Financial education solutions for people of all ages.
United Bankers' Bank has partnered with financial literacy software provider Banzai to connect community banks with Banzai's award-winning platform for teaching financial literacy to people of all ages.
The Banzai curriculum exposes users to multiple real-life financial dilemmas, from taming a budget and developing wise spending habits to making and keeping savings goals. Banzai provides three interactive courses, in-depth content with financial calculators, support services for teachers, and sponsoring community banks. The program has been implemented by over 60,000 teachers throughout the United States and has educated over 2 million K-12 students.
The Banzai platform won Best of Show at FinovateFall in 2018 and is sponsored by over 800 financial institutions nationwide.
The Banzai Platform
Banzai is a one-stop destination for financial education that assists community banks in building brand awareness while creating a culture of financial literacy in their communities.
These interactive courses provide students with a fun experience similar to a "choose your adventure meets Oregon Trail," but with money. Using trial and error, students play these simulations, dealing with lifelike setbacks while planning for the future and accounting for their spending decisions. Kids who play the games in school love knowing that their choices in the game have an impact — it feels grown up. Teachers often report their students are continually asking to play Banzai again and again, especially when they don't win the first time.
Financial Literacy Programs for Community Banks
Banks can sponsor any of the following programs in schools* located in or around the towns, cities, and communities they serve:
- Junior - Ages 8 through 12
- Teen – Ages 13 through 18
- Plus – Ages 16 to adult
Junior Program
It's summer, and your mom gives you money to start a lemonade stand! Can you save up for that fancy new bike before school starts? This game incorporates essential income, budgeting, borrowing, and spending lessons.
Teen Program
You've just graduated high school and started working full-time. Will you save enough for college registration and make the bills? This game incorporates important lessons related to insurance, taxes, paying rent, and setting goals.
Plus Program
You got your first salaried job after college—now the real "adulting" begins. See how much you can save toward buying a house while protecting your credit! This game incorporates essential lessons about building a credit score, qualifying for a mortgage, avoiding identity theft, and weighing life's trade-offs.
These programs are turn-key for the sponsoring community banks. Banzai handles all outreach to the schools, hosts the online software, and provides technical support for users and teachers, in addition to shipping logistics for the supplementary classroom workbooks.
*School sponsorships are subject to availability and determined on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Wellness Center
Whether they're moving into a new home, investing, or shopping for health insurance, there's always a part of the process your customers still need to consider. The Wellness Center demystifies the planned—and unplanned—milestones that happen in most adults' financial lives by providing a content library that boasts a suite of high-quality lessons designed to educate and boost their confidence. The Wellness Center is a microsite branded with your bank's logo that includes the following:
- 60+ up-to-date articles across many topics
- Customizable collections of articles for specific groups
- 20+ embeddable financial calculators
- Online referral sources
- Access to user analytics and engagement data
The Banzai Coach
The Coach is a virtual financial adviser who blends interactivity with real numbers. It's called the Coach for a reason—it helps adults realize their financial goals, discipline their thinking, and take responsibility for their future. It asks sophisticated questions and gives sophisticated answers. Unique to the financial education industry, the Coach can assist your customers on a range of topics, including:
- Get Out of Debt
- Create a Budget
- Your First SBA Loan
- Filling Out the FAFSA
- Build Your Emergency Fund
- Am I Ready to Retire?
Sponsor Relations
All sponsoring community banks are provided with analytics on usage, user demographics, teacher orders, and granular digital marketing data. Banzai provides community banks with a Sponsor Relations team that will onboard and train all stakeholders and provide custom reports upon request, as well as best practices for utilizing the analytics platform and performing community outreach. Banzai also provides sponsoring banks with marketing assets like brochures and social media images that can be used to spread the word about financial literacy throughout their service areas.
Benefits of Banzai's Financial Literacy Solutions
-Assists your bank in creating a culture of financial education
-Qualifies for CRA credit
-Boosts bank brand awareness
-Accessible – Banzai is web-based and can be accessed via a desktop, tablet or mobile device
-Designed to teach students about finance using experience-based learning techniques in a manner that is fun and engaging