Across the country, the rising cost of living, increasing debt, and navigating an economy recovering from COVID-19 continues to impact the financial security and economic wellness of families. The Collaborative, a nonprofit advocacy organization in North Carolina, is at the forefront of these issues, educating families and communities on wealth building and advocating on behalf of communities of color to close the wealth gap. To learn more about this organization’s work, we spoke with Marquita Robertson, Executive Director of The Collaborative, and a member of Prosperity Now’s Community Steering Committee. 

Hello Marquita, thank you for taking the time to speak with us, could you share a little more about your role with The Collaborative? 

I am the Executive Director of The Collaborative, a state-wide organization in North Carolina, whose mission is to close the racial wealth gap. We support capacity building for nonprofits working on this issue across the state by providing them with paid volunteers through the AmeriCorps Vista program. Our organization places 15-20 volunteers annually at nonprofit sites throughout North Carolina. We also engage in some advocacy work with partner organizations, including Prosperity Now. Recently, we’ve been engaged in advocacy around student loan debt. We’re working to create a student loan bill of rights in North Carolina while continuing to push for student loan forgiveness at the national level. The Collaborative is also the lead organization for Bank On in North Carolina, and we’re working closely with bankers and nonprofits to increase and expand access to bank accounts. 

What other key financial issues is your organization focused on right now? 

Many of the low-income families that we and our partners work with, who are considered “tax invisible,” were often the very last to get access to stimulus payments and other economic supports. Not having a bank account is a huge barrier that prevents people from building wealth and limits economic mobility, particularly for communities of color. Bank accounts are also a necessity for accessing and using credit, and without an account, it becomes very difficult to acquire assets and find adequate housing. Advocating for greater access to banking and supporting direct service providers who offer financial education and tax services is very important for us right now. 

How has your experience been working with Prosperity Now? 

I consider Prosperity Now Family. When I came to The Collaborative, I took over from my predecessor Carl Rist, a former Senior Fellow who spent over 20 years at Prosperity Now and was also one of the founders of our organization. We’ve worked closely with Prosperity Now on many advocacy issues and try to engage with Prosperity Now’s events as speakers and participants as much as we can. I really value Prosperity Now’s partnership and utilize many of the tools that are available, particularly when engaging in advocacy, email campaigns and coalition building at the local level. 

What are The Collaborative’s goals for the rest of the year? 

We want to continue building our Bank On North Carolina programs and finish strong with our partner organizations across the state who are working with AmeriCorps Vista. Those two things are key for us before we close out the year. 

Anything else to add? 

I just want to emphasize how much I appreciate Prosperity Now’s work. I really see Prosperity Now as a place to go for anything we might need and having immediate access to advocacy and policy resources is invaluable. 

To learn more about The Collaborative visit their website!