Families featured on the television series are paired with a coach because that helps tell a clear and compelling story for viewers.
In the broader community model, the goal is to equip local partners to serve as trusted guides. Financial counselors, nonprofit staff, school partners, community navigators, credit unions, CDFIs, and other organizations can use the tools to help families take practical next steps.
The larger goal is to increase the number of people in your city who can help residents navigate support with dignity and confidence.
Schools and family-serving organizations can help connect families to support before a challenge becomes a crisis.
The Opportunity Finder can be used by counselors, family engagement teams, navigators, and community partners to help families find resources for housing, utilities, food, transportation, financial stress, workforce needs, and other urgent challenges.
This is especially important when issues like eviction, homelessness, transportation barriers, and financial instability affect school attendance, learning, and family wellbeing.
Are families paired with a coach?
How can schools and family-serving organizations participate?
They may take place at community centers, churches, schools, nonprofit sites, partner locations, or everyday gathering places such as CVS, Walmart, McDonald’s, or other accessible parking lots and neighborhood spaces. Each location would be selected intentionally based on visibility, accessibility, trust, and the ability to reach residents where they already are.
Each pop-up includes a carefully selected group of local partners who can provide practical support around financial stress, housing, utilities, workforce needs, food assistance, small business resources, and other immediate next steps. Opportunity Ambassadors are also on site to welcome residents, listen to what they need, answer questions, and make sure people feel seen, heard, and guided toward the right support.
Pop-ups also include a mini Opportunity Looks Good On Me photo activation station, giving residents a positive, dignity-centered way to participate, share their story, and connect with the larger movement.
These moments are shared on social media to build awareness, trust, and momentum across your city. Each pop-up becomes both a service moment and an invitation, helping drive attendance to Opportunity Knocks Live by showing residents that real tools, real partners, and real support will be available in one place.
What are Opportunity Pop-Ups?
Reach includes the number of residents who engage with the tools, attend pop-ups, participate in Opportunity Knocks Live, use the Opportunity Coach, and search the Opportunity Finder with the help of case managers within non-profits, at events, or in the community.
Impact includes residents' outcomes after being connected to meaningful next steps, including more affordable loans and credit building, housing, utility support, workforce resources, emergency assistance, career counseling, and other local services. Additionally, it includes the collective progress on the city’s financial health baseline assessment through The Opportunity Coach.
Reporting will come through The Opportunity Coach, The Opportunity Finder, and specialized outcome assessments, which can be modified to include additional baseline and outcome measures, such as housing, food, and health.
The goal is to create a clear, shared picture of the city’s unique needs for accessing opportunity and what is working: how many people are being reached, what support they are seeking, where they are being connected, and how the City of Opportunity is moving Individuals and families forward sustainably.
This serves as a community intelligence, valuable for state and federal grant-making for years into the future, annual reports, state of the city and a best practice for the nation which we will share with researchers.
How will success be measured?
Not-for-profit credit unions and CDFIs are important because they can often offer safer, more affordable financial options for families who may otherwise be pushed toward payday loans, high-interest credit cards, or predatory lending.
They can help residents refinance debt, access emergency loans, repair credit, build savings, and keep more of their own money.
They also play a key role in the larger network by working alongside nonprofits, schools, workforce partners, and community organizations to help families stabilize and move forward.
Funding can come from a mix of local and national sources, including philanthropy, community foundations, donor-advised funds, not-for-profit credit unions, CDFIs, corporate sponsors, healthcare systems, civic partners, and public or municipal funding where appropriate.
In-kind support can also help reduce costs. Donated venues, hotel rooms, event support, media partnerships, and local services can all help make the work more efficient.
The funding strategy should be shaped locally, based on your city’s strongest relationships, priorities, and available opportunities.
Why are credit unions and CDFIs important partners?
How is this work funded?
Opportunity on the Street is a short-form video activation that brings the work of the show into the community in real time.
