Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation has launched a series of financial well-being programs as part of its Pandemic Response Strategy

Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation has launched a series of financial well-being programs as part of its Pandemic Response Strategy to meet the needs of credit unions, their staff, and their members. The strategy contains four specific components that include the Financial Counseling Certification Program, known as FiCEP; a toolkit for Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors (CCUFC); free one-on-one financial counseling; and affordable e-learning programs.

Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors Toolkit

Designed for Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors, the CCUFC Toolkit will enable credit union staff to build upon their skills and knowledge as they help members navigate their individual paths toward financial health. The toolkit covers topics, such as finance, coaching, counseling, the cycle of change, and building relationships, which are all intricately connected. If you are a CCUFC and have not yet received your toolkit, please contact the Foundation.

Financial Counseling Certification Program

The Foundation is offering the Credit Union National Association's FiCEP training free to credit union staff, combining the convenience of a self-study program with group hands-on learning. Students gain the knowledge and skills to help members experiencing financial difficulties, which also reduces delinquencies and charge-offs and grows product and service revenue. Upon completion of the eight-module program, students become Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors and earn the CCUFC designation. Students will have two programs to choose from, one standard and the other accelerated. To date, 394 CU professionals are on their way to becoming CCUFCs. The registration deadline has passed; however, you may still register with a few changes. Please contact the Foundation if you are interested.

Free one-on-one financial counseling

The Foundation is partnering with BALANCE to offer credit union staff one-on-one coaching with a licensed financial coach/counselor for up to one year. Credit union staff and their dependents can call a toll-free hotline to discuss money management questions, receive debt counseling, schedule appointments for free budget counseling, or request information on a variety of financial issues. For more information, watch the recorded educational webinar available on the Foundation's website.

Affordable e-learning

The Foundation is partnering with three financial capability providers to offer affordable e-learning platforms to credit unions. The Foundation will cover a portion of the cost to host the program on its website for one year, based on the credit union's asset size.

The three learning platform providers are BALANCE, Enrich Financial Wellness, and EVERFI digital adult and family financial education technology. Each provider hosted an educational webinar/demo describing its programs and costs and allow credit unions to choose which platform best suits their needs and budgets. To access the recorded demos, please visit the Foundation's Pandemic Response Strategy page. Credit unions can take advantage of this special pricing through December 2020.

For questions, please contact Foundation Financial Capability Director Marina Garcia at mgarcia@cscuf.coop or visit the Foundation's website.