At Chime, we believe that financial well‑being isn’t defined by perfection, it’s built from consistent progress: the small wins, the choices made, the habits formed. Financial Progress Month 2025 was born out of a need that too many people feel left behind by traditional financial services that assume a level of knowledge or resources many simply don’t have. Our goal was to shift the narrative, deepen impact, and show up in communities - both online and in person. We set out to:
- Reframe the conversation from “financial literacy” to “financial progress,” elevating momentum, action, and accessible tools over mastery.
- Reach more people, especially those underserved by the financial system, with stories, content, and activations that feel real and doable.
- Deliver hands‑on learning and local community empowerment through events, simulations, and direct engagement that connects what people do every day with what they want for their future.
- Activate internally so the mission lives in Chime’s culture and doesn’t just appear in marketing, where employees, partners, and community members all playing a role.
We also launched the “Mama, I Made It” marketing series that reinforced this mission: sharing intergenerational stories from prominent influencers of struggle, breakthrough, and progress to show that financial wins are often incremental and deeply personal.
To make Financial Progress Month more than a campaign, we developed a multi‑layered approach combining media, on‑the‑ground community work, partner activation, internal alignment, and access to digital platforms, all designed so that each part amplifies the others. Financial Progress Month was a full campaign with multiple touchpoints: creative content, in‑app tools, public events, and employee activation. All woven together so members, communities, and Chimers feel part of something bigger.
Campaign & Creative Storytelling
- We launched the “You’re Making It” brand campaign featuring Coach Chime (Deion Sanders), along with creator partners and FinTok trends, to model progress in everyday financial decisions.
- We published the first Chime “Impact Map: Americans Chime In,” which surfaced data showing 97% of Chime members report that the tools helped them make progress in at least one way.
Community Events & Experiences
- In Boulder, over 125 high school juniors and seniors took part in “Life in the Neighborhood,” a budgeting simulation reflecting real lives and local costs. Coach Chime and local leaders also spoke about making progress that matters.
- In Dallas, 60 seniors from South Oak Cliff engaged in budget scenarios, financial games, and conversations grounded in daily realities: healthcare, housing, unexpected costs.
- In Washington D.C., we participated in the Financial Literacy & Wealth Creation Caucus Resource Fair, adding our voice and tools to public sector efforts.
- In Detroit, over 100 youth participated in a day of financial and mental wellness programming with Big Sean, blending meditation, journaling, and dream‑planning exercises designed to help them visualize and take action.
“Mama, I Made It” Series
- During May, we launched stories that explore financial progress as it’s lived in households, across generations, from mentors and mothers who guided financial decisions. These narratives made the campaign more personal and expanded reach across video platforms while also offering and ode to Mother's Day.
- We debuted Big Sean, and to bring that story to life, Chime hosted a free concert in Detroit on May 11 at Saint Andrews Hall. The event was paired with a youth‑focused community day alongside Big Sean’s nonprofit and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan.
Internal Engagement & Volunteerism
- We invited Chimers (employees) to engage through local community events, providing operational support, sharing stories, volunteering, and through internal programming: financial wellness workshops, Slack‑based trivia games, conversations with finance leaders, acts of services around the community, and peer learning sesssions.
- Our employee involvement helped ground the campaign in Chime’s values, ensured authenticity, and amplified community reach.
Addressing Challenges
- Tailoring: we made sure that simulations, content, and stories reflect different regional realities so progress feels achievable.
- Balance: media spend, creative content, and high‑touch community work all required coordination and cross‑functional partnership. We prioritized alignment to mission over just reach.
- Measuring both scale and depth: combining survey data, usage metrics, event feedback, and stories to capture not just how many people saw or heard, but how many felt empowered to act.
Reframed perception & narrative: Through the Impact Map, survey work, and stories like Big Sean’s, people began to see financial health as cumulative. 97% of Chime members said Chime helped them make progress in at least one way. Our messaging around “progress over perfection” was picked up across media and social channels.
Expanded reach & engagement: Community events in Boulder, Dallas, DC, and Detroit drew hundreds of people into interactive financial learning and impacted thousands through secondary program reach. The Detroit youth event saw over 100 kids participating in wellness and finance stations. Zogo learning modules provided bite-sized learning to thousands of communites across the country. Media content - including the Big Sean episode, YouTube, and the Deion TV spot—amplified the message further.
Empowerment & action: Participants reported increased confidence in making financial choices, better financial conversations in their communities, and more ability to see small wins as real steps. Community partners highlighted how the tools and content continue to be used after the events.
Internal alignment & culture: Chimers from across functions stepped up by volunteering in local communities, supporting events, storytelling, and participating in internal activations. The campaign reinforced Chime’s core values and helped embed “progress mindset” inside the organization.
Where we exceeded expectations was in combining storytelling, access tools (like Zogo), community presence, and providing a hopeful narrative, making the campaign more than awareness, but a platform for tangible financial progress for people.
Video for Unlocking Financial Progress™: Chime’s Financial Progress Month
