We are currently seeking volunteers for a program we have developed in partnership with the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and nonprofit Family Reach to provide cancer patients and their caregivers with financial planning and education to help mitigate the financial risks associated with treatment.

If you are a Certified Financial Planning professional (CFP®), then you have the opportunity to serve as a volunteer for our Financial Planning for Cancer program, lending your skills and knowledge to help patients manage their finances so they can focus on getting well. Please see below for a brief FAQ, and if you think you may be interested in volunteering, click here to complete our online intake form.

Volunteer FAQ

What would be your role?
As a pro bono financial planner, you will advise and/or prepare a brief financial plan for each cancer patient and/or their caregiver. This process may entail:

• Creating and/or examining budget and balance sheets
• Organizing their finances, tracking and reducing expenses, and managing debts
• Troubleshooting and anticipating financial challenges
• Contemplating credit decisions and new uses of assets
• Examining life, long-term care or disability insurance questions

How would you prepare?
To prepare you to be a pro bono financial planner for cancer patients and/or their caregivers, you will be asked to complete up to two online trainings. You will receive one hour of CFP® CE credit for completing each of these trainings (two hours of CFP® CE credit in total).

One training will provide an overview of pro bono financial planning, including tips on how to work with lower-income individuals and families. The second training will provide an overview of the Financial Planning for Cancer program, information about your volunteer role, tips on how to work with clients diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers, and resources to support your engagements with clients.

What is the expected commitment of volunteers?
To be a volunteer for the Financial Planning for Cancer program, you will be expected to:

• Work with approximately three clients per year (you will receive client referrals from our nonprofit partner, Family Reach).
• Engage with each client up to three times, including for example, one meeting for introductions and data gathering, one meeting for planning, and one meeting for checking in with the client. Engagements can be done in-person, by phone or by Skype/FaceTime.
• Spend a total of up to 2 to 6 hours with each client, depending on the client’s needs. (Some clients may simply want advice on one or two matters and require less time.)

Questions?

If you are an FPA member, please contact Kurt Kaczor at FPAprobono@OneFPA.org.
If you are NOT an FPA member, please contact Rachel Roth at RRoth@FFPprobono.org.