What does “Money doing more” mean for you?

How Assiniboine Credit Union creates value for members, employees, and the community.

It’s not just our tagline — it’s the philosophy we share every day with our members, our co-workers, our partners and the community. The ripples of impact from this vision create even more value for our environment, our credit union, our neighbours, and our communities.

The idea of being able to do more isn’t just about money though. It’s about investing more in our community, creating better products and providing exceptional advice for our members. It also includes investing in partnerships and initiatives that create empowering opportunities for people.

ACU is passionately dedicated to the triple bottom line of improving the lives of people, bettering the planet and creating prosperity. Here’s how that extends across the entire organization.

Making your money go further.

• Our whole reason for being is to serve you, as one of our member-owners. ACU was named one of the top three financial institutions in Canada for member service in 2017
• We have more Responsible Investment Specialists than any other financial institution in Manitoba. (See how that can make a difference for you here)
• From offering expertise and ongoing support from ACU financial advisors through to longer-term wealth management with the expert Aviso Wealth advisor team, our goal is to help our members improve their financial health
• Investing in local businesses, from farmers’ markets to newcomer organizations to downtown entertainment centres to affordable housing
• Supporting Indigenous organizations and initiatives
• Partnering with SEED Winnipeg and United Way Winnipeg on poverty-reducing programs that help members with low incomes achieve their savings goals

Removing barriers to banking and homeownership to grow our credit union together.

• We partner with the Manitoba Real Estate Association, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Province of Manitoba, investing in homeownership opportunities for Indigenous families
• Our membership policy is open and inclusive of those who may have been underserved by traditional financial institutions
• Our Islamic mortgage is the first-of-its-kind in Canada
• Serving underserved communities such as West Broadway, Gillam and Winnipeg’s North End

Doing more for employees.

• Honoured to be one of Manitoba’s Top Employers in 2020, and one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the 6^th year in a row
• Employees are part of something bigger — a co-operative workplace that puts beliefs into action, creates better communities and ultimately, a better world
• ACU employees are offered a compensation package that rewards employee members with competitive financial compensation along with an appealing number of benefits and rewards

Reducing environmental impact.

• Committed to ensuring ACU members have a healthy environment to live in
• Supporting organizations that share the same passion for green living
• Received a National Credit Union Social Responsibility Award in 2017 for our Eco-Excellence Program, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 56% through initiatives like energy efficiency and employee commuting
• Through our partnership with Compost Winnipeg, we developed an office compost program resulting in 40% waste reduction
• ‘Buy local’ practices support businesses close to home as part of a broader ethical purchasing strategy

Preserving Manitoba’s unique character & community.

• Supporting local arts and culture groups such as Rainbow Stage, West End Cultural Centre and Winnipeg Folk Festival
• Helping build gathering spaces and investing in the community, such as the Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre in Thompson
• Commitment to invest our skills, time and resources to create a positive social impact in our communities, while holding diversity and inclusion as a core value for our credit union
• Engaging meaningfully in the journey of reconciliation while acknowledging that we operate on Treaty 1 land (Treaty 5 land in Tompson and Gillam); homeland of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Ojibway, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and in the heart of the Métis Nation

“Money doing more” ultimately means that our focus is on people over profit — our member-owners and our communities will always come first. Money is our business, but doing more is our purpose. ACU has been dedicated to this mission and will continue to make a positive impact on members, employees and the community.

View the Infographic to see how ACU started in 1943 and the journey we’ve taken along the way.