Real Solutions - A National Credit Union Foundation Program

The Aspen Institute wants to put people of modest means in touch with credit unions that can help with their financial needs. Its AssetPlatform at www.AssetPlatform.org is a resource for staff at nonprofit organizations to help lower-income families obtain financial education and coaching assistance to build assets. The site includes a credit union locator link to help individuals find a credit union in their area that they are eligible to join.

Your credit union has until August 5, 2011 to enter the Credit Union Excellence in Lending Awards. I thought I would pass this along as they have a specific category for low wealth/modest means lending programs. Good luck!

For the first time, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) will be holding a Financial Reality Fair on March 2, 2011 in conjunction with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, DC. A Reality Fair is an interactive financial literacy tool for high school students.

Montana Credit Unions for Community Development (MCUCD) recently reported a collective increase of small loans of over 26% in the fourth quarter of 2010 from credit unions they were tracking. MCUCD attributes the growth to a state-wide public awareness campaign it ran last year to educate the general public in Montana about the availability of small loans at credit unions. The campaign was made possible in large part by a National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) grant though the REAL Solutions program.

With the REAL Solutions member testimonial video contest ending last week, we’d like to highlight even more member testimonials (and CU staff testimonials), this time from Wisconsin. We’ve previously highlighted the Wisconsin Credit Union League’s “For a Reason” website last year, but recently they’ve added a lot more to their website, bringing the total to over 130!

Oscar Rivera, who shared his story of becoming a homeowner and small business owner with help from Guadalupe Credit Union in Santa Fe, N.M. is the grand prize winner in the REAL Member Solutions Video Contest. Voting for the best credit union testimonial ended Friday, January 21, 2011 and 2,729 votes for the five finalists were cast over a two-week period.

Holy Rosary Credit Union is making headway in helping their local Hispanic community become financially literate, in large part thanks to “Your Finances Today,” their successful collaborative financial education program.

After much deliberation, we’ve narrowed the amazing videos sent in by leagues and credit unions across the nation down to our top five. And now we need your help! Voting is now over – click here for the winner announcement
Click here to watch the top five!

I realize this isn’t directly pertaining to REAL Solutions, but it’s such a great story I thought it was worth sharing. From the Ohio Credit Union League:

In a matter of a few hours, a Columbus area homeless man went from down on his luck, to the latest viral sensation, to a likely spokesperson for the Central Ohio Chapter of the Ohio Credit Union League. Ted Williams, who was featured on The Columbus Dispatch website in a video story titled “Golden Homeless Voice,” claims to be “an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times,” according to the sign he uses to panhandle.

Last year, the Nebraska Credit Union League released a series of videos illustrating the benefits of credit unions over banks. The videos take a humorous tone, but still underscore what makes credit unions different (and better) than other institutions. The one above, “A Union Resulting in Lower Interest,” seems to be the most popular and is my favorite.

The majority of young adults between the ages of 23 and 28 consider “making better choices about managing money” the single most important issue for individual Americans to act on today, according to a recent Charles Schwab survey. In St. Louis, Mo., St. Louis Community CU is doing something about it. The credit union is helping both youth and adults in their community become more financially literate thanks to outreach efforts in local schools and community partners. The credit union also offers products specifically for the unbanked and underbanked.

Credit unions’ success in delivering services and products to the next generation will define their ability to be relevant for the future. Membership growth is the number one issue facing credit unions. The young adult market provides a viable means for growth in membership and opportunities to recruit and retain talented young professionals and volunteers. Credit unions have the opportunity to engage the right tools and mindset to be relevant to this market.

For the first time, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) will be holding a Financial Reality Fair on March 2, 2011 in conjunction with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, DC. A Reality Fair is an interactive financial literacy tool for high school students.

Innovations from the Filene Research Institute were discussed and representatives from the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office presented small-dollar loan programs at the final in-person meeting of REAL Solutions Partner credit unions in Illinois for this year.

How is it that Christmas rolls around faster and faster every year – followed closely by tax time? Tax time for many of us is a dreaded event of gathering receipts, traveling to tax accountants and of course the dreaded tax bill. However, for many low income working families, tax time is actually a good time. For many, tax returns and EITC credits provide families with resources not available at other times of the year. Yet finding the right tax preparer is not always easy.