NAPFA FOUNDATION
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The NAPFA Foundation: Transforming Lives One Day at a Time
By Nick Casas
In just over two years, the NAPFA Foundation has completely transformed the way it measures success and the standards it applies to every decision it makes. Members of NAPFA may be familiar with the old “NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation,” or perhaps more likely, we never had a chance to reach them or make an impact significant enough to pique their interest. Therein lies the problems we needed to address: How can we get members interested and appreciative of our work, and how can we redefine our objectives to make the kind of impact we want?
Once we identified the issues, it was time to get to work and use all our energy to transform the way we operate. Ultimately, after changing our name, redefining our goals, and redetermining our mission, we were ready to serve a significantly larger community while making sure we never lost sight of the reasons the foundation was founded in the first place—the people.
I am the Program Coordinator of the NAPFA Foundation, a role that includes wearing a lot of hats and overseeing every aspect of the foundation. I execute the strategic plans of the NAPFA Foundation Board of Trustees, administer our pro bono programs, connect with supporters, kickstart new initiatives, work side-by-side with NAPFA staff, and am always looking for new partners with whom we can continue to grow and enhance our reach. Each day is different and each week is a new opportunity to take a big leap forward in helping more people to seize their financial independence and make smart choices to keep themselves and their families prepared for uncertain financial futures.
Clearly, managing a foundation of this size is not something that can be done alone. Fortunately, I have the support of dozens of individuals who dedicate more than just their time to foster the immense growth and impact we have experienced in recent years. The NAPFA Foundation Board of Trustees, led by President Danielle Seurkamp; its programs, engagement, and development committees; NAPFA staff; and of course our supporters are the reasons I am always encouraged to keep moving forward and never stop transforming lives. The spirit of NAPFA emits a never fading light and it is an immense honor to show up every day and work with such committed professionals.
At the NAPFA Foundation, we aim to transform lives by expanding access to Fee-Only financial planning. Every day I work with NAPFA staff members, foundation leaders, and our volunteers. Put simply, the NAPFA Foundation is the best way for NAPFA members to give back by using their experience in financial planning and sound ethical principles to help guide families across the nation in building their financial plans. We help NAPFA members do that in many ways, including:
- Managing two in-house pro bono financial planning programs
- Awarding scholarships to potential new Fee-Only planners
- Providing insightful and impactful educational opportunities to NAPFA members to help them continue to be the standard for effective planning and advice
Working with the NAPFA Foundation’s leadership team continues to be the honor of my life. I was surprised how quickly they welcomed me into their organization and provided me with every resource I needed to grow the foundation into the shape it is today. I am equally pleased with the reception I was given as I began working with the NAPFA membership. When the foundation leadership meets, they are always thinking about what our members would want to see us do next and how we can provide it. I believe that drive leads to so many of our decisions and is why most of our support is from the NAPFA community.
Should you ever want to get involved, support us, or just give us some insight into what you would like to see next, I hope you let us know. Although NAPFA and the NAPFA Foundation are separate organizations, we keep very close, and the one piece that remains a constant tether to each other is both organizations’ commitment to professional excellence and the idea that the client, pro bono or not, is the mission. As long as we can continue to remember that basic tenet, we will keep moving forward. And we will never stop.
Nick Casas, the Program Coordinator of the NAPFA Foundation, began his work in November 2022.
image credit: Adobe Stock Images
