Q: What is the time commitment involved in serving as an NCACPA financial literacy volunteer?

A: The time commitment is up to the each volunteer and the number of presentations you choose to make. The presentations and materials are prepared for you and customizing them takes very little time. You will spend some time contacting the organization or group you wish to address and arranging to be placed on the agenda or program.

If financial literacy is one of your service priorities, you may want to recruit colleagues to join you in this worthwhile public education program. Again, the time needed is completely up to you, but whatever the amount, we hope you find it is time well spent!

Q: How will I benefit by serving as a financial literacy volunteer?

A: By getting involved in the financial literacy initiatives and offering financial education to groups in your community, you accomplish several things:

1. Your audience walks away with tools to help them improve their financial footing.
2. You increase your visibility in the community and position yourself as a caring professional willing to share your expertise to help others.
3. You enhance the public’s awareness of the CPA profession, re-confirm the CPA’s role as a leading financial expert, and therefore promote your profession, one group at a time.

Q: Do I have to prepare a presentation from scratch?

A: No. The AICPA and NCACPA have developed speeches, PowerPoint presentations, outlines, talking points, and planning guides for you. Everything you need to conduct a successful community outreach program is easily accessible on NCACPA’s website.

Q: I do not have access to a laptop computer and projector. Can the PowerPoint presentations be adapted to another format?

A: Yes. The material can be converted to slides, transferred to make overhead transparencies, or copied for handouts.

Q: I like to leave my audience with information they can keep. Are handouts available?

A: Yes. The PowerPoint presentations can be copied and used as handouts. The Program Planning Guide also includes a consumer information page on financial resources, how to access financial calculators, and financial management tips that can be copied to use as a handout.

Q: Can I distribute my own marketing materials and business cards as part of my presentation?

A: It is not appropriate for volunteers to use speaking engagements to market their businesses or firms. It is appropriate to have business cards available should an audience member request one and to include one’s business or firm, education, and/or area of expertise as part of an introduction.

Q: Is it appropriate to include my partners or staff as co-presenters?

A: Yes. It is appropriate and encouraged. Including colleagues with varying areas of knowledge and experience enhances presentations and gets more CPAs involved in increasing awareness of the profession.

Didn’t find what you were looking for? Feel free to contact any member of the Financial Literacy Council or the NCACPA staff liaison, Lorrie Leonhardt, at lleonhardt@ncacpa.org.