These moments are filmed in public or community-based settings, with local partners on site to help residents take immediate action. For example, someone may be connected to a not-for-profit credit union or CDFI to explore refinancing a payday loan, replacing a predatory car loan, recovering an item from a pawn shop, or accessing emergency support through a trusted local resource.
The goal is to show visible, practical relief: people keeping more of their own money, finding a better option, and realizing help is closer than they thought.
These videos are shared on social media to build trust, create momentum, and show your residents what is possible before the larger Opportunity Knocks Live event. Each story becomes a local invitation, helping drive awareness, engagement, and attendance by showing that Opportunity Knocks Live is not just an event. It is a place where real support and next steps are available.
What is Opportunity knocks on the Street?
Families would benefit from easier access to trusted local support, practical financial tools, and a more coordinated network of organizations working together to help them move forward.
The Opportunity Finder and Opportunity Coach are the tools that help families take action. The television series, Opportunity Knocks Live, community pop-ups, and Opportunity Hub are how those tools are promoted, amplified, taught, and placed directly into people’s hands.
The show builds trust by sharing real stories of local families facing real financial challenges and taking practical steps forward. Opportunity Knocks Live and community pop-ups bring the tools into trusted neighborhood spaces, where residents can connect with nonprofits, CDFIs, not-for-profit credit unions, workforce partners, housing resources, utility support, and other local organizations.
The Opportunity Hub helps equip partners with training and shared resources so they can guide families toward the right next step.
The larger goal is to help families access support sooner, keep more of their own money, reduce stress, and move from crisis response to opportunity building
No. The goal is not to come into your city, film a show, host an event, and leave. The television series, premiere, pop-ups, and Opportunity Knocks Live event are designed to create visibility and momentum, but the larger goal is to leave behind tools, relationships, coordination, and measurable community impact.
The Opportunity Finder remains available in your city after filming at no cost. The Opportunity Coach can also remain available through a software renewal. In the meeting, the renewal cost discussed was $25,000 for 2,500 seats, which could support event attendees, families connected through schools, United Way partners, nonprofit clients, or other community access points.
The broader value that remains is the coordinated local network: nonprofits, schools, credit unions, CDFIs, United Way partners, and other community organizations knowing how to use the tools, cross-refer families, identify better financial options, and connect residents to support before a challenge becomes a crisis.
The long-term goal is to help Milwaukee build a lasting Culture of Opportunity, not a temporary campaign.
How would families in my city benefit?
Is this a one-time initiative, or does anything stay in our city after filming?
Yes. Resident voices should be included in the local structure because this work must be shaped with the people it is intended to serve, not simply delivered to them.
Residents could serve directly on the Leadership Board, or your city could create a separate resident advisory group to provide guidance, feedback, and accountability throughout the process.
Resident input can help shape outreach, accessibility, trust, location choices, family experience, cultural relevance, and whether the initiative is truly meeting community needs.
The Leadership Board should include leaders who understand your city’s needs, relationships, systems, and opportunities.
This may include representatives from the Mayor’s Office, county leadership, schools, United Way, nonprofits, credit unions, CDFIs, community foundations, healthcare systems, workforce organizations, visitor and tourism partners, media, philanthropy, and local business.
The strongest Leadership Board will reflect both influence and insight: people who can move resources, open doors, and keep the work grounded in the lived realities of families in your city.
Would residents be included to ensure the program is implemented with their guidance and partnership?
Who should serve on the Leadership Board?
Leadership Board members are asked to attend monthly meetings or designate someone from their organization to participate on their behalf.
Members help open doors, identify potential funders and partners, share local insight, and support the strategy needed to bring the work to life.
The local Leadership Board helps ensure the work is community-led, locally relevant, and aligned with your city’s priorities.
Board members serve as champions, connectors, and stewards of accountability. They help identify funders, invite partners, advise on local needs, and ensure decisions reflect Milwaukee’s culture, relationships, and community realities.
What is expected of Leadership Board members?
What is the role of the local Leadership Board?
