‘The Deloitte Impact Foundation offers Deloitte professionals the opportunity to spend part of their working hours on social projects’, says Menno ter Wal, Director Finance & Performance. He is also the first point of contact for the partnership with SchuldenlabNL. ‘We share our expertise “pro bono” to make a positive impact on central themes such as sustainability, education, and financial health. Financial problems are not only a source of stress, but can also cause psychological problems and health issues. It’s an important social issue that Deloitte is happy to take responsibility for and to actively contribute to in a large ecosystem. And to which I personally like to contribute.’

Improving the debt landscape
The partnership with SchuldenlabNL dates all the way back to 2020. ‘There are a number of flaws in the system around debt problems’, Menno explains. ‘ People often don’t know where to go for advice. Also, the debt landscape is quite complex, and solving debts takes a long time. SchuldenlabNL is an ANBI foundation (Public Benefit Organization) that specializes in improving the debt landscape. They continually raise awareness about this topic by conducting research. Also, they scale up successful projects nationwide, and share their expertise about debt issues with the ecosystem. SchuldenlabNL is taking crucial steps, but it’s a small organization with limited means. That’s why the partnership with the Deloitte Impact Foundation was established – to support them.’

More impact
Menno is very passionate about the topic. ‘We help SchuldenlabNL strengthen its own organization by offering advice on finance, portfolio management and organizational design. We support their research - e.g. the impact of the pandemic on debt, and how employers can help employees. We measure the impact of several proven methodologies in the field of effective debt support, and try to find ways to boost the impact. We keep up with current affairs and focus on innovation and new developments, such as the consequences of high energy bills.’

Out in the open
‘Debt is a complex issue that you cannot solve alone. We have to work together and we need to bring it out in the open’, says Barend Beenackers, Director Business Process Transformation & Program Manager Financial Health. ‘On average, it takes no less than five years before someone is willing to ask for help. People are ashamed and they first try to solve the problems on their own, which often makes their situation worse. Employers could play a key role – by noticing that something’s wrong, and by being part of the solution. That’s also where we should be heading towards when it comes to financial health. Last summer, we conducted a research on the financial health of employees and the role of employers, together with SchuldenlabNL and VNO-NCW.’

‘Financial health is essential – a lack of financial health can lead to e.g. social inequality, mental health problems, or loneliness. That breaks my heart. So when I got the opportunity to spend a considerable amount of my time on improving the financial health in the Netherlands, I immediately accepted’, Barend tells.

Joining forces
With the rising inflation and current energy crisis, financial health is an increasingly important issue. ‘So now it’s even more crucial to fight for the same cause’, Barend says. ‘That’s why we’re also joining forces within Deloitte. Until last summer, “financial health” and “debts” were two separate study groups. Now we are collaborating to expand our manpower and expertise. The members represent all kinds of backgrounds within Deloitte. This is not only fun to do together, but you also notice that it is useful. It gives me a lot of energy to be able to make an impact this way in addition to client work.’