Expanding the Reach of Your Credit Union Through Strategic Partnerships: TAP Talent – A Collaborative Program in NJ and NY June 2013 National Disability Institute

A national research and development organization with the mission to promote income preservation and asset development for persons with disabilities and to build a better economic future for Americans with disabilities. 2

Envisioning Collaboration  In 2008, NDI, the Federation and Allies convened to explore opportunities to work together.  An early version of TAP Talent (B.E.S.T. Interns) was conceived.  NDI, the Federation and Allies, applied for grant funding from the Kessler Foundation.  Kessler provided funding for NJ B.E.S.T. Interns from 2009 through 2011  Kessler provided funding for NY TAP Talent from 2013 through

Need Or Problem To Be Addressed  Individuals with disabilities live in poverty at rates more than twice the National average.  The rate of employment for individuals with a disability in the state of New Jersey was 23.8% in 2008  Desire to identify new ways to engage individuals with disabilities with credit unions and credit unions with the disability community. 4

Project Overview TAP Talent is an employment program that utilizes a three-prong approach to achieve the project goals:  provide training to financial institution staff on understanding disability diversity and access, serving customers with disabilities, and individuals with disabilities as a market segment.  provide training and an eight-week internship/work try out/on the job training with credit unions  promote the regular hiring of qualified candidates with disabilities throughout the financial services industry by formalizing the relationship between ACCES-VR and The Credit union Association, and share the TAP Talent strategy at conferences and trade events, featuring the experiences of participating credit unions to describe the benefits of the strategy to their peers. 5

Partners  New Jersey  The Federation of Community Development Credit Unions  New Jersey Credit Union League  Real Solutions – National Credit Union Foundation  Allies, Inc.  New York  The Federation of Community Development Credit Unions  Credit Union Association of New York  New York State Vocational Rehabilitation office (ACCES- VR)  Our Ability 6

Population served  TAP Talent supports individuals with disabilities to strengthen their employment skills and achieve their goal to return to stable employment.  TAP Talent identifies individuals with transferrable skills that are qualified candidates for Credit Union positions.  Education  Loan Clerks  Marketing / Communication  Software design  Finance 7

What Makes TAP Talent Different? 8 1. Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration 2. Clearly outlined expectations for all partners and all participants (both job seekers and credit unions) 3. Recruitment of interns based on clearly defined indicators of success 4. Pre-internship training 5. Thoughtful Job Matching 6. Available support 7. Open feedback 8. Fair wages

Lessons Learned  Provide training for Credit Unions on Disability Sensitivity, commonly needed job accommodations, and the program model  Provide training for job seekers on credit union history/mission/culture, affordable financial services, and available long-term supports  Recruit individuals with the skills Credit Unions seek  Make good Intern/Credit Union matches  Manage expectations of all parties (including job seeker and host Credit Union)  Communicate openly 9

For the financial services sector…..  Introduces credit unions to a viable market:  54 million or one out of five Americans report a disability  24.4% of the million households in US contain at least one person with a disability  54 percent of people with disabilities have no savings accounts and 69 percent lack checking accounts.  Identifies opportunities to increase outreach and service to the disability community. Why TAP Talent is a Win –Win 10

For the disability community…..  TAP Talent provides new avenues of access  Access to affordable financial services  Access to viable jobs/careers  Access to new partners Why TAP Talent is a Win –Win 11

 56 job seekers with disabilities completed internships in 19 New Jersey Credit Unions and at the New Jersey Credit Union League  33% of NJ interns with disabilities were employed through the program  20% of participating credit unions hired a qualified candidate with a disability  BEST Interns won the 2010 Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award for New Jersey Outcomes 12

THANK YOU! Elizabeth Jennings Director, Training and Technical Assistance National Disability Institute (561)