Take an active role in your credit union!

We've posted a lot about the credit union difference and why credit unions are a unique financial model.  Now, come witness that difference in action!  Our annual membership luncheon and meeting is being held today, Wednesday February 4th!  Come meet your fellow credit union members and our fabulous staff during lunch from 10:30-2:30.  Then, swing back at 5:15pm to our Voyager Dr. branch to take part in our annual meeting.  You'll learn about some of our initiatives in the coming year, our financial position, and eligible members can vote for candidates to serve on our board of directors!  (Eligible members must be at least 18 years of age, must be a member of HCCU for at least 90 days, and accounts at HCCU must be in good standing.)

Credit unions are unique and different, and they remain a necessary and extremely popular financial alternative for 100 million Americans.
Not-for-profit.  Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives.  We exist to serve our members, not to make a profit.  Unlike most other financial institutions, credit unions do not issue stock or pay dividends to outside stockholders.  Instead, earnings are returned to our members in the form of lower loan rates, higher interest on deposits, and lower fees.
Taxation.  Credit unions do pay taxes - payroll taxes, sales taxes, and property taxes.  Congress exempts credit unions from federal income taxes.  The exemption was established in 1937, affirmed by the statute in 1951, and re-affirmed in 1998 in H.R. 1151, the Credit Union Membership Access Act, which states:  "Credit unions, unlike many other participants in the financial services market, are exempt from Federal and most State taxes because credit unions are member-owned, democratically operated, not-for-profit organizations generally managed by volunteer boards of directors and because they have the specific mission of meeting the credit and savings needs of consumers, especially persons of modest means."
Ownership.  Credit unions are economic democracy.  Each credit union member has equal ownership and one vote - regardless of how much money a member has on deposit.  At a credit union, every customer is both a member and an owner.
Volunteer Boards.  Each credit union is governed by a board of directors, elected by and from the credit union's membership.  Board members serve voluntarily.
Membership Eligibility.  By current federal statute, credit unions cannot serve the general public.  People qualify for a credit union membership through their employer, organizational affiliations like churches or social groups, or a community-chartered credit union.
Financial Education for Members.  Credit unions assist members to become better educated consumers of financial services.  Additionally, CUNA is partnering with the National Endowment for Financial Education, a not-for-profit foundation, to expand financial education amount high school students.  A national study shows that just ten hours of personal finance education can positively affect students' spending and savings habits for a lifetime.
Social Purpose: People Helping People.  Credit unions exist to help people, not make a profit.  Our goal is to serve all of our members well, including those of modest means - every member counts.  Our members are fiercely loyal for this reason.  They know their credit union will be there for them in bad times, as well as good.  The same people-first philosophy causes credit unions and our employees to get involved in community charitable activities and worthwhile causes - just ask us!

Member Appreciation Week Feb. 2–Feb. 6!

We LOVE our members!  We appreciate each and every one of you every day, but the first week of February each year is when we extend a special thank you to all our members for their support and friendship.  Mark your calendars for February 2-February 6, because here are the events we have planned in order to celebrate:

• Lunch will be served Wednesday, February 4^th from 10:30-2:30 at both branches.
• Our annual meeting will be held Wednesday, February 4^th at 5:15 at our Voyager location.  Stop in to find out how 2014 was for HCCU, how we impacted our members and community, and what’s coming in 2015.
• All week we will have lots of HCCU goodies and snacks in both lobbies.
• Enter our drawing anytime that week by stopping in.  Tickets to enter will be given out based on the services you use with HCCU, so see an MSR to enter.  Can’t make it to the celebration?  E-mail us at info@horizonccu.com between 2/2/15 & 2/6/15 and ask us to enter you!  

Gividends - giving has never been so easy!

Sometimes donating to a charity of choice can be a long and stressful process. First you have to pick a charity you wish to contribute to, then you have to decide how much and how often you would like to donate, and finally you have to hold yourself accountable for those funds and keeping track!

