How Volunteers Transformed FFE’s Online Financial Literacy Classes by Donating Their Time

When we launched our financial literacy courses at FFE, we expected knowledge enhancement for the individuals that needed it most. With just a few hours each week, two volunteer mentors joined our online classes and quickly became pillars of guidance for learners as they explored budgeting, saving, and other financial decisions. Their time donation taught skills and opened conversations across borders. In this blog, we share the insights and lessons learned from offering volunteer-led financial education directly to trainees who had been looking for ways to manage their finances more wisely. 

Meet Our Volunteer Mentors 

Thanks to the generous time donation of Dr. Georg Musil and Mr. David Pohl, who volunteered to share their knowledge and experience in the financial sector, we were able to deliver financial education courses at FFE with depth and clarity. Their engagement serves as a powerful example of how donated time can strengthen local learning cycles and continues to grow long after a course ends. 

Why the Course Was Needed

Financial literacy is closely linked to employability and long-term financial wellbeing. Research from the OECD (2023) shows that higher financial literacy is associated with more stable finances and stronger employment outcomes (OECD/INFE 2023 International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy). Research from GFLEC and other institutions shows that women in the Global South often have fewer resources for financial learning, which is linked to lower participation in stable, formal employment (IJCRT article on women’s financial literacy). 

These findings match what many participants reported before joining the course: they wanted simple knowledge to understand income, expenses, debt, and savings to support themselves and their families without leaving their communities. 

Outcomes and Learning Results

The final forum, assignments, and shared reflections of those who completed the courses and are now certified show several outcomes: 

• Participants could explain their income and expense patterns more clearly than before. 

• In the Women’s Financial Empowerment course, all women created and implemented a personalized financial action plan to identify habits to support long-term financial stability.

• Many identified social barriers affecting women in their regions, such as pay inequality and limited access to formal education in financial topics. 

• Several described how virtues—patience, resilience, discipline—help them to continue their plans. 

When individuals understand their resources, they can make more informed choices about training, work opportunities, and small business activities in their own communities. 

When Learning Continues Beyond the Course 

An important outcome was the learning cycle created after the program ended. Several participants shared that they plan to share the course material with other community members around them. This pattern is similar to what FFE sees in many of its educational initiatives: when a few individuals receive structured training, the knowledge spreads inside their community without needing additional funding. It becomes an internal resource that others can learn from.  

Voices of Learners

Participants shared that the course helped them think about financial literacy and rethink their habits:

“This course has been truly transformative for me. It has equipped me with practical skills to better manage my personal finances. I now have clear savings goals, have reduced non-essential spending, and increased my contributions toward savings and investments.”

Their feedback also shows how learning can spread into their communities and wider circles to help others build confidence and useful skills:

“I think receiving such education while still young as women is an invaluable asset for me as it would be for many other youth within my community. I think having small workshops and meetings with women in various settings to discuss this and learn more meaningful skills will be an initial goal. As I continue to develop my knowledge and skills in financial literacy I would love to spread the knowledge I gain to even more people through my social media platforms and through other means. This course has been an inspiration and such a wonderful opportunity for learning and even for acknowledging the importance of financial freedom for me as a woman.” 

Voices of Learners

This experience shows how donating time can strengthen communities. By sharing their skills, volunteer mentors help learners build confidence, develop practical financial habits, and become resources for others around them. This reflects FFE’s mission to support local growth and create lasting impact within communities in the Global South and Eastern Europe. 

FFE will continue developing programs where time donations play a key role in building long-term stability. If you would like to support this work, you can contact us. 

Learn more about the power of donating your time.