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Our Mission
To educate and empower high school students to achieve their goals through the prudent and informed management of their financial resources
Dear Volunteer,
I am so grateful that you have chosen to volunteer your time and knowledge with the teenagers who benefit from Cents Ability’s financial literacy workshops. By sharing your experience and expertise, you are giving these young adults a greater chance at success in their personal and professional lives. The students view you not only as an instructor, but also as a role model. The education and guidance you provide during the workshop will instill in these young adults the notion that they can set significant goals and then successfully achieve them.
This handout is to assist you in planning and presenting the Cents Ability workshop as a volunteer teacher. I hope you will find the material informative and that it will get you excited about sharing knowledge with our students. It is our goal, not only to provide teens with the knowledge and skills to have successful financial futures, but also for our volunteers to enjoy their teaching experience and to feel inspired by the incredible young adults we serve. If at any time you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts about our program, please do not hesitate to call or email me. We want to make our workshops the best they can be and I am always interested in hearing your feedback!
Thank you again for donating your time, expertise, and enthusiasm.
Sincerely,
Roy Paul
Executive Director
Cents Ability, Inc. was founded in 2004 by two Harvard School graduates who saw a need in the country for education in personal finance. The organization was established to provide young adults in New York City public high schools and low-income communities with the financial tools and knowledge to achieve their goals. A team of volunteers developed our curriculum alongside the National Endowment for Financial Education and the standards set forth by the Jump$tart coalition.
Cents Ability has had the opportunity to teach hundreds of workshops at dozens of high schools and community based organizations, reaching thousands of students. We have expanded our mission to include any location in the New York City area interested in hosting our program for their teens.
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Teaching Tips and Guidelines
Arrive early. Most of our sites, especially the high schools, operate on a very strict schedule and many of the sites have a certain level of security that all visitors must get through before entering the classroom. For this reason, you should always have a valid picture ID readily available. You will also need a few extra minutes to set up your presentation. It is important that you are ready as soon as the students walk in the door so that you can immediately command their attention and respect. You do not want to waste valuable class time simply because of technical issues.
Be Flexible. Class may not always go “according to plan”, so you must be flexible enough to deal with unexpected changes, such as, equipment failure, class cancelations, decreased or increased class size or interest level and time constraints. The best way to cope with an unexpected change is to be as familiar with the materials and objectives as possible prior to class. Always be prepared with a solid plan, but also make sure your plan is flexible.
Be professional, yet casual. The students will often see you as a role model and authority figure, so it is important to retain a professional image to ensure that the students are respectful of you and your time in class. At the same time, you want to make sure you are keeping an open and encouraging dialogue with the students. Most teenagers just want to be treated as an equal and respected like an adult. The more comfortable and relaxed you seem, the more the students will be willing to participate in the class discussion.
Use basic language. This workshop is very likely the students’ first introduction to financial topics, so you should be wary of using too much jargon or expanded vocabulary. It is always a good idea to ask the students if they are familiar with particular words or concepts before moving forward with the lesson—you do not want to lose their attention for the remainder of the lesson simply because a term was not defined.
Be energetic. It is very important that you bring a high level of energy and enthusiasm to each and every class you teach. Use the entire room to walk around as you teach, tell personal stories that relate to the topics, ask questions to start a conversation—the more you are able to be yourself, the more relaxed the students will feel. It is also important that you provide positive and constructive feedback to the student whenever possible. This will help boost their self-esteem and help them feel more accomplished for understanding the concepts presented.
Watch your time. 45 minutes can easily feel like a minute when you are engaging the class and creating an open and in-depth discussion with your students. We usually only have a very strict timeframe to cover a wealth of information, so you need to be aware of the objectives that need to be covered and the timeframe in which you are allotted to cover them.
Be personal. Discuss what motivates you and what challenges you have faced. Students will be highly interested in your personal stories, so it always helps to tie them into your lesson whenever appropriate. If you do not feel comfortable telling your own stories, try relating the lessons and topics to persons or activities that are relevant to the students’ world. Find issues that concern them today or relevant news stories to provide a more “real life” example for the teens.
Ask questions. Ask the students about their personal goals, successes, and challenges. Use their stories to show how the topics covered in class can relate to their personal experiences. This will help make the concepts covered in class less abstract and more significant. Students may not be very open to answering questions at first, but you should avoid answering your own questions even if you do not get a response. If you are having difficulty getting students to engage, try calling on a student or having one of the other teachers in the class answer your question.
New Volunteer Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to bring or do prior to a class?
If you are the Senior Teacher you will need to bring a USB drive with the presentation for that class and any handouts that are required for that particular lesson. If you are not the Senior Teacher you will need to communicate with the Senior Teacher about any items he/she would like for you to provide.
Where are the workshops conducted?
We are willing to conduct a workshop at any location that is convenient for the host site. Potential host sites include high schools, after-school programs, community based originations, and youth groups. We have conducted workshops all over the NYC area and parts of New Jersey, Westchester, and Long Island.
What age group will I be teaching?
Cents Ability students are generally juniors and seniors in high school, but can range anywhere from 14-19 years old. You will usually know the number of students, their age or grade, and skill level prior to class.
How do I sign up to teach a class?
Once you have completed the Cents Ability teacher training you will be added to our volunteer teacher database. This database serves as a distribution list when teaching opportunities become available. You will receive an e-mail from Cents Ability with details of the teaching opportunity including time, location and student demographics. Simply respond to the e-mail if you wish to teach the class.
I have no formal experience in financial services. Will I be able to teach?
Yes. The concepts in the Cents Ability curriculum are basic personal finance concepts. The Cents Ability teacher training will prepare you to teach all concepts in the curriculum.
How much time do I need to commit?
You’ll need to commit 2-3 hours to orientation and training. Once you have completed training there is no formal time commitment, however, we do encourage our volunteers to set goals for how many hours they wish to serve. While it is preferable for our volunteers to teacher an entire workshop, it is not required. You may sign up for specific the classes that you are available to teach.
What networking opportunities are available for volunteers?
Networking with other volunteers is an important component of Cents Ability. We host periodic volunteer appreciation events and encourage members to engage the executive committee and board of directors with new projects and opportunities. We also have a student chapter of our organization at Baruch College, so you may at times be paired with an undergraduate to teach.
I’d like to do more than just teach. How else can I help Cents Ability?
We are currently looking to expand our programs’ reach to new host sites—you can help by being an advocate for our programs and contacting sites to host one of our workshops. You may also help by providing a tax-deductible donation to Cents Ability. We also highly encourage you to provide us with any feedback, ideas, or questions at any time to or 212.278.7646
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