Foundation for Financial Planning Launches Free Pro Bono Curriculum to Prepare Next Generation of Financial Planners
New curriculum equips students and professionals with skills to deliver impactful pro bono service, meets need identified by students for more pro bono content and support
Washington, D.C., Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP), the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to pro bono financial planning, today announced the release of Serving with Purpose: The Path to Pro Bono Financial Planning. This dynamic, cutting-edge curriculum is designed to prepare aspiring and early-career financial planners to engage in pro bono service, while giving educators practical tools to integrate pro bono into their teaching.
Developed with grant support from FFP, the flexible, practice-based curriculum is intended for use in CFP Board Registered Programs, financial planning clinics and professional training settings. It helps learners build interpersonal skills needed to serve clients in underserved communities, while fostering a deeper sense of purpose and professional identity.
According to FFP’s latest research, interest in pro bono service is off-the-charts among individuals aspiring to become CFP® professionals. In fact, 88% of survey respondents indicated a desire for their CFP Board Registered Program or other educational institution to offer more content and support to students interested in learning about pro bono financial planning.
“This curriculum gives educators and practitioners practical tools to inspire and equip the next generation of planners to serve with empathy, cultural humility, and skill,” said FFP CEO Jon Dauphiné. “We are making it available for free in the hope that many organizations will use it and many future advisors will benefit.”
The curriculum, authored by Dorothy B. Durband, Ph.D., AFC® (Texas Tech University), Sasha Grabenstetter, M.S., AFC®, BFA™ (eMoney Advisor) and Emily E. Koochel, Ph.D., AFC®, CFT™, BFA™ (eMoney Advisor), includes:
- Educator resources: Facilitator’s Guide (PDF), editable Word and Excel templates, with sample course schedules to be available by the end of October.
- Student learning tools: Reflection guides, practice-based activities, client-facing budgeting worksheets and goal-setting templates.
Through four core topics and applied learning exercises — such as role play, reflection, and simulated client interactions — participants explore the history and value of pro bono financial planning, strengthen communication skills, and learn how to support optimal decision-making in communities facing myriad financial challenges.
The curriculum’s authors have deep roots in the provision of financial advice and planning to underserved consumers, with both Durband and Grabenstetter also the authors of a previous pro bono curriculum called “Apple Seed” that was widely adopted.
“My students have found that helping people on the financial margins can be hugely rewarding, while also allowing them to develop into more effective advisors,” noted Durband. “And I’ve observed that when employers come recruiting on our campus, they often seek prospects who have done pro bono work, as they have had to think on their feet in real-world client engagements.”
Taking into account the needs, preferences, and constraints of educational institutions that may use the curriculum, the resource includes sample course schedules of two, four, eight, and fifteen-week formats that can work with a broad array of educational programs.
All materials are provided free of charge for educational use. Users are asked to credit Foundation for Financial Planning and the Durband/Grabenstetter/Koochel curriculum team when adopting or adapting the resources.
The Serving with Purpose curriculum can be downloaded at:
Pro Bono Educational Curriculum - FFP
About Foundation for Financial Planning
Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) is the nation’s leading charity dedicated to advancing pro bono financial planning for at-risk populations, including active military members and wounded veterans, people with cancer and other serious illnesses, seniors and family caregivers, low-income individuals and families, domestic violence survivors and many more. Over its 30 years, FFP has provided almost $10 million in grants to national and community-based pro bono programs; worked with partners to activate more than 30,000 financial planners to volunteer their time and talents; reached over 765,000 people in crisis or need; and acted as a leader and catalyst to foster a rich tradition of pro bono service across the financial planning profession. Visit FFPprobono.org to learn more.
Jill Schofield Ficomm Partners 360.601.9342 FFP@ficommpartners.com
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