Here are the FAQ's
FAQ
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Families would benefit from easier access to trusted local support, practical financial tools, and a more coordinated network of organizations working together to help them move forward.
The Opportunity Finder and Opportunity Coach are the tools that help families take action. The television series, Opportunity Knocks Live, community pop-ups, and Opportunity Hub are how those tools are promoted, amplified, taught, and placed directly into people’s hands.
The show builds trust by sharing real stories of local families facing real financial challenges and taking practical steps forward. Opportunity Knocks Live and community pop-ups bring the tools into trusted neighborhood spaces, where residents can connect with nonprofits, CDFIs, not-for-profit credit unions, workforce partners, housing resources, utility support, and other local organizations.
The Opportunity Hub helps equip partners with training and shared resources so they can guide families toward the right next step.
The larger goal is to help families access support sooner, keep more of their own money, reduce stress, and move from crisis response to opportunity building
No. The goal is not to come into your city, film a show, host an event, and leave. The television series, premiere, pop-ups, and Opportunity Knocks Live event are designed to create visibility and momentum, but the larger goal is to leave behind tools, relationships, coordination, and measurable community impact.
The Opportunity Finder remains available in your city after filming at no cost. The Opportunity Coach can also remain available through a software renewal. In the meeting, the renewal cost discussed was $25,000 for 2,500 seats, which could support event attendees, families connected through schools, United Way partners, nonprofit clients, or other community access points.
The broader value that remains is the coordinated local network: nonprofits, schools, credit unions, CDFIs, United Way partners, and other community organizations knowing how to use the tools, cross-refer families, identify better financial options, and connect residents to support before a challenge becomes a crisis.
The long-term goal is to help Milwaukee build a lasting Culture of Opportunity, not a temporary campaign.
How would families in my city benefit?
Is this a one-time initiative, or does anything stay in our city after filming?
Yes. Resident voices should be included in the local structure because this work must be shaped with the people it is intended to serve, not simply delivered to them.
Residents could serve directly on the Leadership Board, or your city could create a separate resident advisory group to provide guidance, feedback, and accountability throughout the process.
Resident input can help shape outreach, accessibility, trust, location choices, family experience, cultural relevance, and whether the initiative is truly meeting community needs.
The Leadership Board should include leaders who understand your city’s needs, relationships, systems, and opportunities.
This may include representatives from the Mayor’s Office, county leadership, schools, United Way, nonprofits, credit unions, CDFIs, community foundations, healthcare systems, workforce organizations, visitor and tourism partners, media, philanthropy, and local business.
The strongest Leadership Board will reflect both influence and insight: people who can move resources, open doors, and keep the work grounded in the lived realities of families in your city.
Would residents be included to ensure the program is implemented with their guidance and partnership?
Who should serve on the Leadership Board?
Leadership Board members are asked to attend monthly meetings or designate someone from their organization to participate on their behalf.
Members help open doors, identify potential funders and partners, share local insight, and support the strategy needed to bring the work to life.
The local Leadership Board helps ensure the work is community-led, locally relevant, and aligned with your city’s priorities.
Board members serve as champions, connectors, and stewards of accountability. They help identify funders, invite partners, advise on local needs, and ensure decisions reflect Milwaukee’s culture, relationships, and community realities.
What is expected of Leadership Board members?
What is the role of the local Leadership Board?
Families featured on the television series are paired with a coach because that helps tell a clear and compelling story for viewers.
In the broader community model, the goal is to equip local partners to serve as trusted guides. Financial counselors, nonprofit staff, school partners, community navigators, credit unions, CDFIs, and other organizations can use the tools to help families take practical next steps.
The larger goal is to increase the number of people in your city who can help residents navigate support with dignity and confidence.
Schools and family-serving organizations can help connect families to support before a challenge becomes a crisis.
The Opportunity Finder can be used by counselors, family engagement teams, navigators, and community partners to help families find resources for housing, utilities, food, transportation, financial stress, workforce needs, and other urgent challenges.
