At ALLIANCE, we take “for people, not profit” seriously. Our community is at the center of everything we do. From our financial services, designed to support you and your quality of life, to providing scholarships for our brightest graduates, and financial education to our youth. We will always have your back, working to serve you with your best interest in mind. As we celebrate Credit Union Awareness month, we want to raise awareness about ALLIANCE and what it means for our members and employees to be a part of the credit union movement.
A brief look into our history and the future.
Back in 1940, our roots began with the United States Postal Service and we have continuously grown since. After a few mergers and a couple name changes, we now serve over 500 businesses and over 30,000 members as ALLIANCE Credit Union. Our mission and vision have stayed the same; we strive to make a difference financially in our members’ lives. Recently, we have taken our philosophy of “people helping people” to the next level. ALLIANCE officially established the ALLIANCE Credit Union Foundation earlier this year to increase our charitable endeavors within our community. The purpose of the foundation is to ELEVATE people through Education, Leadership, Empowerment, Volunteer work, Advocacy, Transformation, and Enrichment.
We strive to transform the lives of our members.
There are many reasons why people are passionate about the credit union movement. When speaking with some of our members about why they chose ALLIANCE as their financial partner, an overarching theme was trust. One of our members, Eben, talked about his experience with ALLIANCE and why he was originally drawn to become a member 9 years ago. “When deciding on if I wanted to join ALLIANCE, I noticed it’s a smaller bank feel, but the people are more personable.” He expressed that he has been able to develop lasting relationships with multiple employees and that we have exceeded his expectations as a financial institution. By being able to develop a relationship with us, we get to know you, and more importantly, you get to know us.
One of our mortgage employees, Candice, shared a recent experience and why she is proud to work at ALLIANCE and be a part of the credit union movement. “One of our members has been with ALLIANCE for 18 years. When she moved to the U.S. from the Philippines, she was introduced to ALLIANCE through the Covenant and ALLIANCE relationship. From the start, ALLIANCE has been a saving grace for her. Through no fault of her own, she dealt with major financial hardships that she has spent years trying to fix. She previously had a house that was foreclosed upon and is currently not eligible in the secondary market to get a house.” Candice explained that through getting to know our member, she has seen her incredible work ethic and what a phenomenal person she is. She works 80 hours a week as a nurse at Covenant and UMC. Candice wanted to help her buy a home, but because of her past financial history, she needed to get special approval. “I told her it’s not a loss just yet, let me see what I can do. We value your membership and you as a person.” Candice then typed up an exception form explaining the member's situation and ALLIANCE was able to approve her for a Mortgage Loan, changing our member's life forever. After being denied everywhere she looked, she was finally approved to buy a home!
“ALLIANCE really brought joy back into her life. I have never had a member more grateful to be a part of ALLIANCE. We took the time to hear her story and understand what she went through, and we did our very best to make something happen. She closed on her home and was so grateful she made me and my mortgage team a homemade meal.” This is just one story out of many.
When talking to Candice about why she is passionate about the credit union movement she said, “I love what ALLIANCE stands for. For people, not profit has kind of been my whole thing even before working here. I’m more concerned about the hearts of people and how we can help them and make a difference in their lives every day. I think some grace, respect, listening, and understanding can go a long way.”
This story is why credit unions exist. We are here to influence our members lives in a positive way and grow with them financially. Credit Union Awareness month is a time to shine a light on the impact we are able to have in peoples lives. We’re not here to earn shareholders bigger profits, we’re here to invest in you and our community.
As we continue to celebrate Credit Union Awareness month, if you have a story or experience you would like to share about how ALLIANCE has impacted your life, submit your experience to [email protected] or refer us to your friends and invite them to join the credit union movement!
