Consistent with NCBA’s commitment to community and economic development, NCBA has announced a community development initiative that launches with an online program to certify credit union staff as financial counselors, ready to protect their most vulnerable members from predatory lenders.
NCBA provides to its members a variety of tools and resources to assist in strengthening and developing cooperatives. The community development initiative complements existing programs by providing practical tools, training, and capacity building that aid cooperatives in becoming more capable of participating and succeeding in community development work.
Developed in partnership with CU Strategic Planning, the Community Development Certified Financial Counseling (CDCFC) program trains credit union staff to identify financial distress and work directly with members to prevent financial catastrophe. CU Strategic Planning created the CDCFC training, and NCBA is the certifying body for the program.
“Working people have been having a difficult time in this economy,” said NCBA President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Beall. “All cooperatives—especially credit unions—have a role to play in improving the lives of their members. Having a concern for the community is one of the core principles of cooperatives. Credit union staff members that participate in the CDCFC program will understand how best to support working people that are finding it hard to make ends meet. Without this type of support from the credit union, these people can fall victim to predatory lenders.”
