Wheel of finance!

2011 MSU PRSSA Bateman Team

“Spin your f nancial fears away ...”

Photo by: Kerri Jo Molitor

A Wheel of Finance session after an MSU PRSSA general meeting at Michigan State University, Tuesday, March 1 2011.

Research Summary

(Primary, secondary, zip code and

demographic research)

Campaign Planning(Primary &

secondary audiences, strategies, goals, and

key messages)

Campaign Execution

(Tactics, objectives and outcomes)

Campaign Evaluation

Table of ConTenTs

Campaign TimelineMonday, Feb. 1Website, Facebook and Twitter pages go live at midnight.

Met with Pastor Scott of Mount Hope Church to discuss role as a potential community leader

Distributed first round of fliers to Southside Community Center and Lifechangers Center in Lansing.

Executive Summary

1 2-3 4-6 7-9 10

The 2011 MSU Bateman Team realized the importance of teaching financial literacy to Lansing residents. The team worked hard to develop a way to disseminate financial information to Lansing community members in a way that would engage and interest them.

The team worked with various Lansing community leaders, churches, shelters, schools, colleges and community centers to develop and foster community relationships to help spread the team’s key messages. Such relationships aided the team in reaching out to Lansing residents and encouraging them to attend the financial literacy sessions. The sessions aimed to educate participants about valuable financial information and how to manage their finances more effectively.

The team implemented a grassroots campaign that focused on research, community outreach and connecting with Lansing residents and leaders. Through hard work, dedication and passion for financial education, the team helped Lansing residents step forward toward a better financial future.

A map of Lansing with the MSU PRSSA Bateman Team’s tar-geted low-income zip codes outlined.

Campaign Evaluation

exeCuTive summary

our mission

Thursday, Feb. 3Distributed second round of fliers at Cristo Rey Community Center.

Sunday, Feb. 6Distributed third round of fliers at the Capita Area District Library in downtown Lansing.

Held practice session in front of the MSU PRSSA Board Members

1The city of Lansing is best known

as the capital of Michigan and home to a wide variety of residents. Despite its historic background and diverse population, the city has an unemployment rate of 11.9 percent according to the 2010 city of Lansing data. Of those employed, 23.8 percent of residents had income below the poverty level in 2009. Many people could benefit from access to an expanded financial education and more information, and the data suggests there is a population in need in Lansing

The 2011 Michigan State University PRSSA Bateman Team set out to educate the people of Lansing about the importance of

financial topics and encourage them to practice smart financial methods in the future. This presented a challenge: creating a way to spread financial literacy in a way that was informative yet engaging to Lansing residents.

To address the challenge of engaging this audience in a fun and interactive way, the MSU Bateman Team presented financial information in the form of a game show called “Wheel of Finance.” It is a scenario-based game that poses questions to participants, who are divided into two teams, about various financial topics, including budgeting, credit and banking.

Participants were rewarded with

play money based on their responses to the questions. At the end of each game, the MSU Bateman Team reviewed the contestants’ answers, offered advice about how to improve and rewarded them a title describing their level of financial knowledge.

“Wheel of Finance” turned out to be more than just an interactive game that helped enhance the financial lives of Lansing’s residents. It also left a lasting impression on the participants and those who were involved in the game. Participants described the game as “fun” and “very real and educational.”

Ally Financial Inc. offers a financial literacy program established in 2002. This program includes information on credit, budgeting, home buying, insurance and banking. It focuses on teaching consumers how to establish good credit, manage a budget and evaluate financing and insurance options. The curriculum and consumer tips are available at no cost and the website features online tutorials.

The MSU Bateman Team sought to maintain the quality of content in the current program when creating a new and interactive session via “Wheel of Finance.” In an effort to diversify outreach and expand the targeted age range, The MSU Bateman Team built a session centered on fun and engagement.

Finance can be a daunting subject matter and is not often considered “fun.” The MSU Bateman Team decided to take an alternative approach to teaching financial literacy through the creation of a game. The MSU Bateman Team personalized the game by first surveying session attendees on areas in which they financially struggled most. Game questions were then tailored based on the audience’s response. For example, survey results indicated that 41 percent of attendees did not live on a budget and 40 percent wanted assistance with budgeting. In response to this the MSU Bateman Team asked game questions about maintaining a budget, provided budgeting worksheets at sessions and posted worksheets online. As a result, 40 percent of session attendees said they learned the most about budgeting and finances.

