As young adults take their first steps into the workforce, they must be equipped with financial knowledge to navigate their earnings wisely. Enter PayrollOrg’s Money Matters program, sponsored by Dayforce, a volunteer initiative created to equip high school students with essential money management skills.
PayrollOrg teamed up with the Council for Economic Education to create a curriculum that covers essential topics such as deciphering and filling out Forms W-4, understanding the amount of taxes expected to be withheld, calculating taxes, and evaluating different payment methods such as direct deposit, paycards, and earned wage access.
In 2024, more than 310 volunteers made a difference in the lives of thousands of students across their communities by teaching them important paycheck basics. Formerly only taught during National Payroll Week® (NPW) and the following two months, Money Matters is now available year-round, allowing PayrollOrg members a chance to volunteer on their own schedules and reach many more students.
Rebecca Casey, CPP, Payroll and Benefits Administrator/Human Resources at Maine Savings Federal Credit Union, volunteered for the first time in 2024 to teach the Money Matters curriculum. She learned about Money Matters while exploring ideas for celebrating NPW.
“Being in a team of one at the time, I was unsure what I could do,” Casey said. “I knew I was interested in teaching the Money Matters course, so I contacted a high school for a visit. I’ve always been interested in early childhood education, as it is part of my degree and background, along with business management.”
Casey started her payroll career in 2017 as a payroll processor at Eastern Maine Medical Center. She was soon promoted to payroll analyst, moved on to become a payroll manager for other organizations, and eventually added HR to her skillset. Throughout her career, she has been a member of PayrollOrg and her local chapter, the Maine Association of Payroll Professionals (MAPP). She earned her Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) in April 2023.
Despite her educational background and successful payroll career, Casey was still nervous about standing in front of a large crowd of teenagers.
“I knew I’d be scared to death doing the presentation as I’ve always been an introvert and quite shy,” she said. “I knew it was important information for the students, though, so I enlisted a co-worker to run the PowerPoint for me and just assured myself I could do it. And I’m so glad I did with the response from the kids that I got.”
Students responded more positively than Casey could have ever imagined. They were engaged and interested in the content, raising hands to contribute to the conversation. She was still apprehensive, but it got easier as the presentation went on.
“I finished a bit early due to nerves, but the principal picked right up on that and continued the conversation asking the students more questions about their first jobs and we both were able to answer their questions regarding retirement options and financial wellness,” she said.
Casey found that the prepared materials made it easy to proceed from one area to the next. She felt comfortable with the content, finding it well oriented toward the students’ age group.
“I found it rewarding when the students raised their hands to answer questions,” said Casey. “They were engaged, entertained, and interested in the material.”
During NPW, Casey organized a week-long school supply drive at her office. Employees provided school supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, calculators, staplers, highlighters, and other kinds of supplies to fill backpacks. When the Money Matters class was over, she placed the names of all the students attending into a drawing.
“We pulled names from the hat and gave out the backpacks full of school supplies that we had collected at my place of employment during NPW,” she said. “The students were so excited when their names were called and just as excited to pull the next name to see who won next!”
The success of this Money Matters class sparked the school principal’s interest in more financial wellness education for his students. He mentioned to Casey that the school might do a financial wellness day for the students, inviting local financial institutions to introduce them to banking, checking accounts, and other aspects of finances.
Casey said she plans to present a Money Matters class again in the future, though probably at a different school closer to home or the Maine Savings Federal Credit Union headquarters.
“I am excited to keep it local, invest in community, and try to put together something regarding a financial wellness halfday or full day-long fair or educational opportunity,” she said. “This time, I would include juniors and seniors. Most of the students we talked to were seniors who had already started their first job, so I thought it might be helpful to teach Money Matters to younger students.”
Casey hopes to get ideas and advice from her co-workers specializing in financial counselling and wellness. Since her first time teaching Money Matters was so well received, she hopes to make it an annual tradition.
“With my employer being so community focused and volunteerism being held as the utmost of importance, I feel that this fits nicely into that model, and I’m driven to make it happen again next year,” she said.
You can make a difference and volunteer any time throughout the year. Visit the Money Matters webpage on the NPW website and submit the short sign-up form. After signing up, you will receive access to the Money Matters teaching materials to help guide your planning, including the teacher’s guide, student lesson, and PowerPoint presentation. PayrollOrg rewards 1 RCH and a citation of recognition to each Money Matters volunteer.
Sean Tait Bircher is the Editorial Assistant of Membership Publications for PayrollOrg.