Outreach & Training

Consumer Action’s multilingual and multicultural community outreach managers work to empower individual consumers and community educators nationwide through free, unbiased, rights-focused consumer literacy information and training. The team works with a nationwide network of community-based organizations (CBOs). Many of these CBOs become our network Affiliate members and receive membership benefits that include multiple free publication orders per year and the opportunity to participate in special in-person events. Visit our Affiliate webpage to learn more about becoming a Consumer Action Affiliate member.

Our Events

• Navigating children’s and teens’ mental health, privacy in pandemic
  In response to nationwide school closures, ramped-up use of online schooling, and rising stress levels among families working and learning under one roof, Consumer Action invited four experts in children’s privacy and psychology to speak at its timely Nov. 17 webinar: “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents, and How to Protect Children’s Privacy Online.” A recording of the free webinar can be viewed here.
• Trapped in a pandemic: Domestic violence and financial abuse
  “What you may not know is that 65% of all murder-suicides are perpetrated by intimate partners, which is shocking and terrifying,” Gretchen Shaw, deputy director of the survivor-led National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), stated during Consumer Action’s “Domestic violence and financial abuse during COVID-19” webinar on Oct. 6, which was attended and watched by 689 viewers. Shaw was one of two speakers at the webinar, including attorney Maclen Stanley, who specializes in pursuing claims of sexual assault, sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
• Health is Wealth promotes affordable, transparent health care
  Consumer Action celebrated 49 years of consumer successes during its annual convening and awards ceremony, held in late September via a series of virtual panels and an award ceremony, with advocates, allies and experts from the nonprofit, corporate and government sectors participating.

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Training Tools

• Using FinTech to manage money? You need to watch this
  Consumer Action recently announced that we will be distributing videos (in both English and Spanish) to low- and moderate-income (LMI) consumers on how to use financial technology (FinTech) to improve financial health. The helpful and timely videos are available for free viewing on Consumer Action’s website and YouTube channel.
• Resource Sheet: Serving Older Veterans: An Introduction to Veterans Benefits
  Senior Veterans may be eligible for a wide-variety of benefits available to all U.S. military Veterans. Veteran's benefits include disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and burial.
• Coping with COVID-19: From housing, to health care, to rebooting your savings
  Earlier this year, when it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic would profoundly affect our lives, raising daunting challenges for consumers across the country, Consumer Action launched our COVID-19 Educational Project. Approximately six months into the year-long effort, we’ve just published our sixth fact sheet in the project’s “Coping with COVID-19” series.

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Our Network

• Funder brings Consumer Action’s FinTech education to Arizona
  In September, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco awarded $3.5 million in grants to 97 nonprofits through its 2020 Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) program. The grants, delivered by FHLBank San Francisco member financial institutions to nonprofits in Arizona, California and Nevada, are aimed at providing both immediate and long-term pandemic relief and boosting economic development in lower-income communities.
• Financial health measurement: A barometer of consumer finances
  In August, Consumer Action’s Audrey Perrott shared insights into Consumer Action’s financial health measurement journey using the Financial Health Network’s FinHealth Score® Toolkit at the Financial Health Network’s “Orienting Around Financial Health” virtual meeting.
• A webinar on financial health and technology
  Consumer Action’s director of strategic partnerships, facilitated a webinar and served as a virtual mentor to educate the current First Founder’s Accelerator cohort about financial health, financial technology and privacy rights.

( View More Our Network )  

Best Practices

• Don’t leave thousands on the table this season
  Consumer Action has just published an updated version of our Get Credit for Your Hard Work guide reflecting increases in income limits and credit amounts. The guide for the 2021 tax-filing season (i.e., 2020 tax returns due in April) is available to download now in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. A Korean translation will be available by mid-January.
• The enduring impact of racism on your finances
  In an era of “alternative facts” and the ongoing systemic persecution of Black Americans, Consumer Action felt it critical to dedicate our Fall 2020 Consumer Action News to the impact of race on personal finances. The latest free quarterly newsletter examines the areas of individual and household finances most affected by entrenched racism—from car and student loans to mortgages and auto insurance. In each area, Consumer Action explores leading proposals for dismantling these barriers to financial inclusion.
• CFPB Watch: Flagrant redlining, fake foreclosures, and stimulus funds
  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is suing non-bank mortgage lender Townstone Financial Inc. for redlining.

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Recommended Training Tools

• Living Life Online (FTC resource)
  The nation's consumer watchdog offers great guidance for staying safe and avoiding scams online.
• CTIA’s Your Wireless Service
  CTIA - The Wireless Association has many solid resources to add to your wireless education efforts.
• Avoid ID Theft Training Kit
  The Federal Trade Commission offers a training package on ID Theft.

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Videos & Webinars

• Albert host financial technology webinars
  Consumer Action and Albert co-hosted two webinars on March 29 to educate our community partners about the Albert Genius service.
• Webinars teach CBO partners how to help clients deal with debt collectors
  Consumer Action and the Consumer Relations Consortium (CRC) partnered webinars in June
• Consumer Action YouTube Channel
  The Consumer Action YouTube Channel features short educational videos and webinars.

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