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Hi, I'm William. I'm the Director, Online Banking & Engagement at Vancity, Canada's largest credit union.
My opinions and views are just that, and don't reflect the views of my employer (or, perhaps, anyone else).
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Why I "do" credit unions.
Two seemingly unrelated things came together for me this week. One is that yesterday was my second anniversary of being at Vancity and my entry into the credit union movement. The other is reuniting with some of my favourite past colleagues via Facebook and catching up on where we're all at.Explaining to people I used to work with in Los Angeles and Seattle why I'm working at a 'bank', which is a far cry from the brands I used to work on like Disney and Honda is not always an easy task. I left LA to find a lifestyle that was more aligned with my values, and that path inadvertently led me to credit unions.
Before Vancity, I worked at Telus, one of Canada's top telecommunications companies, and the main telephone provider in BC. I enjoyed working there until the strike in 2005, but I never thought of myself as part of the telecom industry. It was just a job.
But being at Vancity, I have found myself attracted to the philosophy and work of credit unions. If you want to create social change, much of that has to do with money, and that's where getting to the money via the banking industry is actually pretty exciting.
The link between my own engagement in the credit union movement became clearer when I saw a recent post on the always insightful OpenSourceCU. They were recently honoured as the first recipient of the Credit Union Global Spirit Award for translating philosophy into actions. This is a much-deserved accolade, based on their work helping credit unions reach their potential and engage the communities they serve in their mission.
It was awarded by Carol Schillios, whom I've never had the pleasure of meeting, but about whom I've heard so many amazing things.
The video on their page is the pivot point, the reason so many of us are passionate about credit unions. It is about the amazing work that Carol Schillios has done on behalf of credit unions with the world's poorest people.
I have included it below. Powerful, powerful stuff.
Labels: corporate responsibility, credit union, microcredit, opensourcecu, poverty, telus, underbanked, vancity
posted on Friday, September 21, 2007
3 comments
I was pressed for time when I saw this video posted on Open Source CU so I didn't watch it. Your post reminded me that I hadn't seen it. I agree completely - Carol Schillios embodies the credit union spirit and makes me proud of my membership in a credit union. Carol is a "people helping people" ambassador.
comment from 
Ginny Brady on September 21, 2007
"If you want to create social change, much of that has to do with money, and that's where getting to the money via the banking industry is actually pretty exciting." -
Friggin brilliant point, and I couldn't agree more!
I know I'm not the only one thrilled that you do credit unions now.
comment from
Trey Reeme on September 24, 2007
@Trey - Thanks so much. It's nice to find a home.
comment from
wazaroff on September 24, 2007
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