Kentucky Saves is led by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service as part of the national America Saves campaign. The initiative, which culminates during Kentucky Saves Week the last week of February, encourages individuals and families to save money and build personal wealth.

Research suggests that those who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them. The Kentucky Saves Pledge is a tool to help consumers visualize their goals by writing down what they are saving for and how much they plan to save. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service challenged consumers to take the Kentucky Saves Pledge and make a personal commitment to save.

During the first half of 2023, the Kentucky Saves Campaign received 539 pledges with a total pledge amount of more than $575,000. The average pledge was to save $42 a month over 24 months. Most people who pledged earmarked their savings goal as "general savings" (64.19%). The next highest categories were “vacation or special event” (12.24%) and “emergency fund” (10.95%). The campaign dashboard is available at: https://americasaves.org/content/local-campaign-pledge/ 

Research also indicates that sharing financial goals can help consumers stay on target toward success. Another benefit of the Kentucky Saves Pledge is that those who sign up can choose to become a part of the national America Saves campaign’s Community of Savers to receive email or text reminders and resources. All savers have access to the campaign resources online.

Through a variety of efforts, the Family Finance and Resource Management team at UK Extension reached over 14,000 people statewide online, in-person, or by mail/email. The following is a summary of 2023 Kentucky Saves activities.

Social Media Campaign – The month of February garnered our highest financial education social media reach of the year, totaling 12,208, while our average monthly reach for the fiscal year was 3,378. UK Extension incorporated all five of the 2023 national campaign's daily themes: Save Automatically, Save for the Unexpected, Save for Major Milestones, Paying Down Debt is Saving, and Save at Any Age. Extension also incorporated other content to create a social media campaign throughout the month of February. Posts appeared on www.facebook.com/moneywise and many were shared/promoted by UK Extension Family and Consumer Science, county agents, and others on Facebook.

Piggy Bank Contest – County agents could opt to participate in a statewide piggy bank contest. In 2023, there were 12 winners from different counties across the state. Winners were displayed at the state capitol during all of February and March. Winners were recognized on social media and in a video, as well as at an in-person event at the state capitol. 

Partner Activities – Extension partnered with the Kentucky Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy and others to extend the Kentucky Saves Week campaign reach. Jump$tart conducted a student video contest, and both contests were recognized/promoted at an in-person event at the state capitol on Feb. 28, 2023. More than 50 people came to honor the student winners and recognize the week. Governor Andy Beshear personally congratulated the students and publicly signed a proclamation declaring Kentucky Saves Week 2023. Event Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAtVhF

Newsletter and Podcast – The February edition of the MoneyWi$e newsletter was “Put Compound Interest to Work for You.” https://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/files/moneywise_feb_2023.pdf. A corresponding podcast episode of Talking FACS later aired on April 17, 2023, reaching 1,351 people by the end of June.