Well enough of all that work, HCCU is coming to the rescue! Beginning January of 2015, we are rolling out a GREAT new program that makes donating simple! Each month all depository accounts, such as a savings, club or money market, receive dividends. This new program is designed to automatically withdraw these dividends for you after they are posted, and donate them to a charity of your choice! We have a list of 10 great local & national charities to pick from, including Bay Area Humane Society, House of Hope, Beacon House, and Paul’s Pantry.  Every little bit helps, and if we all pool our dividends, just think of the difference we can make in our community!

I know setting this up may seem like a lot of effort as well, but really it’s simple! Stop in to either of the HCCU branches and speak with an MSR!  It’s as easy as filling out a quick enrollment form that tells us which charity you would like to donate to, what percentage of your dividends, and from which account.  From there, we take care of everything!  And when it comes to tax time, you can see the dividends you earned as well as your donations on your monthly statements, so keeping track is super easy!

Let’s kick off 2015 the right way, and start donating to our local community!

Post by: Emily P

The CU Difference in Action….Come See the Difference 2/4/15!

You’ve probably heard it before, whether it was from us or some other source, people often talk about the difference between banks and credit unions.  Is there a difference, what is the difference, we all have similar products and services, right? 

It’s true!  We do offer very similar things.  There is a major difference though.  A credit union is a democratic, member-owned cooperative. So when you join a credit union, you’re more than a member; you’re an owner—and that means you have a say in how your credit union is run.  How do you have a say you ask?  By voting! 

Every year on the first Wednesday of February we hold our annual meeting, and ALL members are invited to attend.  Attendees will learn about the credit union’s performance in 2014 and receive information about its impact on members and the community.  All eligible members in attendance will also vote for nominees to fill vacant board of director positions.  (Eligible members must be at least 18 years of age, must be a member of HCCU for at least 90 days, and accounts at HCCU must be in good standing.)

So join us Wednesday, February 4^th when Horizon Community Credit Union will hold its 83^rd annual meeting.  The meeting will be held at our branch at 3139 Voyager Drive, Green Bay.  The meeting will begin at 5:15 P.M.  Hope to see you there!

Post by: Cari J

The Credit Union Difference

There are tons of reasons to love your credit union!  Credit unions are a really unique business, and by belonging to a CU, you’re a part of something pretty cool.  Credit unions are member-owned financial cooperatives.  This means that as a member of the credit union, you’re also an owner.  You get a say in how we do things here!  Your credit union is run by a volunteer board of directors that is elected by the membership (that’s you!) in a democratic process – each member has one vote.  Our board members are also members of the credit union, so they have a unique interest in seeing the credit union succeed and grow.  They are also members of our local community, so they understand what it is like to live, work, and transact business in northeast Wisconsin. 

Credit unions are also not-for-profit.  Money that we make is returned to the membership in the form of higher deposit rates, lower loan rates, and lower fees.  So all that means is rather than pad the pockets of a handful of stakeholders, we pay our dividends to you, and pad YOUR pockets.  During the recession of 2008, credit unions as a group fared much better than the bigger banks, because credit unions had been doing business responsibly all along. 

You may have also heard it said that credit unions are "for people, not profits”.  “People helping people” is the credit union philosophy.  It is the principle on which all credit unions were founded, and it is how credit unions still do business today.  This is brought to life when we lend a member $500 to fill their propane tank for the winter, or when we help a member devise a plan to pay off medical debt from an illness.  On a broader level, we live this philosophy by offering financial education to our members and communities, participating in charity events, and sponsoring community events, in addition to serving the needs of our members.

       

To learn more about the credit union difference, visit www.asmarterchoice.org or the Wisconsin Credit Union Scorecard.

Happy International Credit Union Day!

International Credit Union Day has been celebrated since 1948.  The day was started to reflect on the history of credit unions and to promote our achievements.  It is meant to honor those who have dedicated their lives to the credit union movement and to bettering the lives of our credit union members worldwide.

This year's theme for the day is "Local Service, Global Good", and while we aim to live that mission every day, we wanted to do a little something extra today at Horizon Community Credit Union.  HCCU staff and members spent the morning putting together lunches for area non-profits, to be given to the people they serve and their volunteers.  

