D2D Fund

St. Louis reporter David Nicklaus thinks D2D’s Save to Win is a good way to make learning about finances fun.

We are pleased to announce that Celebrity Calamity won a 2009 Bronze Horizon Interactive Award in the Public Service/Non-Profit category.

D2D’s prize-linked savings project, Save to Win, is now sixteen weeks old and progressing well, with over 5,500 savings accounts containing $1.6 million and $12,000 worth of prizes already awarded.  Eight Michigan credit unions lead this innovative approach to saving.

A new video commissioned by the Savings Bond Working Group paints a picture of bond buyers across the country.

After a string of programmatic successes and period of organizational growth, founding Executive Director Jeff Zinsmeyer informed the D2D board late last year that he is ready to hand the reins to a new leader.  Effective March 13, Jeff will leave D2D and long-time D2D Associate Director Timothy Flacke will assume his responsibilities as Executive Director.

After six weeks of operation, D2D’s prize-linked savings project, Save To Win, has over 2,800 accounts and $450,000 in savings. Eight Michigan credit unions are leading this innovative approach to saving, with support from the Filene Research Institute and funding from the Wal-Mart Foundation and the Center for Financial Services Innovation.

BOSTON, MA-Feb. 13, 2009-Doorways to Dreams Fund (D2D) launched today its new financial literacy video game, Celebrity Calamity (www.celebritycalamity.com), to help address concerns about high personal debt levels in the US.

View the Press Release here. (PDF)

Jeff Zinsmeyer, D2D’s Executive Director, on the importance of saving and innovative ways to save:  http://www.bos.frb.org/commdev/c&b/2009/winter/Zinsmeyer_tax-time_savings.pdf

Listen to D2D's Executive Director discussing U.S. Savings Bonds as a good way to get started in the savings habit: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97458868

Read about D2D co-founder Peter Tufano’s innovative savings idea, recently published in the Washington Post—asking the government to “Just Keep Our Money.” Savers and the Treasury both benefit!

Jane Bryant Quinn makes a case for U.S. Savings Bonds and references D2D's work in Savings Bonds' Swan Song? in the Washington Post.

Read "The New Social Contract”. In a related video, D2D's Executive Director Jeff Zinsmeyer and a savings bond purchaser discuss the merits of savings bonds. View the video here.

D2D recently completed initial dissemination of its ZMET research at two credit union industry conferences and during an industry webinar.  D2D also shared preliminary work from research pilots underway at Wright-Patt Credit Union in Dayton, Ohio and Mission San Francisco Federal Credit Union.     

D2D extends a warm welcome to Christina Kasica as its Director of Communication and Advocacy. For more on Christina see http://www.d2dfund.org/about_d2d/d2d_staff

D2D Fund, in partnership with the Filene Research Institute was selected along with four other non-profits to receive the Nonprofit Opportunities Fund Grant Award by the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI). See the announcement at http://www.cfsinnovation.com/news-latest-detail.php?article_id=330369. The funds will support a pilot project in the area of Prize Linked Savings.

Tax season 2008 marked the second time that low-income tax clients at a range of tax sites have had an opportunity to purchase Series I U.S. Savings Bonds with part of their tax refund.

The Wal-Mart Foundation has provided D2D Fund with a generous grant in support of a multi-year project to create financial literacy video games.

In November 2007, D2D welcomed Nick Maynard as its Director of Innovation and New Product Development. For more on Nick, go to staff descriptions here.