How a Colorado Not-for-Profit Uses ProsperBridge to Uplift Its Employees
Colorado UpLift’s staff of 40 mentors and teachers have a challenging job helping kids from troubled homes navigate multiple challenges to find their way in life. The Denver-based not-for-profit has hired ProsperBridge to help employees address the financial and other challenges in their lives through the support of dedicated Personal Prosperity Assistants.
This Colorado not-for-profit’s 40 employees face a unique challenge. As teachers and mentors to help guide kids in troubled homes through school to productive lives, they regularly confront stress and challenges in their jobs that don’t necessarily fit into typical work hours. This in turn, can cause them to neglect their own finances or personal planning, explains Jacqueline Jackson, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Human Resources Director for the Denver-based organization. Colorado Uplift turned to the ProsperBridge Personal Prosperity Assistant program to help employees address their own financial or other struggles with the help of a trusted advisor.
“Nearly half of our staff are former participants in our mentoring program. Some are still struggling with how to manage their own lives and sustain their families. We started to recognize that there was a trend and at first provided education around basic finances, but it didn’t stick.” To address the issue, Colorado Uplift engaged ProsperBridge and its Personal Prosperity Assistants, who hold a scheduled meeting every month with each participating employee during work hours to help them confidentially address financial, health, or other life issues with a trusted advisor.
“Financial issues are scary to discuss, especially with someone you don’t know,” explains Jackson. “With ProsperBridge, the employees know that no one is trying to sell them anything. The ProsperBridge advisor comes alongside employees to help with what they need in a way that is personalized to them. Maybe someone has a question about creating a will, or has questions about healthcare, or some other personal issue. ProsperBridge is there to help with what they need.”
One of the key services is to help employees get their budgets and financial goals in order. “ProsperBridge provides a caring individual with whom the individual can sit down with to discuss their situation. They get to know each other. ProsperBridge provides a computerized platform to help employees set up and track their budgets. They can help with short-term, low-interest loans at a local credit union. Or, perhaps, the goal is to help an employee deal with too much debt.”
Out of the 40 employees, about two-thirds participate in the program, Jackson says. The ProsperBridge PPAs can provide guidance on just about any issue and offer an invaluable extra set of ears for her department and to help to make sure that the employees take advantage of the Employee Assistant Programs and look out for signs of excessive stress. “Our employees are working with difficult challenges, such as students neglected at home or facing other major challenges, and it’s hard not to take that home, so it’s important to be able to support employees and identify those who might be struggling, because mental health is critical.”
Colorado Uplift has a full-time staff of teachers and mentors offering services to schools to Denver and nearby Aurora. They teach accredited courses on leadership development and work with individual kids who are facing difficulties at school or at home. “We help to figure out how to help them address the issues with which they are struggling, because many don’t have emotional support. Some may be helping to raise a younger sibling because parents are rarely home. Others are dealing with drugs, alcohol, and violence.”
The organization also has programs outside of schools, taking kids rafting or snowboarding or on other experiences that would ordinarily be out of their reach. It assists students with career guidance and development of practical skills, such as balancing a checkbook or other technical skills, so they can effectively function on their own.
For More Information
Colorado Uplift
Jacqueline Jackson, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Human Resources Director
303-285-4109
ProsperBridge
303-954-4355
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