This area of our site contains the reports from evaluations of the Ways to Work program.

A new outside study of the impact of Ways to Work, Inc.’s innovative combination of low-interest loans and financial education shows that our program helps working families improve their credit scores over time and move up the financial ladder. Some key findings of the 2009 Credit Score Impact Study:

Borrowers who received a Ways to Work loan and did not default on it had higher credit scores following their participation in the program. For many borrowers, increases continued even well after their loan repayment period ended. Improved credit scores made a measurable, positive impact on a borrower’s ability to engage in mainstream financial activities.

Combined with a 2006 program evaluation, the two studies show that borrowers increased their participation in mainstream financial markets following their receipt of a Ways to Work loan. They opened more bank accounts, received more credit cards, and obtained more conventional loans.

The 2007 Credit Score Impact Study presents the results of the analysis conducted in response to a series of questions regarding the change in credit scores experienced by WtW borrowers following program participation. The answers offer important insights into the impact of participation in the WtW program on credit scores. A full, PDF copy of the study may be accessed by clicking on the button to the right labeled “2007 Credit Score Study”.

The 2006 Evaluative Study was conducted by a third-party consultant, the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has three distinct components.
A full, PDF copy of the study may be accessed by clicking on the button to the right labeled “2006 Evaluation”.

The centerpiece of the study is a telephone survey of 353 past and current borrowers, coupled with an analysis of program data, with a focus on documenting economic and social outcomes for program participants. Highlights of borrower outcomes from the study report are listed in a document accessible by clicking on the button to the right labeled “06 Outcomes Highlights”. The confidence level for the associated data is 95% with a confidence interval of ±5%.

Besides the borrower outcomes, the 2006 study reports on operational best practices as demonstrated across all 50-plus loan offices and an intensive study of 5 premier program sites. A selection of case studies documenting the experiences of a variety of actual borrowers has also been included.

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The 2001 report is the result of an internal study based upon data captured through routine program operations supplemented with surveys and interviews. The focus of this study was to gain sufficient insights into borrower outcomes and program components to allow for the continuous improvement in program design. The report for this study is available by clicking on the “2001 Evaluation” button to the right.

This page was last reviewed on 03/03/2010.