Highlights of 1998

National Foundation for Credit Counseling

• Achieved increase of DSP clients through phone counseling; from 30 clients to 422 by the end of the year.
• Returned $12.4 million to creditors; a 20.6% increase over 1997 and the largest amount ever disbursed to creditors.
• Opened two additional sites in Madison and Scottsburg.
• Certified five counselors and adjunct staff as consumer credit counselors.
• Increased the total number of active DSP clients by 13.4% to 4,240.
• Added 22 major creditors to the EFT (electronic fund transfer) system.
• Disbursed 44% of dollars to creditors through EFT compared to 18% in 1997.
• Enrolled a total of 550 clients in the EDS (electronic deposit system) which is a 93% increase over 1997.

Education & Housing

• Developed and offered two new programs - Investing Basics and Becoming a Landlord.
• Created a brochure to market education programs to employee assistance programs.
• Received a Presidential Citation for outstanding Education Division in the NFCC Pace Awards for Excellence.
• Developed a series of "Basics of" sheets to provide information on 21 topics; the topics were selected based on frequently asked questions.
• Provided prerecorded educational messages on 25 topics in the Local Source of the Yellow Pages under Credit and Money.
• Completed 933 housing counseling appointments.
• Formed partnerships with Southeast Indiana Regional Planning Commission (SIRPC) to provide housing counseling for first time homebuyers in Dearborn and Ripley counties.
• Partnered with Credit Professionals International to develop a speakers bureau consisting of experts willing to speak on money and credit issues at local schools.
• Conducted five first time homebuyer workshops for over 150 participants.
• Interviewed by the media 86 times on money management and the wise use of credit.
• Participated in 12 major events (trade shows, health fairs) reaching almost 4,000 people.
• Partnered with St. Vincent Stress Centers to continue to provide the Overspenders Support Group.

Development

• Created a fund raising component to gain support for ongoing educational efforts.
• Created a sponsorship notebook outlining sponsorship opportunities.
• Visited 20 businesses to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
• Participation of six board members in sponsorship visits.
• Sent annual appeal mailings to 5,000 individuals, businesses and successful clients.
• Developed a bookmark listing books to teach kids about money to use in an annual appeal mailing.

Total Disbursement to Creditors

I'm Chris Consumer. I represent the more than 4,200 individuals and families who came to CCCS in 1998. I work hard. Yet, somehow I've mismanaged my finances or incurred overwhelming debt to the point where companies have stopped extending me credit. To make matters worse, utility companies were threatening to turn off my gas, electric, and phone services. I was also facing eviction from my apartment. I owe (11) creditors an outstanding debt of $28,130. I couldn't see myself getting out of debt because I owed more than my annual salary. My situation had hit crisis proportions. I really didn't want to file for bankruptcy and was grateful when I heard about CCCS through a friend at work.

My CCCS counselor negotiated with my creditors so some of my monthly payments are lower and run over a longer period of time, and in some cases, have a lower interest rate. Since I started working with CCCS, the collection agency phone calls and letters have lessened or stopped completely. I know it will take about four and one half years to become debt-free under my CCCS program. However, without their help, I would have been caught up in a never-ending cycle of debt. Creditors wouldn't work with me when I tried negotiating lower payments or interest rates on my own. I felt they didn't trust me. CCCS has been a lifesaver.

• Married

• Single

• Separated, divorced, widowed

Throughout 1998, we often referred to the word "commitment." It was our first year of encouraging business and individuals to financially support the Education Department and the education efforts of Consumer Credit Counseling Service® of Central Indiana, Inc. We encouraged and received commitments from many first-time donors to CCCSCI.

But before we could ask the community for support, it took a commitment from the Board of Directors. Inspired by significant increases in personal bankruptcies and an escalation in budget counseling appointments in Central Indiana, our board committed to providing ongoing consumer educational programs and services to all in need.

In fact, donor support helped CCCSCI distribute 20,000 dollars & $ense newsletters, provide employee and community presentations, and conduct four First-Time Home Buyer Workshops to 150 participants.

To those first-time 1998 donors recognized in this report, we say thank you! Your contribution has provided a great service to the community. And to those considering support of CCCSCI and consumer education, we need your commitment!