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As a credit union committed to the wellbeing and resilience of members, employees, communities and environment, ACU asked stakeholders what they need most from ACU as it works toward a sustainable future for all. CEO Kevin Sitka talks about their answers.
Last January, we surveyed a representative sample of members, system partners and employees to get their thoughts on the purpose and impact of ACU, in order to develop further insight on how we’re impacting the community and where we need to do more.
We engaged our stakeholders because, as a credit union committed to the wellbeing and resilience of our members, employees, communities and environment, we really need to know what it is that our stakeholders need most from us as we work toward a sustainable future for all.
We sent surveys and letters to nearly 50,000 members, and 80 commercial and community members and system partners. Management and ACU’s board of directors used the results in the development of ACU’s new strategic plan, and now we are circling back with the stakeholders to share with them how their contributions shape the focus and future of ACU.
To all who responded, Thank You! We thank you for your valuable contributions — your voice matters, and we heard you. In the first quarter of the coming year we will publish our 2023 Annual Impact Report, where you will be able to see how we’ve acted on your priorities.
In the survey, we started by asking what people’s issues of concern are at a societal level. From among a broad range of concerns, members felt most urgency about: health and safety in communities; poverty, food insecurity and homelessness; and financial health and economic stability.
When asked “What do you consider to be ACU's role or purpose in society?” members clearly stated that ACU’s core function is to provide financial advice and service in the best interests of the member-owners of the credit union; they also said ACU has important roles in the community, and that it should use its capabilities to ensure financial access for all Manitobans, particularly those experiencing the greatest barriers. In completing the survey, many members identified opportunities for ACU to continue improving the member experience and continuing to expand its impact in the community.
Members see the benefit of ACU putting its values into action in living the co-operative values, placing the wellbeing of people over simply pursuing profit, and being committed to its triple-bottom-line commitment to People, Planet and Prosperity.
Finally, many members indicated that, while they know ACU does good things for the community, they had limited awareness of all the ways ACU is using business as a force for good and putting its values into action. On that note, we encourage all members and stakeholders to learn more by reading our annual impact reports, attending the annual meeting in March, and following us and sharing on social media.
And keep talking to us! We want your ACU to be the best credit union for your financial needs and your values because that is what Money doing more is all about!