The MSU Bateman Team aimed to host sessions in areas of Lansing that had a high volume of visitors each week. They sought out locations varying from libraries, community centers and churches to hold the information sessions along with a place to market the sessions. The library chosen to hold the information session was the Capital Area District Library in downtown Lansing with 35,158 card-holding members and an average of 6,125 weekly visitors, according to head librarian Kathy Johnson. Southside Community Center offered programs to the community such as youth sports programs, adult exercise programs and game rooms. The MSU Bateman Team was able to advertise the sessions via fliers and handouts. The team recruited the Minister of Finance of Mount Hope Church in Lansing to serve as its community leader at the financial literacy sessions. He also self-served as one of the team’s community advocates. He made announcements and distributed session information to his congregation, which averaged to 2,500 individuals each Sunday, according to Rev. Thompson.

researCh summary

Primary Research

Situation Analysis

Secondary Research

Monday, Feb. 7Visited Lansing Community College to distribute fliers and encourage students to attend sessions.

Tuesday, Feb. 8Met with John Roy Castillo, Director of Cristo Rey Community Center to discuss hosting a session and distribute fliers.

Thursday, Feb. 10Returned to Cristo Rey Community Center to distribute fliers in both Spanish and English.

Photo by: Kerri Jo MolitorBateman Team Member, Kaitlin Freer, takes notes during a Wheel of FInance session.

3Statistics

Ethnicity Breakdown Financial Categories Participants were Most Confused by:

Saturday, Feb. 12First General Session held at 2 p.m. at the Southside Community Center in Lansing.

Distributed fliers to Lansing residents at the Southside Community Center.

Monday, Feb. 14Attended the IRRC-ESOL Alliance Meeting to invite leaders of Lansing ESL groups to invite members to Wheel of Finance Sessions.

Through surveys, both online and at Wheel of Finance sessions, the team gathered statistical information on the target audiences. Participants recorded their zip code, ethnicity, what fnancial topics were confusing to them and whether they currently used a budget in their personal finances.

5%Native American

8%Other

18%African American

20%Hispanic

48%White

6%Other*

*child support, spending methods,credit scores, compound interest

33%Loans

42%Insurance

29%Financial Aid

15%Credit

23%Budgeting

Zip Code Breakdown

10 15 2048933489174891548912489114890848906488254882448823489104870648170

Number of People

Zip

Code

s

0 5

Other

Moderate to low income zip codes (student zip codes)

Low income zip codes

Residence in student-populated or low-income zip codes?

Do you live on a daily, weekly or monthly budget?

Yes: 59%No: 41%

Student:Low-income:

40%53%

Campaign planning

English as a Second LanguageThe 2000 Census states that 10

percent of the Lansing population comes from a Hispanic/Latino background. The team offered an English as a Second Language session at Cristo Rey Community Center, with where Spanish-speaking translators were present. Cristo Rey specializes in catering to minorities and Lansing residents from low-income zip codes.

Single ParentsCity-data.com states that in

2009, single females represented 58 percent of Lansing’s poor families. The team kept in mind that single parents are often busy and may not have time to attend a financial literacy session. To address this issue, the team held a session for single parents at the Capital Area District Library in downtown Lansing, where many parents bring their children. While the parents participated in “Wheel of Finance,” the children were given free pizza.

High school studentsWhether high school students

decide to attend college or find work after graduation, they will need to know how to effectively manage their finances. The MSU Bateman Team presented to two groups of high school students during the Latino Club meetings at Everett High School and Eastern High School.

College studentsCollege students pay for books,

rent, tuition and loans, which calls for a great deal of financial management. The MSU Bateman Team targeted all Lansing area

colleges. The team also presented after one MSU Advertising Association meeting and one MSU Public Relations Student Society of America meeting. To ensure that students attended these sessions, the team hung fliers at Lansing Community College and MSU, and used social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter as promotional tools.

