Dennis Mulder is a volunteer at ‘Schuldhulpmaatje’
It's unbelievable how much peace of mind a financial overview can bring
With four children, three dogs, an old DIY house, sporting activities and his full-time job as a feature engineer specialising in fraud detection, you would think he had little time left for volunteering. But not Dennis, who works enthusiastically to help people with actual or potential financial problems.
Dennis has been doing this since 2018 through Schuldhulpmaatje (Debt Support Buddy), a Dutch organisation with more than 3,000 volunteers. “I had wanted to do some volunteering again for a while and various aspects came together at Schuldhulpmaatje: I can schedule the work when I like and I find the subject matter interesting. I may not be a 'hardcore financial', but I do work at a bank, of course, and I find money matters fun and fascinating. What’s more, I’m a fairly structured person, which is very necessary (and useful!) in this kind of work.”
“Schuldhulpmaatje provides guidance for people who are in debt or at risk of getting into debt. The range of people is very wide, from those wanting coaching because they can’t get their financial record-keeping in order through to people who are already in the debt restructuring process. The basic principle is that they must ask for support and solve their problems themselves. We offer guidance and helpful ideas.”
Going through the mail together
“Assessing the financial situation is always step 1. Going through the mail and all paperwork together, and working out exactly how things stand. This is often already a tremendous help to people, and it’s unbelievable how much peace of mind this alone can bring. Then you can tackle the problems and work towards solutions. For example, can the client cut back on spending, generate extra income, or is he entitled to any allowances or schemes? Agreements can also be made with any creditors about the repayment of debts.”
Relief
“I really enjoy helping to create order and structure, and this work is also extremely rewarding. People are massively relieved when they see that they can really take steps towards a better financial situation. They get their perspective back, which is great. I also learn a lot myself, since of course I don't know either how all the schemes work.”
Debt? It can happen to anyone
“In recent years I’ve learned that absolutely anyone can get into debt. If you lose your job, get divorced or become incapacitated, things can suddenly change very fast. I can help people with that in just a few hours a week, which I organise myself. I currently have a client who already has her affairs in order and so I could take on someone else. No time for volunteering? That's never been an excuse for me.”
About Dennis
Dennis is a Feature Engineer at Tech NL Customer & Data. In his day job he focuses on the IT infrastructure used for fraud detection. He can be found regularly in the gym, plays football and does a lot of work on his old house. Dennis and his wife have four children and three dogs.