At the beginning of every school year, the Teacher’s Association at Anna Chandler’s school collects money for the “Sunshine Fund.“

Teachers pool their money. They use the proceeds to celebrate when colleagues get married or have a new baby.

Other times, they buy cards or flowers for bereaving colleagues or those who are sick.

Most teachers aren’t selfish. But as Anna says, “Many people didn’t buy into the Sunshine Fund. When the forms were sent out, at the beginning of the year, a smaller than expected number of the teachers chose to enroll.”

The Teacher’s Association decided to try something different. Instead of giving the teachers the choice of opting in to the Sunshine Fund, they enrolled them automatically. They could opt out if they wanted. But few of the teachers did.

Employers are using the same strategy with their company 401(k) plans.

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