Shelter residentsDuring the campaign, it became

clear that most people in need of financial help were not necessarily likely to seek it out themselves. To resolve this problem, the

MSU Bateman Team traveled to two shelters: Loaves & Fishes Ministries and Gateway Community Services. Loaves & Fishes was home to approximately 15 Lansing area adults, and Gateway served as temporary housing for Lansing youth between the ages of 10 and 21.

Primary Audiences

Visited Lansing Community College a second time to distribute fliers and encourage students to attend sessions.

Tuesday, Feb. 15Wheel of FInance Advanced session held at 6 p.m. at Southside Community Center in Lansing.

Wednesday, Feb. 16Visted Cristo Rey Community Center a third time to distribute fliers and encourage people to attend future sessions.

Distributed fliers to Lansing residents at the Southside Community Center.

Part of the team’s logo featured a cartoon man spinning the Wheel of Finance.

5Library members

The library is a free service provided to community members and their families. The MSU Bateman Team presented a session to single parents at the Capital Area District Library in downtown Lansing. To promote the “Wheel of Finance” sessions, the team posted several fliers inside this venue.

Community Center members

Similar to libraries, community centers attract a plethora of different members. The MSU Bateman Team posted fliers at Southside Community Center and Cristo Rey Community Center to attract Lansing residents to attend the sessions.

ChurchesThe MSU Bateman Team

strived to target groups of people as well as individuals, and did so by targeting church members.

The team contacted Rev. Scott Thompson, CPA, Minister of Finance at Mount Hope Church to encourage his congregation members to attend the “Wheel of Finance” sessions. Rev. Thompson also served as a community leader at three of the sessions and helped facilitate the game, in addition

to answering any questions that sessions-goers asked. The team posted fliers at Mount Hope Church, Central Free Methodist Church, Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ, Catholic Diocese of Lansing and Emanuel First Church.

Secondary Audiences

Wednesday, Feb. 16Visted Cristo Rey Community Center a third time to distribute fliers and encourage people to attend future sessions.

Thursday, Feb. 17Wheel of Finance English as a Second Language Session held at 6 p.m. at Cristo Rey Community Center.

Friday, Feb. 18Visted the Capital Area District Library in downtown Lansing to distribute fliers and encourage people to attend future sessions.

Photo by: Amanda MarandolaMSU PRSSA Bateman Team members with three members of the Lansing Everett High School Latino Club at a Wheel of FInance session.

“Financial literacy is important for anyone, but especially for homeless people. Budgeting and financing are important because many have never had a bank account. I think finance is important to help them get back on their feet. The game was an effective way to see their knowlege on the topic. They were excited about the game; it was a good way to engage them. You can tell the difference between just giving them facts and actually engaging them.”

-Ashley Schlagheck, volunteer at Loaves & Fishes Homeless Shelter

“Spin away your financial blues!”

The team’s sessions were presented in the form of a game show that incorporated the use of a large spinning wheel.

The strategy behind this message was to encourage the Lansing public to “ spin away” their financial troubles in a fun and entertaining way. Many Michiganders are facing hard economic times, so it was

important to be encouraging and positive throughout the campaign.

“Finding money is easier than you think.”

The team wanted Lansing residents to know that financial management is simple, and that it’s rewarding to be educated about financial topics. To present this, the team designed a flier that

looked similar to the U.S. dollar, and displayed them in a “ fanned out” position; as if money was laying around to be taken. Money is attractive to people, and the MSU Bateman Team used this advantage to attract them to the sessions.

These messages were utilized in an effort to promote the idea that financial topics are fun and easy to learn about.

l Promote the necessity of financial literacy throughout the city of Lansing.

l Target a low income demographic that may not be aware of the benefits of being financially educated.

l Connect with the Lansing community to build partnerships with community leaders and

organizations and leave a legacy beyond the financial sessions presented.

l Relay financial information in a fun, creative and informational way to connect with the target audience in a receptive way to retain the financial information.

The MSU Bateman Team’s goal was to create awareness for and

promote the necessity of financial literacy in the Lansing community. By partnering with leaders from many community organization leaders and by turning the financial literacy sessions into a game format, “Wheel of Finance” aimed to connect with participants in an easy, fun and informational manner.

Strategies & Goals

Key Messages

Campaign planning, ConT.

