Accomplishments

Throughout 2023, the Iowa Jump$tart Coalition worked to improve the financial
literacy of Iowans through the following efforts:

  • Strategic Planning: After working with a consultant to assist in reviewing the Coalition’s mission, organizational structure, and strategic efforts, the Coalition kicked the year off with a formal presentation on its new structure and bylaws. It included an overview of the responsibilities of partners, the board of directors, and committees.
  • Board of Directors Retreat: The first annual board retreat was held in February. Board members met to brainstorm, discuss improvements, and set goals for 2023. The board identified key accomplishments for each committee to focus on in the new year.
  • Financial Literacy Awareness Month: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds proclaimed April as Financial Literacy Awareness Month in Iowa with an in-person proclamation signing.
  • Student Competitions: Iowa Jump$tart sponsored two academic competitions through the Council for Economic Education. Sponsors included the Iowa Division of Banking, The Harkin Institute, Drake University, University of Northern Iowa, ISL Education Lending, and TS Institute. Videos were created during each competition for use by the participating schools and to use in future marketing efforts.
    • National Personal Finance Challenge – Over 1300 students participated. Over $2,000 was provided in cash prizes! State finals were in-person at Drake University. 12 volunteers helped with the event.
    • National Economics Challenge – Over 160 students participated. Over $2,000 was provided in cash prizes! State finals returned to in-person this year, after being virtual the last few years. State finals were held at Drake University, with the return of students using the buzzers during the quiz bowl! 8 volunteers helped with the event.
  • Annual Personal Financial Literacy Conference: Iowa Jump$tart’s annual summer conference was held in August at the DMACC Urban Campus. Sponsors included The University of Northern Iowa’s Financial Skills for Smart Living program and the Iowa Insurance Division. The Iowa Credit Union Foundation sponsored the keynote, Adam Carroll. Over 90 attendees registered. 15 breakout sessions were offered throughout the day, including sessions on AI Tools, Money Psychology, Fighting Fraud, and Planning for your own Retirement.
  • Partner Award: Kyle Osborne with TS Institute was presented the annual partner award for his contributions to Iowa Jump$tart and commitment to the mission of financial literacy.
  • National Educator Conference: Iowa Jump$tart sponsored two Iowa teachers to attend the conference in Chandler, AZ. In total, 13 educators from Iowa attended the red-carpet premier teacher event.
  • Audit Committee: The audit committee created a conflict of interest policy for board members and developed a google drive structure to keep coalition documents organized.
  • Communications: The communication committee saw great success in 2023! They aimed to do 2 social media posts a week and saw an increase in Facebook page traffic. They collected content from partners and ensured a newsletter went out each month.
  • Partnerships: The partnership committee created a new partnership application and collected it from all current partners.
  • New Partners: By the end of 2023, the Coalition had increased official partner numbers to 28.