Our Impact

Financial Beginnings measures the qualitative and quantitative impact of its programming. Questionnaires are handed out before and after each session that asks questions about basic financial knowledge that are then addressed throughout the subsequent session. The average score before a Financial Beginnings session is 39%, while the average score after a session is 81%.

Direct feedback from student participants, donors, and schools is the best indication of the need for this education and the positive outcomes it provides.

What Our Donors Are Saying

"Now, more than ever, it is vital for individuals to take control of their personal finances. In order to do so, it is imperative that we provide educational resources, allowing people of all ages, the opportunity to make better financial decisions. Our support of organizations such as Financial Beginnings is one way to ensure resource availability, enabling everyone the opportunity to reach their financial goals." 
- Brian Stewart. Vice President JPMorgan Chase 

What Our Student Participants Are Saying

"[Credit] is so complicated; it is no wonder so many people have bad credit. The biggest question I had was 'how is my credit score even calculated?' Financial Beginnings helped me answer that question and because of them I feel more educated on making financial decisions."

"Financial Beginnings has made me more confident in myself."

"I like that you showed us how to write checks, I had no clue how to do it before.

"I am really glad that Financial Beginnings had the opportunity to come talk to our class because they made everything make sense. I would ask my parents, but all they would tell me was, 'You don't have to worry about that until you are older.'"

What Our School Partners Are Saying

"Thank you for coming to my Beginning Leadership class! I feel the students received knowledge that is so valuable to them and is often overlooked in our State Of Oregon high school curriculum. They said, "It was cool!" I want to incorporate this information into each semester that I teach freshmen students in Beginning Leadership class. Again, keep up the good work and please come again!!" 
- Barb Hosford, Teacher, Hood River County School District

"Miller Education Center works with a diverse population that includes many teens who are either living independently or who carry the burden of providing for their families at a very young age. Many of our students work part or full time jobs in addition to attending school in order to pay rent, feed or clothe themselves or their children, or to help their families pay bills. Often they enter our program without the financial skills necessary to meet their basic needs on their limited incomes. What Financial Beginnings has done as an organization is to provide students with the knowledge and tools that they will need to make better decisions when it comes to their finances. I cannot overemphasize the importance of this skill set. Understanding the function of money, how to save and invest, and being able to navigate the world of insurance provides my students with an advantage that they would not have had otherwise. Of the knowledge we seek to impart in schools today, financial literacy is often given a backseat to other disciplines; however, I would argue that it is one of the most crucial areas that a student must master in order to improve their overall health and wellbeing and to provide a better life for themselves and their families." 
- Karen Shea, Teacher, Miller Education Center