicated, as with your credit union's name or the local school where you sponsor the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM. This way, you properly credit the Wisconsin Credit Union Foundation and other Wisconsin credit unions for their collaborative effort to provide this program. Contact Christine Henzig at chenzig@theleague.coop or call (262) 408-6019 for the sample text.