Earn Well Financial Stability Initiative
United Way to Launch Savings Campaign
About a third of Tarrant County families don’t have or don’t actively use a checking or savings account, compared to the national average of 25 percent. United Way is partnering with local financial institutions to launch a savings campaign that will encourage low-income families to establish $500 emergency savings accounts.
“We want families to be able to replace a car battery rather than lose a job because they can’t get to work,” said United Way Assistant Vice President Sue Matkin. “We hope to expand the savings campaign over two years to other savings initiatives such as children’s savings accounts.”
Organizations helping to plan the new savings campaign are:
• BBVA Compass
• Catholic Charities, Diocese of Fort Worth
• Chase
• Comerica
• Dallas Federal Reserve Bank
• EECU Credit Union
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• First Command Education Foundation
• Frost
• Internal Revenue Service
• OmniAmerican Bank
• Southwest Bank
• Tarrant County Workforce Board
• Wells Fargo
• Unity One Credit Union
Representatives from the organizations convened in March at a breakfast featuring Josephine Robinson, Vice President, Income - Community Impact Leadership and Learning, United Way Worldwide. Helping low-income families increase their financial assets is a United Way priority both nationally and locally.
“Savings is a critical piece of our Earn Well financial stability initiative here in Tarrant County,” said Matkin. “If families are improving their income, if they are living better on the money they have, if they are saving for unexpected expenses, then that translates into a financially healthier community.”
The new savings campaign will join other activities already under way. “Many of the financial institutions, as well as United Way with our partner Catholic Charities, are offering financial education to families across the county,” said Matkin. “We want to make sure that more families have the opportunity to learn how to create budgets, improve their credit scores, understand the value of savings and build assets.”
To learn more about United Way Earn Well volunteer opportunities or about free financial education classes that can be held at your workplace, contact Sue Matkin at 817-258-8083 or sue.matkin@unitedwaytarrant.org.
Our Vision
Tarrant County will be a place where children, individuals and families thrive, where neighbors care for each other and where people willingly share the responsibility of ensuring a safe and healthy community for all.
Our Mission
To improve lives across our diverse communities by:
- Prioritizing needs in education, income and health
- Forming innovative and effective partnerships with other organizations
- Strategically raising and investing resources to make lasting change
Our Diversity Statement
United Way of Tarrant County values and seeks diversity by respecting the knowledge, abilities and experience of all individuals. Our commitment is to support an inclusive environment reflecting our United Way communities and accomplishing our mission.