This is especially important when issues like eviction, homelessness, transportation barriers, and financial instability affect school attendance, learning, and family wellbeing.
Are families paired with a coach?
How can schools and family-serving organizations participate?
Not-for-profit credit unions and CDFIs are important because they can often offer safer, more affordable financial options for families who may otherwise be pushed toward payday loans, high-interest credit cards, or predatory lending.
They can help residents refinance debt, access emergency loans, repair credit, build savings, and keep more of their own money.
They also play a key role in the larger network by working alongside nonprofits, schools, workforce partners, and community organizations to help families stabilize and move forward.
Funding can come from a mix of local and national sources, including philanthropy, community foundations, donor-advised funds, not-for-profit credit unions, CDFIs, corporate sponsors, healthcare systems, civic partners, and public or municipal funding where appropriate.
In-kind support can also help reduce costs. Donated venues, hotel rooms, event support, media partnerships, and local services can all help make the work more efficient.
The funding strategy should be shaped locally, based on your city’s strongest relationships, priorities, and available opportunities.
Why are credit unions and CDFIs important partners?
How is this work funded?
They may take place at community centers, churches, schools, nonprofit sites, partner locations, or everyday gathering places such as CVS, Walmart, McDonald’s, or other accessible parking lots and neighborhood spaces. Each location would be selected intentionally based on visibility, accessibility, trust, and the ability to reach residents where they already are.
Each pop-up includes a carefully selected group of local partners who can provide practical support around financial stress, housing, utilities, workforce needs, food assistance, small business resources, and other immediate next steps. Opportunity Ambassadors are also on site to welcome residents, listen to what they need, answer questions, and make sure people feel seen, heard, and guided toward the right support.
Pop-ups also include a mini Opportunity Looks Good On Me photo activation station, giving residents a positive, dignity-centered way to participate, share their story, and connect with the larger movement.
These moments are shared on social media to build awareness, trust, and momentum across your city. Each pop-up becomes both a service moment and an invitation, helping drive attendance to Opportunity Knocks Live by showing residents that real tools, real partners, and real support will be available in one place.
What are Opportunity Pop-Ups?
Opportunity on the Street is a short-form video activation that brings the work of the show into the community in real time.
These moments are filmed in public or community-based settings, with local partners on site to help residents take immediate action. For example, someone may be connected to a not-for-profit credit union or CDFI to explore refinancing a payday loan, replacing a predatory car loan, recovering an item from a pawn shop, or accessing emergency support through a trusted local resource.
The goal is to show visible, practical relief: people keeping more of their own money, finding a better option, and realizing help is closer than they thought.
These videos are shared on social media to build trust, create momentum, and show your residents what is possible before the larger Opportunity Knocks Live event. Each story becomes a local invitation, helping drive awareness, engagement, and attendance by showing that Opportunity Knocks Live is not just an event. It is a place where real support and next steps are available.
What is Opportunity knocks on the Street?
Reach includes the number of residents who engage with the tools, attend pop-ups, participate in Opportunity Knocks Live, use the Opportunity Coach, and search the Opportunity Finder with the help of case managers within non-profits, at events, or in the community.
Impact includes residents' outcomes after being connected to meaningful next steps, including more affordable loans and credit building, housing, utility support, workforce resources, emergency assistance, career counseling, and other local services. Additionally, it includes the collective progress on the city’s financial health baseline assessment through The Opportunity Coach.
Reporting will come through The Opportunity Coach, The Opportunity Finder, and specialized outcome assessments, which can be modified to include additional baseline and outcome measures, such as housing, food, and health.
The goal is to create a clear, shared picture of the city’s unique needs for accessing opportunity and what is working: how many people are being reached, what support they are seeking, where they are being connected, and how the City of Opportunity is moving Individuals and families forward sustainably.
This serves as a community intelligence, valuable for state and federal grant-making for years into the future, annual reports, state of the city and a best practice for the nation which we will share with researchers.