Contribution Guidelines

Community Impact Program

Please review our Contribution Guidelines prior to requesting a donation, sponsorship,or volunteers.

Introduction

Starting January 2025, Achieve Credit Union will declare an annual amount that we pledge to donate to causes and organizations within the communities we serve. The amount is based on a percentage of the previous year’s debit and credit card interchange fee income. Funding is generated through member purchases made with Achieve debit and credit cards. Achieve donates a portion from fees merchants collect during a transaction to fund our annual pledge.

Guidelines

Philanthropic endeavors are not to be confused with Achieve’s business development or marketing expenses, for which there are separate budgets and accountability.

  1. Donations must be for a local civic, charitable or academic organization. A local organization will have its membership and operation within Achieve’s service area. Nonprofit organizations must be able to provide proof of 501 (c) 3 status.

  2. Achieve does not guarantee contributions or contribution amounts year-to-year but will provide a year notification if the program would be terminated.

  3. Achieve may make donations of money, property or services, including but not limited to employee volunteerism.

  4. Because of the spiritual diversity of our membership, it is very difficult to contribute equitably to religious organizations. Achieve will not consider supporting religious organizations through the purchase of advertising in a bulletin. However, Achieve will consider contributing to educational institutions associated with religious organizations for other functions.

  5. Certain requests will NOT be considered:

    a. Organizations or causes that do not impact our service area. Exception: We may donate if there is significant local participation or support, or if the organization is holding an event or meeting in one of our communities.

    b. Donations for individuals, except in rare instances such as a personal or family disaster. Requests not considered: trips, beauty pageants, modeling shows, sports programs and dinners to benefit an individual.

    c. Adult sports teams and leagues. Exception: We may donate if the team consists of one or more employees.

    d. Organizations or entities that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age or national origin.

    e. Political parties or partisan political campaigns.

    f. Organizations that might in any way conflict with Achieve’s mission, vision, core values, and/or products and services.

Where we focus our support

As we invest our time and resources in the communities we serve, we focus on three areas of impact:

EDUCATION

Achieve was founded in 1958 as an educators' credit union. Education is in our blood! We support education through financial literacy and wellness programs, student scholarships, and employer-hosted workshops on financial well-being.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

We believe credit unions should extend beyond their branches' four walls. Achieve shows up for organizations committed to bringing communities together.

CRISIS CARE + RECOVERY

Nobody should be left alone, especially the most vulnerable. Homeless veterans, domestic violence victims, and children in crisis family situations are particularly vulnerable in our community.

Please follow the following procedures when submitting a request:

  1. Review Achieve’s Contribution Guidelines set forth to make sure your nonprofit organization is eligible for consideration.

  2. Contribution requests must be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to the donation due date. Achieve does not guarantee contributions year-to-year. The granting of each contribution by Achieve is at the sole and absolute discretion of Achieve.

  3. You can submit our donation, sponsorship, or volunteer request form at AchieveCU.org/impact-request.

  4. Expect a decision from Achieve Credit Union within 30 days of our receipt of your request.

Conclusion

The intent of these guidelines is not to be exclusionary but to help Achieve make decisions that will best support the interests of our members, our credit union, and our community. Because Achieve is a not-for-profit organization, our financial resources are limited. We cannot accommodate all eligible requests we receive. Criteria for evaluation and eligibility standards are subject to review and may change at any time as deemed prudent and necessary by the management of Achieve.

Revision date: 01/27/2025