About the course

This short, introductory course reviews why offering holistic financial empowerment products and services can be beneficial for both community development credit unions as well as their members and the communities at large.

This course is a prerequisite to the instructor-led course, Building & Managing Strong Financial Coaching Programs. Inclusiv member credit unions interested in taking the instructor-led course must first complete this prerequisite.  

After completing this course, lenders will be able to: 

  1. advocate for why offering products and services specifically geared towards financial well-being makes good business sense for every community development credit union
  2. assess opportunities for your financial institution to develop and deliver impactful financial empowerment programs and services that complement your products
  3. determine next steps your organization should take on its journey towards developing and delivering an impactful in-house financial coaching or counseling program. 

Course Details & Eligibility

This is a self-paced online course. It is open to all interested parties, but designed for staff members at mission-focused credit unions. Participants will have 60 days from the day they register to complete the course, which is estimated at 2-4 hours of work. It is also prerequisite for our Building & Managing Strong Financial Coaching Programs course, an instructor-led course exclusively for Inclusiv member CDCUs.
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Course curriculum

    1. How to use this course

    2. About this Course

    3. Course Waiver

    4. Technical requirements and support

    5. Navigating Multimedia Lessons

    1. Introduction to Financial Empowerment

    2. Test Your Knowledge: Intro to Financial Empowerment

    3. Financial Empowerment Terminology

    4. Financial Empowerment Terms Flashcards

    1. The Case for Credit Unions and Financial Empowerment

    2. Questions to Consider When Developing New Financial Empowerment Services

    1. The 7 Assumptions of the Coaching Approach

    1. Course Completion

About this course

  • Free
  • 13 lessons

Instructor

Megan Bolado

VP, Financial Inclusion and Empowerment

Megan joined Inclusiv in March of 2023. She leads Inclusiv's financial empowerment strategy by designing and implementing comprehensive initiatives that support credit unions in providing high-quality, personalized financially inclusive programs and services to individuals and families in low-income and historically excluded communities. With more than 20 years of experience in asset-building and financial capability, Megan is passionate about building opportunities and inroads to help households navigate a complex financial system towards a future where they can financially thrive, not just survive. She has previously held roles at the International Youth Foundation, Points of Light, Prosperity Now and Change Machine, specializing in finding solutions for integrating inclusive financial products and services into community systems. Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from New York University. A native Atlantan, Megan recently returned to Georgia after almost fifteen years in the Northeast Corridor where she now spends her free time spoiling her dog and pretending to garden.