Good iDiz (v2): WSFCU

Last week we decided to start focusing on positivity. We’re started looking for examples of community building, charity, and things that generally put a smile on our faces. We hope you’ll help us keep it going.

This week, we reached out to some folks we know have deep ties to their local communities. They told us how they get involved and deliver on their promise to prioritize people, not profit.

White Sands FCU makes community building a priority

We chose White Sands FCU because they walk the talk. In the words of Stephanie M.:

“One of the things that WSFCU is most proud of is our involvement in the community.  Whether it’s volunteering to work a booth, participating in local walks, or supporting the local animal shelter our employees are always willing to help.”

One of their most stand-out ideas is their Do A Good Deed program. This program allows WSFCU employees to make a difference right away.

Stephanie says, “I’m not exactly sure when the Do A Good Deed program started but I have information dating back to 2005. Since then our employees have donated more than $126,000.00 of their own money to local non-profit organizations.”

“Our Do A Good Deed program is completely voluntary and even now during these hard times, I have 98% participation from our employees. Employees donate to the Do a Good Deed program through payroll deduction, and at the beginning of the year, I ask all participants who they want to support and then we vote. The organizations with the most votes get the donations.”

WSFCU’s community-oriented approach really seems to resonate with their current and prospective employees.

“We have had quite a few people tell us during the interview process that the reason they applied to work at WSFCU was because of our involvement in the community. Most of our events are after work hours and on the weekends but our employees don’t mind and I love that. I never have a problem rounding up volunteers for any event even the last-minute ones.”

But even these community-building pros have been affected by the pandemic.

“This year has been tough on us all. Since COVID started New Mexico has had a pretty strict public heath order in effect therefore we have not participated in any physical community events. We made all our donation either online or by mail and sponsored a lot of “Virtual”  walks.   Although we cannot be there in person, we realize that most of the organizations operate primarily on community donations and that’s important to us to still continue to donate to these organizations. We are sad that we are not able to get out into the community but we are hopeful for a better 2021.”

30 Logos in 30 days (part 1)

From Kent Dicken:

I had an idea: What if CUs were named after their purpose, instead of their location or original SEG? What if their logos reflected that purpose?

As a creative exercise, I decided to design a logo every day during November. It also gives my brain something to do other than thinking about pandemics and elections.

I started by listing adjectives that I would love to see as actual CU names. I gave myself some limitations – one type family and a limited color scheme – and got to work.

Let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions for names, please add a comment below.

And if you decide you really want to use one of these for your CU, let’s talk 😉

Sam Dicken
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