We would like to give a big thanks to those who helped us prepare the lunches, and to the volunteer and non-profit organizations in the area for the work that they do to improve our community.  

If this conversation sounds familiar to you, we want you to share the love!

"The bank charged me $35.00 for insufficient funds in my checking account. They also sent the check back to the company I wrote it out to and they will probably charge me another $35.00. Ugh! I know it was my mistake.  I used my debit card but forgot to write down how much I spent.  But that money was supposed to be used for groceries and my public service bill, and now I'm going to be short this month!" 

Later that day, after talking to a member of Horizon Community Credit Union...

"What?! If I had an account at Horizon Community Credit Union I would have overdraft protection!? They pull the money from your savings (share) account to cover the overdraft check and only charge you a $5.00 fee! That's unbelievable! Only five bucks for my accounting error? Not a bad deal! That would have saved me money for my groceries and quite a bit of embarrassment! I’m definitely heading to Horizon CCU to open a savings (share) and checking account!"

Don't keep HCCU a secret!  One of the many benefits to being a credit union member is that credit unions are not for profit.  Rather than pad our own pockets, we return our earnings to our members in the form of higher deposit rates, lower loan rates, and lower and fewer fees.  Not only that, but the mission of Horizon Community Credit Union is to help our members success financially.  Credit unions don't exist to make only a few people rich; they exist to help their members and communities be more financially secure and money-smart.  Know someone who would be better off with our benefits and services?  We'd love to meet them!

Post by: Alice E  

Don't Tax My Credit Union!

Credit unions today hold a tax exempt status because they are designed to be run as a not for profit organization. This helps CU members achieve financial success by giving back profits in the form of dividends, and also by offering lower interest rates and fees on loans. But even though credit unions are exempt from paying corporate income taxes, credit unions do still pay taxes like property taxes, sales taxes, and employment taxes.  In Washington there are proposed bills to change these items as a part of an overall tax reform.

Essentially, a tax is added to credit unions, which will trickle down to its members in the form of more fees, higher interest rates, and lower dividends to accommodate the additional expense to the credit unions.

There currently is a ‘Don’t Tax My Credit Union’ initiative taking place to educate current and future members of credit unions of this possible change. Members are also encouraged to write letters to their representatives about the effects of these bills. To learn more about this initiative we have a direct link on our website as well as Facebook for Don’t Tax My Credit Union, www.donttaxmycreditunion.org.

Post by: Lindsey L

Seven...definitely more than a number!!!!!!!

Seven. The luckiest number…what do you think?

When rolling two standard dice (six sided), the probability that seven will come up is 1/6. Those are the best odds of any result. On the other hand, there are seven deadly sins (if you believe that), then there is the movie from many years ago, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (now that would be an expensive ceremony!), and the infamous list from when I was younger put together by a comedian, “Seven words you can never say on television”. I won’t repeat those now, but suffice to say I have since heard them on the television, and I’m not happy about it. Then there are the most famous seven: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey!

So why do I keep on talking about seven? Because there are 7 Cooperative Principles that guide us. These principles date back to some of the earliest co-ops that formed in England in the 1800s. To this day, they still form the foundation on which cooperatives around the world operate. Horizon Community Credit Union is a cooperative and has adapted these principles to the financial needs and goals of our members. These 7 Cooperative Principles guide us in everything we do.

#1 Volunteer: we are open to anyone that is allowed by our membership charter. http://www.horizonccu.com/joinhccu.php

#2 Democratic: we are democratically run, controlled by our members.

#3 Economic: members contribute equally to the capital of the cooperative and recognize benefits in proportion to the extent of their financial transactions and general usage.

#4 Independence: we are controlled by our members, not outside shareholders.

#5 Education: cooperatives provide education and training for members, elected representatives, managers, and employees, so that they can prosper and contribute to the growth and well-being of the cooperative.

#6 Cooperation: cooperatives serve best when working with others in the cooperative movement.

#7 Community: while focusing on member needs, giving back and developing community is something we take very seriously.

We are a cooperative. We are your credit union!

Post by: Pat J