Efrain Segundo Orozco, Author at MAF

Author: Efrain Segundo Orozco

Announcing MAF Learning Hub

Written by Efrain Segundo Orozco on September 29, 2023.

MAF is excited to announce the launch of a new way for our community to access financial education. The MAF Learning Hub is an online platform that offers culturally relevant financial education and resources to help people build financial confidence and achieve their goals.

Expanding access to relevant financial education

MAF’s mission is to help people become visible, active, and successful in their financial lives. But our community-centered approach is just as important. Everything we do is centered on the strengths of the communities we work with. From the beginning, MAF has been dedicated to creating pathways for community members to access timely and relevant financial education that recognizes them as the experts in their own lives.

From in-person workshops to streaming live charlas to our MyMAF app, MAF is always adapting to make sure our financial education is relevant and accessible. Leveraging technology, we are launching the MAF Learning Hub for our community to access content, resources, and engagement opportunities whenever and wherever they are.

Interactive, self-paced learning

Clients may want to start with the core topics and self-paced learning that walks them through the fundamentals, like building credit. For example, a client joining a Lending Circle to start building credit for the first time will enter a new realm of finances that can feel complicated and overwhelming. The MAF Learning Hub alleviates the stress of this transition by providing participants with the tools and knowledge needed to build on critical financial skills. MAF Learning Hub courses are broken into short, interactive lessons that can be done anywhere in just a few minutes. As clients progress through the core topics, they can boost their confidence and prepare for the next steps in their financial journey.

In-depth engagement

For clients ready to move beyond the basics, the MAF Learning Hub provides deeper ways to engage. They can participate in activities, connect with other learners in group financial education sessions, and learn about additional MAF programs and resources. The MAF Learning Hub doubles down on the power of community by enabling participation in online group sessions where people can ask questions, share advice, and support each other. It also allows clients to schedule an appointment with an MAF financial coach for one-on-one coaching to help them reach their goals.

Growing together

Our team built the MAF Learning Hub using a user-centered design approach with the communities we serve in mind. The communities we work with live complex financial lives while navigating conditions such as legal status in the country, variable income, language barriers, and lack of access to financial products. When designing new content and tools, we consider all of these factors to ensure that users feel supported and welcomed when engaging with MAF.

In building the MAF Learning Hub, not only did we consider the various factors of our clients’ lives, but we also referred to our “Ladder of Engagement” — a roadmap outlining the different opportunities clients have to engage with MAF. The MAF ladder of engagement guides our work by 1) creating different entry points to our financial services, considering that everyone’s financial journey is unique, and 2) deepening engagement with clients by offering them a variety of ways to participate. The MAF Learning Hub is a flexible addition to the ladder of engagement enabling us to serve clients at any stage in their financial journeys, whether it is their first experience with financial education, supplemental resources following a one-on-one coaching appointment, or group session they have attended with us.

Only the beginning

The MAF Learning Hub is a constantly evolving product, and we are excited to invite more clients onto the platform to gather feedback and continue its evolution. We will regularly add new content and resources to ensure the platform remains responsive and relevant. By measuring platform usage and analyzing client activities, we will also securely gather data about clients’ financial goals and outcomes, enabling us to support them better than ever.

MAF believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to build financial confidence. The MAF Learning Hub is a step toward making that dream a reality. Learn more about the MAF Learning Hub here.

How MAF’s Ladder of Engagement Meets People Where They Are

Written by Efrain Segundo Orozco on March 29, 2023.

At MAF, clients are the experts in their financial lives, so we design our financial services to highlight their experiences while learning new skills. Our financial education centers around building participants’ sense of self-advocacy to make informed decisions about their finances and providing the resources and support they need to achieve their financial goals.

We do this through our ladder of engagement, which involves a progression of activities designed to build self-advocacy and financial literacy:

The ladder of engagement begins with the “what,” where clients engage with MAF’s Charla Financieras or “financial chats.”

These sessions are designed to introduce clients to a financial interest of their choice with various topics, including budgeting, saving, credit, and debt management. The Charlas aim to provide participants with an understanding of “what” a topic is and an opportunity to ask their own questions to fulfill their existing knowledge. Our most famous example would be the topic of credit, where a Charla would consist of learning about credit reports, credit scores, how credit reporting works, and a reminder that immigrants can build credit without an SSN.

Once participants have been introduced to “what” credit is, we incite them to ask about the “how” in a Taller.

Once clients have a basic understanding of financial topics, they move on to the “how.” This is where MAF’s Talleres or “workshops” come in. These workshops provide a hands-on learning experience that allows clients to implement their newfound knowledge. The Taller align with the same topics as the Charlas, but they focus on practices connected to those topics. Our credit Talleres focus on two very important skills: reading and understanding a credit report and disputing errors on a credit report. Participating in these workshops gives participants practical skills they can apply, which can be translated into other facets of their lives.

Finally, the ladder of engagement culminates in the “why” in our Community Conversations.

This is where clients take the lead. In Community Conversations, clients converse and share “why” the topic is essential. These are opportunities to connect with others interested in similar financial topics and exchange experiences, questions, and inspiration. By sharing their stories and experiences, clients realize their financial experiences are valuable and can help others navigate similar challenges. This creates a sense of community and belonging, which is essential for building self-advocacy and financial confidence.

At MAF, the ladder of engagement is an effective way to build self-advocacy and financial literacy.

By providing a range of activities that cater to different learning styles and preferences, we can meet clients where they are and support them as they progress along their financial journey. This approach is essential for communities that have been historically excluded from traditional financial services, such as low-income and immigrant communities.

Moreover, MAF’s ladder of engagement is more than just a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it is a flexible and adaptable framework that can be customized to meet each client’s unique needs and circumstances.

This means that clients can engage with MAF at their own pace and in a way that works best for them. Through our ladder of engagement, we are working to create a more equitable and just financial system, one client at a time.

Learn more about MAF’s suite of financial services, including Charlas Financieras, the MyMAF app, and one-on-one financial coaching here.