Get out the party hats and noisemakers! Founded in August 1961, GreenPath is celebrating a successful 59-year track record of empowering people to live financially healthy lives.
To recognize our birthday month, we asked Kristen Holt, GreenPath’s President and CEO, to reflect about the past year, along with aspirations for the year ahead.
As GreenPath celebrates our 59th birthday this month, what are some of your reflections on the past year?
“The past twelve months have been filled with success and challenges.
“We clearly defined the impact we want to have and the outcomes we want to achieve in our work while honoring our unique capabilities of using human-centered design, empathy, and behavioral economics. We grew our partnerships, have expanded into new partnerships with Prudential, and launched a virtual financial coaching program with Chase. A record number of people began paying down their debt through our debt management plans, and they are happy with our service as evidenced by our net promoter score, now at 75!
“And we rose to the continued challenges of the pandemic, rapidly enabling our team to work from home and providing extra supports to each other to ensure our team was set up for success to safely serve our clients. We were recognized for this commitment to our team by the Companies that Care Honor Roll award.
What would you lift up as goals and aspirations for the year ahead?
“We want to do a better job of intentionally working toward a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We recognize this is hard work, and it will take a long-term commitment to it. And we are committed to this work. Financial inequities are real, and our work can help.”
“We want to be ready to help all people during these challenging times, especially those looking to protect their homes as mortgage relief programs change. That is why all of our counseling team is already certified by HUD. We know the need is only going to grow. We are focused on getting the word out so people contact us earlier so we can help them navigate their financial life and reduce their stress. The biggest thing we hear is people wish they would have contacted us sooner.
“Another key goal is to expand our partnerships and embark on a technology revolution, to be sure we can serve more people and partners, leveraging the latest technology.”
GreenPath’s birthday is happening in the midst of a challenging time. How has GreenPath responded as people seek to recover financially from the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 national emergency?
“Our message is that people don’t have to go through these times alone.“
“GreenPath’s unwavering focus is to provide caring, judgment-free financial counseling – especially in times of crisis. We continue to operate virtually with phone and online support. Our client advocates and financial experts continue to deliver financial, housing and debt management counseling with absolutely no interruption in service.“
“The early weeks of the pandemic gave rise to a 50% increase in calls to GreenPath’s HOPE Hotline from homeowners and renters faced with sudden job loss, reduced income and other financial challenges.”
“We continue to meet the need with counseling that addresses a household’s entire financial situation, including the importance of paying for essentials, understanding debt repayment options, and balancing housing costs with credit card debt, student loans and unanticipated hardships stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as some COVID-related hardship programs are ending or require people to ask for extensions.”
Given the remote work situation, how is the team celebrating?
“Virtually every day. Yes, virtually, yes, every day. And we are getting the whole family involved!“
“From community-wide happy birthday singing featuring our cute kids to reminiscing about the past, to fun birthday party games, we have a little bit of everything. The festivities all take place on our company intranet “GreenSpace” and over video conferencing which makes us all feel connected during this special celebration. Our team is located across the country, so in some ways having us all at home is allowing us to celebrate together more so than when we were located in separate offices.
“We are a close-knit team, and we are a little crazy and a lot creative, so the team is having fun with this year’s celebrations.”
