Meeting Preparation Checklist for Individuals with Significant Debt

1. Confirm the date, time, and location of the meeting with the sponsoring organization. Ask the sponsoring organization or client to contact you at least 24 hours in advance if the pro bono client needs to reschedule. If possible, get together with the client at the sponsoring organization's location to hold your meeting (trade organization referrals will normally meet at your office unless you choose otherwise). The community organization's environment may provide a stronger sense of support, stability, consistency, and organization to the client, whose life might be in a state of despair.
   
   
2. Learn as much as you can about the client from the sponsoring organization. Ask about the client's personal situation, what brought them to the sponsor, what their main financial need is, what type of information might be beneficial for the client, etc.
   
   
3. Once you know more about the client's particular situation, ask the sponsoring organization to contact the client with a list of relevant items to bring to the first meeting. Consider the following:
• Pay stubs and the most recent tax return
• All current bills, such as utilities, back taxes, child support payments, car loans, etc.
• A list of all debts, including the interest rates, total amounts owed for each debt, and phone numbers/addresses of each lender
• A list of all assets owned
• Names and phone numbers of other pro bono advisors (attorneys, tax preparers, etc.) or government/nonprofit agency contacts the client may already be using
  
  
4. If there might be compliance issues with your volunteer work, contact your firm's compliance personnel and discuss your plans. Complete the appropriate paperwork, if any, in advance of doing the pro bono work.
   
   
5. Familiarize yourself with the forms, checklists, and worksheets on the Significant Debt Resources/Handouts page. Based on whatever information you can gather from the sponsoring organization about the pro bono client, download and print out the appropriate handouts from the Significant Debt Resources/Handouts page. In case you do not get a chance for additional meetings, you're better off coming over-prepared with handouts you think might be of benefit to a typical client of the sponsoring organization.
   
   
6. Print out a copy of the Managing Debt and Understanding How a Pro Bono Financial Planner Can Help worksheets. Almost all individuals with significant debt can use this material.
   
   
7. Become familiar with the resources and operating procedures of the sponsoring organization. You can best support its work by adopting its philosophy of client interaction and intervention.
   
   
8. Ask the sponsoring organization for a list of local resources it relies upon for meeting client needs. These could include names and telephone numbers of human services agencies, nonprofit credit counseling firms, and other institutions in your area that can assist individuals with significant debt.
   
   
9. Bring a pad of paper, pencils or pens, and a calculator to the meeting.
   
   
10. Consider your attire for the meeting. Talk with the sponsoring organization to see what other volunteers normally wear; try to mirror that dress code so that the client will be more at ease.
    
    

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