DECA’s array of high school competitive events and learning programs provide DECA members an opportunity to learn about all aspects of finance – accounting, business finance, financial consulting, personal financial literacy, investments, capital and more.
Here’s a look at how some of DECA’s competitive events can help you learn about finance through project-based learning. For a complete listing of DECA’s competitive events, visit deca.org/compete.
Sales Project
The Sales Project uses the project management process to raise funds for the local DECA chapter. Examples include sports tournaments, t-shirt sales, 5K’s, school merchandise sales, catalog sales, sponsorship development initiatives, fashion shows, pageants, restaurant nights, value cards and yearbook sales.
Financial Literacy Project
The Financial Literacy Project uses the project management process to promote the importance of financial literacy, including spending and saving, credit and debt, employment and income, investing, risk and insurance and financial decision making. Examples include organizing and implementing seminars for students (elementary, middle, high and post-secondary), tax preparation assistance, retirement planning and student loan workshops.
School-based Enterprises
A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods/services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality or management. SBEs can sell to consumers through a permanent location, a mobile kiosk or through Internet marketing. Products may include spirit wear, food and beverage items, school supplies, signs and banners and more, while other SBEs provide services such as creative design, advertising sales.
SBEs help students learn about finances, accounting and more through the daily transactions of the enterprise. They must demonstrate, for example, how they maintain financial records, prepare cash flow statements and minimize financial loss. This year’s SBE competition topic is pricing. DECA members must demonstrate how they determine the cost of the products, including breakeven, ROI and markup; describe pricing strategies and evaluate pricing decisions.
Entrepreneurship Events
Almost all of DECA’s prepared Entrepreneurship Events require DECA members to have a strong financial background when providing detailed financials. They require DECA members to consider projected income and expenses, including income statements, cash flow statements and balance sheets. DECA’s entrepreneurship events also challenge members to determine capital needs and propose a plan to meet them, as well as revenue streams and cost structures.
When entrepreneurs are seeking capital, they are looking for loans, investors or venture capital, and in order to secure the funds, they must be able to substantiate the business’s ability to repay the loans or reward the investors.
Financial Consulting
The Financial Consulting Event provides an opportunity for members to demonstrate skills needed for a career in financial consulting. Participants will organize and deliver consultation for one or more products/services/customers. For 2019-2020, DECA members will assume the role of a financial consultant. A client has scheduled a meeting with you because he/she would like to learn more about the online features available from your organization for financial management. The client would like for you to share and explain different online customization tools for banking and portfolio management.
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