Doing Good in the community

BLUE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION is a 65 year old newbie.

OK, I’d better explain.

This great company recently re-branded after the merger of Warren Federal Credit Union and Community Financial Credit Union, creating a name which evokes their background in serving military personnel.  It also captures their culture of optimistically building toward a future of unlimited possibilities.

It makes for a cool logo, too – bonus!

But we don’t pick a financial institution because of the logo.  This story is really about the character of this company.

I recently talked with Kylee Sara and Mindy Peep, who shared some of the story behind Blue.  I was particularly interested to hear about their “Do Good Unite” campaign, which combines building membership with making a difference in the community.

The idea is simple: Whenever you open up a new membership with a checking account, they give you $100 with the instructions to use it to do good.

You get to decide what that means.

It’s extraordinarily inspiring.  They’re hearing stories back from people doing all kinds of interesting things, at schools, with charities, and with personal efforts.  Even those who need the money to pay bills, they’re going out and volunteering time and effort.

And if they meet their membership goals for 2016, Blue will donate $20,000 to the Fort Collins Downtown Business Association and $10,000 to the Wellington Main Street Program earmarked for specific improvements to be announced a press event in mid-November.

So what does it feel like to work for a company this generous?

Blue has over 260 employees in over a dozen branches and administrative offices across Colorado and Wyoming.  With departments specifically focused on community causes and outreach, they attract employees who want to have a deeper purpose in their work.  It’s clearly not just about having a sales campaign to create an image which impresses others.  There’s a lot of authenticity behind this organization.

In an important way, it hearkens back to the history of Credit Unions.  Even though they offer the same services as banks, they are chartered to serve the community and return profits back to members – not shareholders.

I’ve been a happy credit union member for nearly 40 years, and it’s a powerful model which has served me well.  It’s fantastic to see how Blue is innovating and growing quickly – all built on a deep philosophy of service.

Check out the funky new Fort Collins downtown location!  It fits right in.