Kentucky Saves is led by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service as part of the national America Saves campaign. This year the campaign changed dates, moving from the last week of February to the second week of April. The week of April 8-12, 2024, was official declared Kentucky Saves Week by Governor Beshear, encouraging individuals and families to save money and build personal wealth. The Kentucky Saves Campaign at www.kentuckysaves.org, is co-coordinated by Dr. Nichole Huff, Assistant Extension Professor, and Kelly May, Senior Extension Associate, both specializing in Family Finance and Resource Management.

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 fiscal year 2023-24, the Kentucky Saves Campaign received 148 pledges with a total pledge amount of more than $411,000. The average pledge was to save $113 a month over 23 months. Most people who pledged earmarked their savings goal as "general savings" (39.19%). The next highest categories were “vacation or special event” (21.62%) and “emergency fund” (12.84%). 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 11,000 people statewide online, in-person, or by mail/email. The following is a summary of 2024 Kentucky Saves activities.

Social Media Campaign – The months of March and April in 2024 garnered our highest financial education social media reach of the fiscal year, totaling 9,200, while our average monthly reach for the fiscal year was 1,949. UK Extension incorporated all five of the 2024 national campaign's daily themes: Save Automatically, Save for the Unexpected, Save for Major Milestones, Paying Down Debt is Saving, and Saving at Any Age. Extension also incorporated other content to create a social media campaign throughout the months of March and April. 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 2024, there were 12 winners from different counties across the state. Winners were displayed at the state capitol during all of March and April. Winners were recognized on social media, as well as at an in-person event at the state capitol attended by 66 people including the state Treasurer and other officials.

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 April 9, 2024. Governor Andy Beshear signed congratulatory letters for each of the student winners. Event Photos: https://www.facebook.com/KYDFI/photos_by 

Newsletter and Podcast – The March 2024 edition of the MoneyWi$e newsletter was “Allowance: A Life Skill Builder.” https://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/files/moneywise_march_2024.pdf. A corresponding podcast episode of Talking FACS aired on March 5, 2024, reaching 1,683 people by the end of June.