For library staff at
Help your patrons get a financial adviser in their corner.
Volunteer financial advisers meet one-on-one with your patrons, for free, and we run everything: the matching, the scheduling, the reminders and the follow-up. Your part is telling people. Here’s what you need, at the desk, in your channels and in every branch.
Not on the team? You can help too: send it to someone in one tap, or pass it on if an adviser has helped you.
1,330patrons have signed up through San Francisco Public Library since 2021.Everyone who signs up through your page is counted for San Francisco Public Library.
Your page
advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
Share this address rather than our home page, so everyone who signs up is counted for San Francisco Public Library.
Ways to spread the word
Start anywhere. Everything here is ready to use, and nothing needs a login.
- At the deskWhat to say when money comes up
- Ways to say itReady-made lines for every season
- Send a messageWhatsApp, text or email, filled in
- Post an imageImages with your logo, and a caption
- Print and hand outThe flyer, handout cards and a QR code
- Website and newsletterWords to paste, and a link name people click
- Bring us inA staff briefing, a workshop, an event
- Reach furtherPartners, local leaders and local news
- It’s for your own team, tooStaff can sign up, too
At the desk, when a patron asks about money
Money questions reach the desk every day, and most need more than a book or a class. That’s the moment to mention this.
When to mention it
- Taxes, a refund, or a bill they didn’t expect
- Debt, a credit report or a credit score
- Saving or budgeting, when they check out a book on it
- A 401(k) or a Roth IRA they’re not sure what to do with
- A new job, a lost job, a new baby or a move
- A question in a money class that’s too personal for the room
What to say
There’s a free service through San Francisco Public Library: a volunteer financial adviser meets with you one-on-one, by phone, and helps you make a plan. They can’t sell you anything. You can sign up at advisersgiveback.org/sf-library.
It isn’t only for debt. Unlike most credit counseling, an adviser can also help with investing, retirement accounts and long-term plans. Hand them a card with the QR code, so they can sign up later, from home.
Who can sign up: For households earning under $100,000 a year, or $150,000 for a couple, with less than $250,000 in savings. You don’t need a job.
Ways to say it, and when
Pick the line that fits the moment. Each one is ready to copy, with your link.
- Any time
A first step into investing
Curious about investing but not sure where to start? A volunteer financial adviser can walk you through it, for free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- Any time
Make the most of every paycheck
Not sure where your money goes? A volunteer financial adviser can help you make a plan for every paycheck, for free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- After a money class or workshop
Your question, one-on-one
Classes answer general questions. An adviser answers yours. Meet one-on-one with a volunteer financial adviser, for free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- Tax season, and Financial Capability Month in April
Tax time
Getting a refund, or owe more than you expected? A free volunteer financial adviser can help you make a plan for it. Through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- January
New year, new goals
Starting the year with a money goal? Get a financial adviser in your corner, for free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- Any time
Not just debt
Have a 401(k) or a Roth IRA and not sure what to do with it? A volunteer financial adviser can help with investing, too. Free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- Busy weeks and bad weather
From home
You don’t have to go anywhere. Your free meeting with a volunteer financial adviser is by phone, from home. Through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- Any time
Working, but stretched
Working hard and still stretched? You’re who this is for. Free, one-on-one help with money from a volunteer financial adviser, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- Each October
Keep going after Financial Planning Day
Met an adviser at Financial Planning Day? Keep going. A volunteer financial adviser can meet with you more than once, for free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
- Graduation or a first job
Just starting out
Just starting out? It’s the best time to get advice. Meet a volunteer financial adviser, for free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
Send it in one tap
Pick an app and the message is filled in, with the link to the page made for your patrons. Change anything before you send.
Images for social media
Each has your logo and ours. Pick one, then save it square for a post, or story size for Instagram and Facebook. The quotes are real clients’ words, first names only, shared with permission. Wide works for lobby screens, slides and the top of a web page.
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A financial adviser in your corner.Free, one-on-one help with money. No judgment, and nothing to buy.
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This program gave me clarity, structure, and confidence. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I now feel like I’m on a real path forward, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the support.
Preyasi, a library patron
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She created an actionable plan for me, broken up into smaller tasks so everything didn’t feel so overwhelming.
Francesca, a library patron
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He explained things to me thoroughly and provided me with actionable and easy first steps I could take to improve my situation.
Hyatt, a library patron
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He met me exactly where I was, without judgment, and helped me turn overwhelm into clarity.
Jennifer, a client
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This type of volunteer work helps to level the playing field for those of us who work hard yet may not have the means or accessibility to understanding finances.
