Volunteer FAQs

Basics

Our more than 1000 volunteers come from all walks of life and every type of business. What they have in common is a compassionate drive to empower teens with financial skills. Sound like you? Well, then…

  1. Fill out our online volunteer application.
  2. After you fill out this application, we look for a few things. We make sure you’re at least 21 years of age and pass a criminal background check and sexual offender registry check. Some of our partners may require you to pass an additional background check, as well. If you reside in the Milwaukee area completion of an MPS volunteer application, for the purpose of background check approval, is highly recommended.
  3. Completion of volunteer training is required, in order to familiarize yourself with our mission and programs.

You can find more detailed information on our expectations and processes in our Volunteer Manual.

SecureFutures’ curriculum is most appropriate for high school juniors and seniors, but can be adapted for freshmen and sophomores. As we strive to reach the greatest number of teens, our programs are generally scheduled in high school settings.  We also work with community-based organizations that serve teens.We are committed to serving all types of students and encourage you to consider volunteering with some of our special student populations, such as: English Language Learners, Special Education students, students in alternative learning environments, and students who have faced challenging experiences and require additional support and flexibility. These students are eager to learn and working with them always results in a very meaningful experience. If you are interested in serving these students, please indicate that on your volunteer application or in your volunteer profile in the Volunteer Preferences section.

An area of great need is serving the students in Milwaukee Public Schools. Our MPS opportunities are rewarding and are a great way for volunteers to get in touch with the youth in Milwaukee. You may even learn something new about the city while you at it!

  • If you are interested in serving MPS students, you will need to complete an MPS Volunteer Background Check Application.
    • Be sure to select “SecureFutures” in the School Preference drop down. For more information on this process, click here.

Volunteers deliver lessons to students in high school classrooms or within community-based organizations serving teens. Most programs are scheduled during the school day. However, after-school, evening and weekend opportunities are available. SecureFutures continues to expand to locations around the state of Wisconsin and in Chicago, though the majority of our programs are currently focused in southeastern Wisconsin. View our current volunteer opportunities here.

Financial education is important and you have unique financial expertise and life experiences to share with youth in our community. Our programs provide you the opportunity to share those skills with students – and change their lives. Some volunteers participate as an avenue for professional development and report that their presentation and public speaking skills improve with each lesson that they deliver. For others, it’s a way to give back to the community. Plus, it’s fun!

SecureFutures offers you volunteer opportunities in three programs and you are welcome to consider involvement in more than one.  Money Sense volunteers present slide and activity-based financial education lessons in a classroom setting. A complete program is three lessons, presented in three 90-minute sessions or six 45-minute sessions. Money Path volunteers facilitate an app-based financial planning lesson in a classroom setting.  A complete program is one 90 minute session or two 45-minute session. As a Money Sense or Money Path volunteer, you select the program that fits your availability and preferences. Money Coach volunteers work as a team to mentor a small group of students through financial education lessons, goal setting, and one-on-one conversations.  Volunteers commit to one full semester (about 4 months), meeting with students about twice per month for 90 minute sessions.  There are two volunteer roles in the Money Coach program: Group Coach and One-on-One Coach. Money Coach volunteers are screened and selected based upon program needs.

Review our Volunteer Role Decision Tool to help you decide which program suits you best. You may be a great fit for more than one! (You can learn more about each program here.)

Yes there is! There are many ways you can help connect teens to financial education. Learn how you can take action here.

Delivery

We provide training, materials, and guidance for three proven financial education programs: Money Sense, Money Path, and Money Coach. Money Sense consists of three lessons: “Bank Your Future”, a budgeting and savings lesson; “Check It Out”, on how to open and maintain savings and checking accounts; and “To Your Credit”, a lesson about establishing and using credit responsibly. Money Path is an app-based simulation lesson, that helps students make informed decisions regarding their choices after high school, increasing their understanding of financial planning concepts. Money Coach teaches students to budget, save, and manage money, and prepare for life after high school. Coaches help students set savings and life goals and develop action plans that will help prepare them for a career or college. (Note: Money Coach is currently only available in the Milwaukee area.)

Training and materials are provided! You will be trained on how to utilize our volunteer lesson guides and student materials in order to effectively present our lessons.

Scheduling

Schedules vary by program. A full set of Money Sense lessons takes approximately 5 hours to deliver and is scheduled in three to six 45-to-90 minute classroom visits. Money Path lessons are approximately 1.5 hours, scheduled in one or two 45-to-90 minute classroom visits. Money Coach sessions are twice a month for a total of eight sessions over four months. Each session is 90 minutes, for a total of three hours per month (12 hours total).  Most volunteer opportunities are scheduled during school hours and within the academic year, however some Money Sense and Money Path opportunities are available during evenings, weekends, and in the summer.

Money Sense and Money Path volunteers select programs that fit their availability and preferences. Money Coach volunteers are screened and selected prior to the start of each semester, based upon program needs. You are regularly notified of available opportunities via email and are directed to reply when interested. Opportunities are also listed on our website.  View our current volunteer opportunities here.

Commitment

Money Sense volunteers are asked to commit to deliver Money Sense, in its entirety, alone or with a partner, at least one time per school year. That amounts to three 90-minute or six 45-minute classroom sessions. Money Path volunteers are asked to commit to deliver Money Path, in its entirety, alone or with a partner, at least twice per school year.  That amounts to two 90-minute or four 45-minutes of classroom time.  Money Coach volunteers commit to meeting with students every other week for 90 minutes over 4 months. That amounts to 12 hours of coaching time. These are minimum commitments and we encourage you to consider volunteering more frequently if you have the time to give!

For all programs, volunteers are expected to complete training and review the lesson materials thoroughly in order to be familiar with content before entering the classroom. Volunteers should also prepare personal stories and examples to help illustrate the concepts in the lessons.

Support

For Money Sense volunteers, online training is readily available and takes about one hour to complete. In addition, webinars (90 minutes) and in-person training events (two hours) are routinely scheduled to enhance your training experience and to help you focus on student engagement. For Money Path volunteers, webinars and in-person events are routinely scheduled and take about one hour to complete. Money Coach volunteers complete a four hour in-person training event, which is scheduled before each semester. A Training Calendar is available on our website and announcements of upcoming events are emailed regularly.

We provide everything! Money Sense volunteers are provided access to presentations (via Prezi, an online platform similar to PowerPoint), Instructor notes, and copies of student materials, including workbooks, pre- and post-surveys, and course evaluations. Money Path volunteers are provided access to the app, Instructor Notes, and copies of student materials including workbooks and course evaluations.  Money Sense and Money Path materials are delivered to the volunteer prior to the start of lessons that they sign up for, allowing plenty of time for preparation. Money Coach volunteers are provided Coach handbooks and copies of student materials, including workbooks, at training. All materials are also available on the Resource Library, or by request if you prefer hard copies.

Our staff is ready to assist you and you will hear from us regularly!  Through email, you will routinely receive Volunteer Updates, notifying you of training events and volunteer opportunities. Scheduled volunteers will also receive regular check-ins and post-program evaluations.  Additional support can be found on our website, including Online Training and a Resource Library. You will also find classroom teachers, site partners, and program contacts to be supportive and accessible resources. If you need support, please do not hesitate to reach out to our staff.

In addition to program materials, we will provide you details on the school, educators, parking, classrooms, contact information, and anything else you’d need to get to your school or site.

We were! But after more than a decade in empowering teens, it became clear we needed a name that better reflected our mission and growth. So, in August 2017, we changed our name to SecureFutures, a term that reflects the impact that financial capability has on student lives.