Tuesday, Feb. 22Wheel of Finance College Student session held at Southside Community Center at 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 19Wheel of Finance session for single parents held at the Capital Area District Library in downtown Lansing at 3 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 20Distributed fliers at Michigan State University to encourage students to attend future sessions.

7exeCuTionTactic #1:Disseminate financial information through multiple sessions to the public.Objective #1: Host 12 financial literacy sessions during the campaign month.

l The MSU Bateman Team held two general financial sessions that covered the basics of budgeting, credit and banking.

l The MSU Bateman Team held one advanced financial session that covered topics including car and renters insurance and advanced credit and banking subjects.

l The MSU Bateman Team held an English as a Second Language session that covered general financial topics such as budgeting, credit and banking. All information sheets were translated into Spanish and two Spanish/English translators were present at this session to offer help in translating the questions.

l The MSU Bateman Team held one session that covered topics specific to single parents. The questions included child support and budgeting for a family.

l The MSU Bateman Team held three college student sessions that included questions pertaining to financial aid, budgeting for college finances, applying for credit and banking.

l The MSU Bateman Team presented “Wheel of Finance” at two shelters in Lansing: Loaves & Fishes and Gateway Community Services. At each of these sessions basic financial topics were covered such as budgeting, credit and banking.

l The MSU Bateman Team presented at two different high schools: Eastern High School and Everett High School. At both sessions, the team covered basic financial topics as well as financial aid and budgeting for college.

l In total, the MSU Bateman Team held 12 financial literacy sessions.

Tactic #2:Keep the audience interested in the financial sessions provided.Objective #1: Present information in the form of a game.

l The MSU Bateman Team presented all financial information in a form of a game to keep the audience entertained and informed. “Wheel of Finance” consisted of questions based on the color that the participants received when spinning the wheel. Based on the answers, the participants were either rewarded with $5,000 in “play” money, deducted $5,000 in play money or their balance remained the same. At the end of the game, the money was tallied and a review of the participants’ answers was discussed.Objective #2: Create scenario questions that are relatable to participant’s lives.

l The “Wheel of Finance” questions were created by the MSU Bateman Team with information provided by the GMAC Smartedge website. Each question was in the form of a real-life scenario that participants had to answer based on their real-life reactions. Objective #3: Put participants in teams to encourage responses.

l The participants were divided into two teams to stimulate discussion and create a lively atmosphere for interaction.Objective #4: Present surveys before and after each “Wheel of Finance” session.

l The MSU Bateman Team distributed surveys before and after each session to make sure the game touched on topics that were confusing and important to the participants. Post surveys revealed whether or not questions were answered and how helpful the “Wheel of Finance” session was to the participants.Objective #5: Meet all Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) requirements

l The MSU Bateman Team based their campaign around the CRA requirements and successfully captured full addresses and zip codes for each participant delivered a curriculum to educate and engage Lansing community members and did not offer any product or service as an incentive.

Campaign planning, ConT.

Distributed fliers at Southside Community Center to encourage people to attend future sessions.

Thursday, Feb. 24Wheel of Finance second General Session held at 6 p.m. at Capital Area District Library in downtown Lansing.

Wheel of Finance session held at Loaves and Fishes Shelter in downtown Lansing at 8 p.m.

exeCuTion, ConT.Tactic #3:Target different and specific areas in Lansing.Objective #1: Use research to target specific Lansing zip codes to reach the target market.

l The MSU Bateman Team targeted four different regions in Lansing to reach the target market: north, south, east and downtown.

l The MSU Bateman Team targeted north Lansing, which included sessions held at Cristo Rey and a shelter, Loaves & Fishes Ministries. North Lansing represented the English as a Second Language audience and people who may or may not have jobs and are living on a low income or salary base wage.

l The second region was South Lansing, where the MSU Bateman Team held sessions at Southside Community Center and Eastern High School. Southside Community Center generates heavy traffic of people with many different programs and services that it provides. Both locations provided a large range of people to target.

l The third region was downtown Lansing, where the MSU Bateman Team held sessions at Everett High School and the downtown Lansing library. Each location generates heavy traffic of people, which is beneficial in accessing the chosen demographics.

l The fourth region that was selected was Michigan State University in East Lansing. The team targeted all college students located in the Lansing area.

