Pro Bono in a Time of Crisis

Dear Partners and Friends,

As the nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, we face unprecedented challenges that will require all sectors to collaborate for the public good, including finding ways to support the millions of financially at-risk Americans who will need quality financial planning and advice more than ever before.

The Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) is working with our partners, supporters, and volunteers to activate our resources and networks to bring more Americans the pro bono financial guidance they need during this unique and devastating crisis.

Here’s how we are helping:

1. Connecting CFP® Professional Volunteers to Pro Bono Opportunities: Our new, first-of-its-kind online platform – ProBonoPlannerMatch.org – will connect thousands of CFP® professionals who want to offer pro bono services to nonprofits that have virtual and community-based opportunities to help those in need. If you are a CFP® professional who would like to offer pro bono planning and advice to families facing serious risk during this period, please create a volunteer profile on ProBonoPlannerMatch.org and browse available opportunities, which will continue to populate in the coming weeks and months.

2. Providing COVID-19 Training & Resources: We are curating and posting the most relevant resources for pro bono advisors and clients in our online Coronavirus & Pro Bono Planning Resource Center, including a COVID-19 Financial Resource Guide, as well as conducting a special webinar series on how pro bono advisors can navigate the crisis.

3. Developing and Strengthening Programs: We are working with partners to strengthen, build and scale programs to reach thousands of people most affected by the pandemic, including seniors, healthcare first-responders, and cancer patients. Through our Financial Planning for Cancer program, we plan to serve over 600 families affected by cancer in 2020. With compromised immune systems, cancer patients are experiencing significant healthcare challenges and worsening financial burden amid the crisis, making pro bono financial planning and advice more important than ever.

4. Making Emergency Grants: We are offering special funding and technical assistance to grantees and partners to help them transition existing financial guidance programs to virtual delivery models, ensuring that families in need can still access these critical services amid the crisis.

5. Rallying the Advisory Profession to Help: We know financial planners have a special role to play helping Americans navigate the economic fallout of the crisis. We are collaborating with nonprofits, media outlets and others to lead on key issues – such as encouraging advisors to recommend that clients direct grants from their Donor Advised Funds to help nonprofits survive the crisis.

Thank you to those who have already reached out with ideas of how FFP and the financial planning profession can step up during this time of incredible need. We look forward to working alongside all of you to help ensure that as many people as possible can access quality financial guidance when they need it most.

Sincerely,

The Foundation for Financial Planning Team