ACA in Renewed Push for Consumer-Focused Credit Education Week

Collection industry trade group ACA International is pushing a consumer-focused financial education initiative this week that organizers say is designed to help people understand more about their personal finances.

Organized through ACA’s Education Foundation, National Credit Education Week is an annual public service campaign to inform consumers that, when used wisely, credit can be a positive tool for achieving financial goals. ACA also uses the week to deliver the message that unpaid credit has a detrimental impact on all consumers.

In the past, the campaign has relied on ACA member organizations to spread the word locally in their communities, coupled with a modest public relations push from the group’s headquarters in Minneapolis. But this year, organizers pushed for a more proactive approach to getting the word out.

“We decided we wanted to breathe more life into the Foundation last fall,” Bill Wilcox, chairman of the ACA International Education Foundation, told insideARM. “Our intention is to keep this going for years to come.”

Part of the new push was a national PR effort centered around running advertisements in three large newspapers: The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. The Post ad ran in print editions Wednesday. Wilcox said that he expects the ads in The Times and USA Today to run some time this week.

The ads encourage consumers to visit www.nationalcrediteducationweek.com and take a free online personal finance education course. The web site also includes a quiz consumers can take to get a feel for where they stand on financial matters, as well as tips for financial management.

“We really want to help consumers,” said Wilcox. “Financial education is the most important part of this program.”

The foundation site also includes a Collector’s Pledge that promises, among other things, to “help consumers find ways to pay their debts” and treat consumers with dignity and respect.