Tactic #4: Utilize a variety of efforts to promote the “Wheel of Finance” game during the campaign month.Objective #1: Place fliers in the targeted areas throughout Lansing.

l The MSU Bateman Team promoted “Wheel of Finance” sessions through the distribution of fliers. Fliers were put up in advance where the sessions were being held, including Southside Community Center, Capital Area District Library in downtown Lansing and Cristo Rey Community Center.

l Fliers were also distributed to heavy traffic areas within the targeted zip codes to generate attendance at the “Wheel of Finance” sessions, including the Lansing YMCA, Lansing library and Lansing child care centers. The MSU Bateman Team distributed 860 fliers in English and 175 fliers in Spanish.

Monday, Feb. 28Wheel of FInance session held at 9 p.m. at Michigan State University after the MSU Advertising Association meeting.

Distributed fliers at Michigan State University to encourage students to attend future sessions.

Sunday, Feb. 27Distributed fliers at Michigan State University to enoourage students to attend future sessions.

Objective #2: Connect with local organizations to create campaign awareness.

l The MSU Bateman Team used grassroots marketing techniques to promote the “Wheel of Finance” sessions. Prior to the commencement of campaign month, the team sought partnerships throughout the community to reinforce attendance and to create awareness for the financial literacy sessions.

l Cristo Rey Community Center is a Catholic Charities Agency that provides various services to the Lansing area, including Spanish-speaking residents. The MSU Bateman Team collaborated with John Roy Castillo, executive director, to provide a “Wheel of Finance” session for the English as a Second Language demographic..

l The MSU Bateman Team also reached out to different organizations in the Lansing community to cross-promote the “Wheel of Finance” events on online community calendars, including Yahoo! Events and Momslikeme.com.

Objective #3: Utilize social media outlets to engage target audiences in the “Wheel of Finance” sessions via three different social media sites

.l The “Wheel of Finance” Facebook group was created to interact with target audiences directly, especially college students. The team posted pictures, videos and important information from the “Wheel of Finance” sessions. This was used as a promotional tool to increase awareness and attendance at events and to directly connect with the 42 Facebook members who followed the “Wheel of Finance” page during the campaign month.

l Twitter was utilized on a constant basis during the campaign via @wheeloffinance. The team posted tweets for instant updates (including progress, testimonials and links) on “Wheel of Finance” for the 27 “Wheel of Finance” followers. The “Wheel of Finance” Twitter page also followed 66 different Twitter pages in an attempt to connect with the Lansing community and organizations.

l The “Wheel of Finance” YouTube site was used as a way to share video testimonials from community leaders and other participants.

Objective #4: Design a website that acts as a communication tool to promote “Wheel of Finance” sessions.

9l Wheeloffinance.com was created as a communication tool for people to check upcoming “Wheel of Finance” events and listen to testimonials given by community leaders and previous session-goers. The site also offered surveys from each session and online quizzes about financial topics.

Four surveys were filled out by the end of the campaign. During campaign month, Google Analytics tracked that the “Wheel of Finance” website had 62 visits, 190 page views, about three pages per visit, 43.5 percent new visits and on average each visitor stayed on the website for approximately 2.5 minutes. The website also received positive feedback from two visitors who gave a rating of eight and 10 out of 10.Objective #5: Motivated Lansing residents to attend sessions by providing pizza.

l The MSU Bateman Team provided pizza at every session as an accommodation to the “Wheel of Finance” participants.

Tactic #5:Ensure the campaign message is cohesive and homogeneous.Objective #1: Use the image of the wheel to tie all promotional efforts together.

l The MSU Bateman Team created the image of the game’s wheel and used it as the main theme for the “Wheel of Finance” sessions. The wheel was placed on all promotional materials including fliers, the website and social media sites.Objective #2: Designate specific colors to each financial category.

l The MSU Bateman Team had seven financial categories of questions including budgeting, credit, banking, financial aid, single mothers, advanced and insurance. Each category was given a specific color and was given a spot on the wheel. When contestants landed on a specific color, a question from that specific category would be asked.

Tactic #6:Partner with leaders in the Lansing community.Objective #1: Attach the Wheel of Finance campaign to a trustworthy source

l To ensure that participants were learning the correct financial information, the MSU Bateman Team partnered with community leaders in the Lansing area.

