Barclaycard Financial Literacy Campaign Targets Women

In recognition of Women’s History Month, and as one of the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at improving financial education for women, Barclaycard US, the U.S. payments business of Barclays, has announced the rollout of a new “Be Your Possible” campaign, which is a four-week initiative  aimed at raising the rates of financial literacy for women.

The Women’s Initiative Network of Barclaycard cites that approximately sixty percent of women report that their primary financial goal is to “just get by” or pay off debt.  To help serve the interests of these women, the Be Your Possible campaign will provide information, tools, resources and a platform for women to find the support and education they need to become more empowered with respect to their overall financial affairs.

One of the more widely talked about aspects of the campaign is its social media components.  As one example, Barclaycard is launching a contest for Barclaycard US Facebook fans that will provide $40,000 in funding to assist participants with the achievement of their financial goals.

The timing of the launch is important for several reasons.  First, the campaign will coincide with Women’s History Month, so there is a strong connection to the needs of women historically with respect to the management of their financial lives.  Second, the Barclaycard announcement also came just a couple weeks before Financial Literacy Month in the U.S., which is in April.

The Be Your Possible campaign also is reflective of the broad and large scale initiatives being launched by payments companies globally.  MasterCard, VISA, Discover and other companies continue to focus on financial education and literacy, which industry observers believe will bode very well for the continued growth of the financial literacy movement in the months and years ahead.