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Organizing Tools - Pensions

Let's Talk About Pensions
Looking for a way to start the conversation around membership? We’ve created tools and explainers about pensions that you can send to potential members.

How to use this toolkit

  • Learn about pensions and the benefits provided to educators and students.
  • Share our conversation starters to help potential and existing members understand pensions.
  • Use prompts to schedule follow up conversations that deepen relationships and connections.

A traditional pension plan provides retired workers with a steady income stream that is guaranteed for life — unlike 401(k) plans, which offer no guaranteed benefits and are leaving far too many Americans facing a retirement crisis.

Educators who understand their retirement options are better equipped to advocate for the best plans and arrange for the end of their careers. 

NEA’s Collective Bargaining and Member Advocacy department (CBMA) helps members defend their retirement security  and advocates for these retirement programs. Working with our state affiliates and numerous allies, we help organize the resistance to coordinated and well-funded attacks on educators’ retirement security.

Spread the Word

Use these prompts to start a conversation with someone following an initial contact. You can also change them a bit and use them to reach out to someone you haven't heard from in a while!

Share these Messages

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On Text Message

Hi <FIRSTNAME>, it’s <YOURNAME> from <AFFILIATENAME>! One thing I love about our union is knowing my colleagues and I have secured retirement security. Do you have any questions about pension plans? Check out our explainer here: <LINK>

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On Email

Hi <FIRSTNAME>, 

It’s <YOURNAME> from <AFFILIATENAME>! It was great meeting you at <EVENTNAME.>I wanted to follow up and share some information about one of my favorite benefits of union membership: pension plans and retirement security. 

Pensions provide educators with a guaranteed, reliable source of income in retirement. They are also a tool to attract and retain qualified, experienced educators to the profession.  

We’ve put together some resources to help you learn more about pensions and the ways our union comes together to protect educators’ retirement security: 

Pensions are just one way our union works to create better schools for educators and students. I’d love to chat with you to talk more about our goals. Are you free sometime in the next few weeks? 

In solidarity, 

<YOURNAME>

P.S. Pass it on! Share these resources with a friend or colleague. 

Online Tools

Pensions provide a predictable, guaranteed benefit for educators when they retire and help attract and retain great educators to the profession. Use these online tools to learn about pensions and how NEA protects these benefits to ensure educators can retire with financial security.
retired educators

Pensions & Retirement Security

Pensions provide a predictable, guaranteed benefit for educators when they retire and help attract and retain great educators to the profession.
Learn the Basics
Teacher at whiteboard

Pensions, Explained for Educators

Pensions provide excellent retirement security. Here's how they work.
How They Work
teacher at desk

Frequently Asked Questions about Pensions

Whether you just started working as an educator or are a seasoned veteran, you may have questions about how your pension works. We have answers!
Frequently Asked Questions

Graphic Explainers

No matter how close they are to retirement, educators deserve to know that their benefits have them financially covered for the long term. Share these images to let educators know that there are tools to help them understand their pension benefits!
The power of pensions. All educators deserve the ability to retire with financial security. Pensions help.
The power of pensions. All educators deserve the ability to retire with financial security. Pensions help.

Pensions provide better retirement benefits for about half the cost of 401k-styled defined contribution plans.
Pensions provide better retirement benefits for about half the cost of 401k-styled defined contribution plans.

Years of service X final avg. salary X benefit multiplier = your pension benefit
Years of service X final avg. salary X benefit multiplier = your pension benefit

Share Online

Share these tools on your social media platforms! You can follow up with potential members that like or comment on your posts.

Social Media Messages

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On Facebook

All educators deserve the ability to retire with financial security. Learn how pensions can provide a guaranteed, reliable source of income in retirement: <LINK>

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On Instagram

Understanding your pension benefit is the first step to planning for your retirement. Click the link in our bio to find expert answers to frequently asked questions on pensions!

Link for Instagram bio: <LINK>

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On Twitter

✅Relatively low fees 

✅Asset diversification 

✅Longevity risk pooling 

✅Professional management 

It's no wonder most educators prefer pensions for their retirement plans. Learn more: <LINK>

More Ways to Talk About Your Union

Looking for more ways to start the conversation around membership? Check out our other tools for additional content on the issues educators care about most.
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How to Have Transformational Organizing Conversations

One-on-one conversations are the most effective way to share the importance of membership to fellow educators. This guide will help you start recruitment conversations and navigate those questions while highlighting all that NEA has to offer at the local, state and national level.
Organizing Conversation Guide
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Let's Talk About Union Membership

This guide supports educators as they work together to grow our union. Find videos, graphics, and downloadable posters to help you spread the word about your membership drive.
Recruitment Conversation Guide
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Organizing Conversation Starters

From student debt to health care, NEA members are winning changes on the issues educators care about most. Check out these guides to start organizing conversations that strengthen union power,
Conversation Starter: Health Care Conversation Starter: Union 101 Conversation Starter: Student Debt

Download and Share

Print these pension explainers and share them with educators at events, in your staff lounge, and over coffee.

Downloads

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Year-Round Organizing at NEA

NEA's Year-Round Organizing Framework centers around key field strategies that naturally flow through each of the four seasonal components of a typical school year. Each campaign builds on the momentum of each other, helping members and staff work together to grow our union and create the change our public schools need.
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The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.
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