Objective #2: Use a variety of community leaders to connect with a specific demographic.l The MSU Bateman Team partnered with Rev. Scott Thompson, CPA, Minister of Finance at Mount Hope Church. Rev. Thompson helped facilitate the general financial sessions and provided added responses to participant’s questions.

l The MSU Bateman Team partnered with Colleen Mott from GreenPath Debt Solutions. Mott was used as an additional asset to the “Wheel of Finance” sessions, as she provided additional financial information and advice for the participants.

l The MSU Bateman Team partnered with Esmeralda Perez de Lopez, director of the Latino Club at Eastern High School and Everett High School. Lopez is seen as a trusted community leader and a connection to the Lansing high school students.

Tactic #7:Encourage the continuation of financial literacy beyond the implementation allotment.Objective #1: Hand out materials for the participants to take home that reiterates the financial info taught at the session. l The MSU Bateman Team created financial information sheets including topics on general and advanced finance, banking, credit and financial aid information. The information sheets touched on topics that were discussed during the ses-sions and other helpful financial tips. When the sessions ended, participants had the option to go back and review what they had learned. Objective #2: Hand out budgeting sheets and encourage par-ticipants to make use of them.l GreenPath Debt Solutions provided budgeting sheets to dis-tribute to the participants at each session so they can learn how to budget on their own.Objective #3: Encourage community leaders to maintain the importance of financial literacy in the Lansing community af-ter the campaign has finished. l The MSU Bateman Team partnered with Esmeralda Perez de Lopez and the Latino Clubs at Eastern and Everett High School. The MSU Bateman Team made a wheel and passed on the quiz questions to Lopez to use for future high school events.

Distributed fliers at Michigan State University to encourage students to attend future sessions.

Tuesday, March 1Wheel of Finance session held at 8:30 p.m. at Michigan State University after the MSU PRSSA meeting.

Wednesday, March 2Wheel of Finance session held at 2:40 p.m. for the Lasing Latino Club at Lansing Everett High School.

Thursday, March 3Wheel of Finance session held at 2:40 p.m. for the Lansing Latino Club at Lansing Eastern High School.

evaluaTionThe MSU Bateman Team

successfully overcame the challenge of developing and implementing a grassroots campaign that informed and educated Lansing residents about financial information.

The team found that unless they formed personal relationships with

prospective attendees, individuals were not motivated to attend the sessions of their own accord, since financial topics are not perceived to be interesting or fun. Due to low attendance at the team’s initial sessions, they changed their tactics by expanding sessions to already-

existing community organizations. By doing this, the team increased their attendance rate by 11 times, with a total of 61 participants.

This expansion allowed the team to reach a variety of different demographics within all sectors of the Lansing community.

The MSU Bateman team successfully met all 18 of their objectives, and positively impacted the lives of a wide range of Lansing community members. All of the community leaders that participated in facilitating “Wheel of Finance” said they were impressed with the game and the way it impacted Lansing residents. Rev. Scott

Thompson wrote a letter of recommendation and praised the team, stating that they “really had a heart to serve the community as they promoted the financial literacy seminars through the “Wheel of Finance” program. The director of the Latino Club meetings, Esmeralda Perez de Lopez, also asked the team if she could continue

“Wheel of Finance” at future high school events. The team is thrilled that the Lansing community has embraced “Wheel of Finance” as an educational tool, and is confident that the game will continue to spread financial literacy in the future.

Total Achievements

Particpants’ Financial Concerns Pre-Session

Particpants’ Financial Knowledge Post-Session

Before & After

0 5 10 15 20 25

Other

Insurance

Bills

Banking

Loans

Financial Aid

Credit Cards

Budgeting

05 10 15 20 25

Terminology

Other

Spending Money

Financial Aid

Loans

Credit

Budgeting

Number of People

Number of People

Beneficial to Attend?

Financial Questions Answered?

Yes: 95%No 5%

Yes: 93%No: 7%

Michigan State Univeristy2011 PRSSA Bateman Team

Amanda MarandolaAccount Director

Emily TschirhartAccount Executive

Kaitlin FreerAccount Executive

Lauren Mehringer Account Executive

Kerri Jo MolitorCreative Director

Advisors: Andy Corner & Bob Kolt