Wells Fargo

Providing education and resources to student-athletes everywhere so they may understand their finances and make beneficial economic decisions.

“One of Wells Fargo’s priorities is to open pathways to economic advancement. Game Plan is helping us do that for thousands of young adults, giving them a strong foundation of knowledge and confidence to make smart financial choices.”

Bonnie Wallace

Leader, Financial Health at Wells Fargo

Challenge

Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the United States and a leader in financial education, is a longtime sponsor of collegiate athletics.  In addition to engaging with the valuable college fan base, Wells Fargo wanted to give back to student-athletes by helping them develop financial planning and money management skills.

Their established Hands on Banking program, a free, non-commercial program that educates people of all ages about the basics of responsible money management, offers a wealth of critical information that can help student-athletes.  Wells Fargo needed a partner with a trusted online platform to increase access and engagement beyond on-campus in-person workshops; and ultimately, deliver their financial education modules digitally to student-athletes.

The Goal

Wells Fargo began a relationship with Game Plan in 2015 with the goal of developing greater financial literacy among athletes across the country. Game Plan’s trusted SaaS platform, designed for the total development of athletes and already familiar to them through their schools, provided the reach – over 300 organizations and 100,000 athletes – Wells Fargo was looking for.

The Solution

In 2016, Game Plan and Wells Fargo launched a joint financial education program for student-athletes. By 2021 it would feature 18 eLearning courses, total more than 30,000 course completions, and reach 57 universities and colleges.

Game Plan’s established national presence in college athletics enabled Wells Fargo to plug right into a community of student-athletes already using the Game Plan platform to learn best practices for managing money, exploring careers, and preparing for the future.

The shared purpose of giving college athletes the tools to be successful created a natural fit between the two companies that ultimately delivered a solution tailored for their unique and busy lives.

Wells Fargo and Game Plan worked together to develop the best strategy to engage student-athletes and design eLearning courses built into the semester and year-long programs of athletic departments. Game Plan helped brand Wells Fargo’s existing content and scale distribution to schools across the country.

The Result

By working with Game Plan, Wells Fargo’s engagement with athletic departments has grown 375% since 2017 and completed eLearnings have grown 684% in the same timeframe.  Today, Wells Fargo is able to help educate more than 5,000 new athletes in their courses each year using Game Plan’s platform.

At the end of 2021 Wells Fargo renewed their relationship with Game Plan for another two years, the third time they have done so since beginning their relationship in 2015. Together, we are continuously striving to improve the learning experience by optimizing and combining courses when it makes sense for the student. Future plans include tracking more data on user satisfaction and launching a Wells Fargo branded careers page on the Game Plan platform.

“College is a lot to manage for any student, and student-athletes add a demanding athletic commitment on top of academics. We wanted to help make sure they are ready to manage their financial lives during and when they transition out of college. Working with Game Plan to provide Hands on Banking courses on a platform that student-athletes already use was the perfect way to achieve this.”  – Bonnie Wallace, Leader, Financial Health at Wells Fargo