Advisers Give Back

What Advisers Give Back does

Advisers Give Back is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating a pro bono financial planning platform that connects low and moderate-income Americans with volunteer Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professionals. Users complete an online sign-up, are matched with a volunteer adviser, and receive a personalized four-week action plan delivered through an online dashboard with ongoing accountability support from a dedicated adviser-assistant team. The core product is differentiated by a behaviorally-designed coaching program co-developed with Dan Ariely and Duke University, which structures financial decision-making into bite-sized actionable components with email, text, and in-app reminders.

The platform is complemented by a content surface including a financial education blog (FinTip Tuesday series), live and on-demand webinars led by volunteer CFPs, and an adviser-facing volunteer portal with login access. Distribution is achieved through self-serve online sign-up, fintech partnerships (Steady and EarnUp reaching a combined 3,000,000 users), and emerging community-organization channels (libraries, schools).

The organization sustains operations entirely through a donate-what-you-can model: clients may make voluntary tax-deductible donations after receiving service (average individual adviser donation of $370), while infrastructure costs are primarily covered by founding-firm donors (Mercer Advisors, Wealthspire, Altair Advisers, averaging $10,000 per firm) and a partial pilot grant from the Foundation for Financial Planning. There is no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or institutional equity investment, and the organization operates with a lean 1-10 employee structure from its Oakland, California headquarters.

Name

Advisers Give Back

Legal name

Advisers Give Back, Inc.

Website

https://advisersgiveback.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Advisers Give Back is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a pro bono financial planning platform connecting low and moderate-income Americans with volunteer Certified Financial Planner professionals through a behaviorally-designed four-week coaching program co-developed with Dan Ariely.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pro Bono Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Coaching & Budgeting Advisory (FSAEAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Planning Tools & Financial Coaching (Goal Setting, Apps, Advisors) (EDAAAJAN)

Keywords

• Pro bono financial planning
• Volunteer financial advisors
• Financial coaching platform
• Nonprofit financial guidance
• Behavioral financial planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations (Donate-What-You-Can): The organization operates on a donate-what-you-can model where advisers volunteer their time for free. Revenue comes from voluntary donations from clients who feel they've benefited from the service, covering essential infrastructure costs including support, software development, and tech services. Donations are tax-deductible as the organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
2. Corporate and Foundation Contributions: The organization receives financial support from founding firms, donors, and foundations. Founding donors include Mercer Advisors, Wealthspire, and Altair Advisers. The Foundation for Financial Planning provided partial pilot program funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Advisers Give Back is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free pro bono financial planning by matching low and moderate-income individuals with volunteer Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professionals. Clients receive a behaviorally-designed 4-week action plan, a personalized online dashboard, and dedicated adviser-plus-assistant support to help them complete key financial tasks. The service is fully free to users, with optional tax-deductible donations covering infrastructure costs.

Product overview

Advisers Give Back is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering a unified pro bono financial planning platform. The core product is the Advisers Give Back Platform, which connects low and moderate-income Americans with volunteer CFP® professionals who provide personalized financial guidance through a 4-week behaviorally-designed action plan. The platform includes a Personalized Dashboard for tracking progress, Personal Finance Webinars for educational content, and a Financial Education Blog for ongoing money tips. The service operates on a donate-what-you-can model, with infrastructure costs covered by optional donations. The organization partners with leading fintech companies including EarnUp and Steady to reach their combined user base.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pro Bono Financial Planning Program A free, structured 4-week financial planning service that matches low and moderate-income individuals with volunteer CFP-certified advisers who co-design personalized action plans and provide ongoing accountability support.
• Personal Finance Webinars Free live and on-demand webinars on taxes, debt, investing, earning, and retirement planning presented by volunteer CFP professionals.
• Financial Education Blog (FinTip Tuesday) An ongoing free blog series providing financial tips and practical money guidance on topics such as debt payoff, savings, tax planning, and financial wellness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four-week structured program with personalized action plans and ongoing support
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Steady and EarnUpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteady and EarnUp have partnered with Advisers Give Back to offer pro bono financial planning to their combined 3,000,000 users. This partnership significantly expands access to free financial guidance for lower-income individuals.
• Duke University (Dan Ariely)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisers Give Back partnered with Dan Ariely, James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University, to develop the behaviorally-designed program that makes financial coaching accessible and actionable for millions of Americans.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Foundation for Financial Planning: A 501(c)(3) that funds and coordinates pro bono financial planning through CFP® volunteers nationally. Directly comparable mission, donor base, and volunteer-supplied delivery model; AGB has actually received pilot funding from this organization.
• GreenPath Financial Wellness: A nationally recognized nonprofit credit counseling and financial wellness provider serving low- and moderate-income Americans with debt management, budgeting, and housing counseling. Closest scale-comparable peer in the free financial advisory/coaching category.
• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): The largest national nonprofit network of certified credit counselors offering free or low-cost budgeting, debt, and housing advice. Directly comparable target customer (lower-income Americans) and service mix (debt management, financial coaching).
• Money Management International (MMI): Nonprofit credit counseling agency providing debt management plans, housing counseling, and financial education to consumers nationwide. Comparable nonprofit model and overlapping services in debt management and financial guidance.
• Operation HOPE: Nonprofit financial wellbeing coach providing free credit, money management, and small business coaching, often in partnership with corporations and financial institutions. Comparable mission-driven financial coaching model serving underbanked Americans.

Emerging players

• SmartPath: Financial education and coaching platform serving employees and consumers through employers and partners. Comparable end-user experience (coaching + dashboard) and comparable distribution via partnerships, but operates as a paid B2B2C platform rather than pro bono nonprofit.
• Khan Academy (Personal Finance): Free, high-quality consumer financial education content covering budgeting, saving, and investing. Comparable free, donor-supported model and similar goal of making financial guidance accessible, though delivered via self-serve content rather than human coaching.
• Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University: Widely adopted financial education/coaching program with strong consumer brand for budgeting and debt payoff. Comparable target audience and outcomes (budgeting, debt management, savings goals) but delivered via paid group classes rather than free one-on-one advice.

Broad incumbents

• SmartAsset: Large consumer financial planning marketplace and content platform with adviser matching. Comparable audience (Americans seeking financial guidance) and matching feature, but operates commercially and is much larger and broader in scope.
• Intuit Credit Karma: Large free consumer financial platform with credit monitoring, budgeting tools, and adviser referrals. Comparable free-to-consumer business model and overlapping features (budgeting, goal tracking, financial guidance access), but much broader scope and venture-backed scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advisers Give Back