Mary, a client
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I feel that my adviser showed compassion, empathy and really wants to help me.
Michael, a client
A caption to post with them
Questions about money? Through San Francisco Public Library, you can meet one-on-one with a volunteer financial adviser, for free. No judgment, and nothing to buy. advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
Make a short video
Patrons know their branch staff, so a short phone video from you does more than any graphic. Keep your branch’s own voice. Three ideas:
- “A question I hear at the desk”: then, “you can ask a financial adviser that, for free.”
- Show the flyer on your branch’s board, and where to scan it.
- “You don’t have to come in”: the meeting is by phone, from home.
Print and hand out
A flyer for the wall, cards people can take with them, and a QR code for anything you make yourself.
A flyer to print, in English and Spanish
Letter size: English on the front, Spanish on the back. Print it double-sided, or either side alone.
Handout cards, four to a page
Cut them apart, so people can sign up later, from home. Each card has its own QR code.
Where to put them
- Next to the personal finance and tax books
- On the holds shelf and at checkout
- At tax-help days, money classes and resource fairs
- On the community board in every branch
- As an ad in your printed events guide
Your website and newsletter
Paste this where your community reads. It links to the page made for them.
Free help with money, from San Francisco Public Library and Advisers Give Back. Meet one-on-one with a volunteer financial adviser, at a time that works for you. The advisers volunteer to give back to their community, and every one is a fiduciary, which means they must put your interests first. It’s free, there’s nothing to buy, and San Francisco Public Library won’t see what you share. Start at advisersgiveback.org/sf-library.
Name the link in plain words
People look for help with money, not for “financial literacy.” Any of these works as a link or a button:
Where it works best
- Your home page, where most visitors start
- Your list of online resources, and your personal finance page
- Your events calendar, as an ongoing service people can use any day
- Your email newsletter, at the new year and again at tax time
Bring us in
You don’t have to do this alone. Book a time with us and we’ll plan it together.
A briefing for your staff
We’ll join a staff meeting, in person or online, to walk through what this is, who it’s for and what to say.
A workshop by a volunteer adviser
Pick a topic your patrons ask about: a paycheck, credit, taxes, investing basics. We find the adviser, and we can record it so you can share it, whole or in short clips.
Meet the advisers
When we can, a meet and greet with volunteer advisers from your area, so people can put a face to the help before they sign up.
A table at your event
Resource fairs, tax-help days, Financial Planning Days: we’ll bring materials and, when we can, a volunteer adviser.
Book a time with us or email [email protected]
Reach further
People act on a word from someone they already trust. These groups can carry it further than any flyer.
Partners and employers you work with
The nonprofits, schools and small businesses around you have staff who qualify too. Many people are working, and still stretched.
Free help with money for your team: through San Francisco Public Library and Advisers Give Back, people can meet one-on-one with a volunteer financial adviser, for free. Many working households qualify. advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
Local leaders
Council members, supervisors and other local officials share resources in their newsletters and posts, and people trust them. Send their office this.
A free resource for the people you serve: through San Francisco Public Library, people can meet one-on-one with a volunteer financial adviser, for free. No judgment, and nothing to buy. advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
Local news and community media
Neighborhood papers, radio and Spanish-language outlets reach people who may never see your website. The Spanish side of the flyer and a Spanish sign-up are ready.
Young adults
Starting early pays off most, and young adults rarely get advice. Share it with your young-adult programs and the groups that work with them. It’s for adults 18 and older.
Just starting out? It’s the best time to get advice. Meet a volunteer financial adviser, for free, through San Francisco Public Library: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
It’s for your own team, too
Library staff can sign up the same way, if their household qualifies. San Francisco Public Library never sees what anyone shares with their adviser.
Free for us, too: we can meet one-on-one with a volunteer financial adviser, for free. San Francisco Public Library doesn’t see what we share. advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
What’s working at other libraries
- A link on the home page called “Get financial advice.” Plain words get the clicks.
- Postcards with the QR code at every branch.
- Screens in every branch, and a post the same day, on World Financial Planning Day in October.
- A short video from each branch, in its own voice.
- A mention at the end of every money class: “Your question deserves a one-on-one.”
- A briefing for reference staff, so everyone at the desk knows what to say.
- A push in January, when people set goals, and again at tax time.
- A post from a city council member, shared with their constituents.
Got help from an adviser? Pass it on.
The best thing you can do is tell one person who could use it. Send this, or say it in your own words.
I got free help with money from a volunteer financial adviser through San Francisco Public Library. If money’s on your mind, you can sign up too: advisersgiveback.org/sf-library
Questions from your team? Email [email protected] or book a time to talk with us.