How do I get started as a CFP® professional volunteer?

• Go to https://canportal.org/counselors
• Click ‘Sign up Now’ https://portal.canportal.org/join/counselor
• Complete and submit your contact information and note the following to be affiliated with FFP’s program:
  • What Type(s) of Counseling do you provide? Certified Financial Planner (and provide CFP Board ID in the field to the right)
  • I Have Been Certified/Accredited By (or am Affiliated With) Foundation for Financial Planning
• You will be directed to the CAN HIPAA privacy policy for your signature within the ‘My certification Documents’ tab.
• From the dashboard, select ‘browse opportunities’ and ‘apply’ next to the Foundation for Financial Planning opportunity.

• Once accepted into the program (usually within 24-48 hours) you’ll receive a ‘validated badge’ and be able to see ‘Foundation for Financial Planning’ at the top of your dashboard. You’ll click on the ‘Foundation for Financial Planning’ to see your cases (clients). This is where new cases will be provided to you. You will not be assigned cases until you apply for the FFP Posting in the browse opportunity section.
• Please go back to the ‘My Documents/Certifications’ tab to complete FFP’s Letter of Engagement which will apply to all future clients engaged within the CAN Portal.
• You will receive an email when a new case has been assigned to you.

How will my client review and sign the Letter of Engagement (LOE)?

During the application process, clients are provided with the LOE and must click “I have read and understand” prior to moving forward.

After signing, clients can access the LOE in two places – in their “My Documents” section and in the table in the “My Requests Section.” Advisors can double-check that Clients have seen and agreed to the LOE by clicking on the Additional Questions tab of the client’s file.

For any questions about the Letter of Engagement or if you wish to ensure that your client signed it, please reach out to Steve Stout (sstout@veteransplus.org).

How do I know if a client has been assigned to me?

After you are approved by FFP, CAN will begin to assign you clients. You will receive an email notifying you that a client that has been assigned to you (please check your junk/spam folders and earmark the CAN as a safe sender if needed). You can also view clients in the File Management portion of your account. This is where client information and files will be available to you. Once you have reviewed all the client’s information and are ready to contact them, change the status of the companion case to “Accepted” via the drop down on the Status/Approval Tab.  The lamp will light up on the companion case progress bar as you change statuses.

*Failure to change the status within 48 hours may result in the case being retracted and re-assigned to another advisor.

*Note: As you change statuses, updates are automatically sent to the Applicant AND the FFP leadership team (There is no need for you to update anyone).

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Continue to change statuses as you complete the advising process with each Applicant (this is very important as it helps CAN and FFP monitor the engagements and improve the experience of both clients and advisors). If you need to reject the case for any reason, choose that option from the Status Tab drop-down and the reason you are rejecting the case so that it can be reassigned as the situation dictates. Check out this CAN video for a brief example of how to conduct a status change: Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) File Management Status Change – YouTube

When the engagement is complete, make sure that you 1) check off items discussed during the session on the Checklist Tab and click the save button (see screenshot below) and 2) change the Status to Completed on the Status Tab.

What is the expected client outreach time?

You should reach out to your client within 24 – 48 hours of receiving your assignment.

How many attempts should I make before deeming a client unresponsive?

Please attempt two phone calls (with voicemails), one text message, and one email to set up a counseling session with your client. We encourage you to reach out to your pro bono client immediately after being matched and to schedule a counseling session within two weeks. As you complete these attempts, indicate them by making a note of each attempt on the Notes tab. Check out this CAN video for more information on taking notes in your account: Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) File Management Notes – YouTube

What if my client is unresponsive?

If your client remains unresponsive after two phone call attempts with voicemails, one text message, and one email, please review their topic areas provided by CAN in the Notes section under the File Management Tab in your account. If possible, send them general information related to their topic via email or text. Once this is done, update the status of the file to Completed.

What if an unresponsive client reaches out to me?

If a previously unresponsive client contacts you to complete a 1:1 session and you are available and willing to proceed, simply open the file from the Closed Files Tab and change the status to active (e.g., “Contacted” or “In-Counseling”).

If you are not available, do not reopen the case. Instead, contact CAN’s Client Manager, Steve Stout (sstout@veteransplus.org), and he will reopen the case and rematch the client with a new CFP® volunteer.

How do I close out a file after working with a client?

After working with a client, go to the Checklist Tab to indicate the topics discussed during your session, and then the Pre/Post Survey Tab to send the post-assistance survey to your client. Lastly, please visit the Status Tab to change the status of the engagement to ‘completed.

How do I stop receiving new clients, or increase or decrease the number of clients assigned to me?

You can take a break from receiving new clients by clicking the green status bubble on the graph for FFP on your dashboard. This will prompt you to indicate a date that you wish to begin receiving clients again (if you have active files, you will be able to choose either to finish those engagements or send them back for reassignment). If you wish to increase or decrease your client load, you can contact CAN’s Client Manager, Steve Stout (sstout@veteransplus.org), to let him know your preference.

What if my clients need resources that are outside of my education and training?

Please do not worry. Listen to your client, gather the information, and tell the client you will do your research and get back to them.

Be sure to check out FFP’s Resources by Population page for resources focused on various populations including military/veterans, domestic violence survivors, and people struggling with serious illnesses and substance use disorders. The Coordinated Assistance Network also maintains assistance directories in many communities. Check out this video to learn more: Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) File Management Resource Directory – YouTube. Lastly, you can search findhelp’s online directory of free and reduced-cost services and share the programs with your clients.