Credit Union Offers Effective Giving Advice 

Artist’s rendering of the new hospital.

One of the credit union industry’s most notable characteristics is its culture of charitable giving, but for many credit unions, the act of giving goes far beyond simply writing checks to charity. There’s the matter of deciding which causes to support, for example. Credit unions also have to choose where, when and how to donate, as well as coordinate the day-to-day mechanics of their community investments.

Those tasks can be challenging for any credit union. The Newport News, Va.-based Langley Federal Credit Union’s recent decision to donate $1 million over five years to help build a new children’s mental health hospital, for example, took considerable research, teamwork and planning, and the credit union’s involvement will likely continue long after it writes the checks. Langley Chief Marketing Officer Fred Hagerman, who is also chairman of the credit union’s Langley for Families Foundation, which is partnering on the donation, shared how the credit union decided to support the mental health cause, described how it evaluates requests for donations and offered some advice for other credit unions that want to make their giving programs more effective.