After uncovering that nearly half of Americans think that the U.S. at large is not generous, the country's most-loved banking app, Chime®, decided to put that finding to the test. Today, it released "Pay Progress Forward," a powerful look at generosity and the ways being generous can move us all forward in our financial journey. The video, inspired by the "pay it forward" trend, features actor, producer, singer, and television personality Wayne Brady alongside financial educator Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche, and proves that Chime's members, and people in general, are more generous than you'd expect.
Taking on a "Un-Generous" World
A recent survey from OnePoll on behalf of Chime, which surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults, found that while almost three-quarters of Americans (72%) consider themselves to be generous, nearly half (42%) say they feel the rest of the country is not generous. Inspired by this finding, Chime decided to take a bet on its members. "Pay Progress Forward" aims to prove that by approaching financial ambitions through a "Generosity Mindset," everyone can unlock financial progress.
The "Pay Progress Forward" Experiment
In "Pay Progress Forward," Wayne and Tiffany meet with participants to discuss their financial goals and discuss how much money they would need to unlock financial progress in their lives. After a consultation, all participants were given the amount they need to unlock financial progress and then given two options: take home double the amount they were given, or take only what they need and give the other half to someone else in a similar financial situation.
The result is a moving testament to people's inherent generosity – all participants chose to share the money, which in turn unlocked $1M to be split evenly among them. Their final decision perfectly mirrors the survey's findings that 83% of Americans believe that they'd be even more generous if they were more financially secure.
"Financial progress means something different to everyone. Individually, people are working incredibly hard to achieve their financial goals. But together, Chime believes people can go even further. "Pay Progress Forward" shows how Chime is doubling down on its belief that giving more people access to financial tools, in turn unlocking financial progress, will preserve and encourage human generosity."
– Renaldo Chapman, Vice President of Brand + Creative at Chime
Tapping Into the Community
Beyond the 10 participants, "Pay Progress Forward" features Wayne Brady, whose natural ability to create connections with people and approachable sense of humor made him the perfect "host" of the experiment-style video. Throughout "Pay Progress Forward," Wayne is a cheerleader, guide, and support for all the participants.
"Everybody has a dollar amount in mind that would change their life. For me, it was $200 to buy a suit for a life-changing career opportunity. When I couldn't afford it, my grandma bought it for me, and I've never forgotten how that changed my life and helped me progress. Chime's social experiment "Pay Progress Forward" resonated with me deeply for this reason, and I couldn't miss out on the opportunity to help other people experience that feeling. I was moved by each person's generosity and Chime's bravery to bet on it."
– Wayne Brady, entertainer and "Pay Progress Forward" host
The video also stars Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche, an award-winning financial educator whose role was not just to offer money, but to help guide participants toward smart financial habits.
"You don't have to overhaul your life all at once to make progress. Taking the first step can simply look like shifting your mentality about your finances. When "I can't" starts to become "I did", the world will open up for you. There are so many people who are hustling alone, but I believe that handling money is a team sport and asking for support will help us all get further faster. My hope is that people walk away from seeing this film with the courage to have difficult conversations, knowing it will help them unlock progress."
– Tiffany Aliche, Financial Expert
Paying It Forward in the Real World
The good news is that the human truth Chime uncovered in "Pay Progress Forward" can already be seen out in the world today, despite it not always feeling that way. The survey also found that less than half of Americans (43%) currently feel financially secure, yet the average American engages in five generous acts per week. The generosity mindset is alive and well in the world, even when it can feel hard to find.
Paying progress forward is ingrained in Chime's core brand. From product offerings and innovations like SpotMe® Boosts, which saves its members billions of dollars, to initiatives like the Chime Scholars Foundation, Chime is pushing the banking industry forward for the better with the knowledge that, sometimes, people just need a little generosity to achieve real progress.
