since 1935 | #justbeyourself

Volume 6 | Issue 3 | March 2023
Our Mission: Providing financial solutions for every stage of life.

Dear Valued Member,

As a Community First Credit Union member, you’re more than a customer; you’re part of a community of people who not only use the financial services we provide but also help shape and improve them.

Your opinions matter to us, and we take your input to heart when we’re deciding how we can best meet your needs. Because you’re such an important part of our success, you can also share our pride in Community First’s growth as a positive contributor to our region’s vitality.

In last month’s newsletter, I highlighted some of our credit union’s 2022 accomplishments, the details of which are included in the annual report to be released at our annual meeting on March 9. I encourage you to access the report on our website and see how we’re “Growing with a Purpose” to serve the people and businesses of our community.

Our credit union reached new highs across many key measures — including membership and total deposits — despite the impacts of soaring inflation and a slowing economy. Leading our 2022 results were increases in:

• Membership, up 6.3% to 168,000;
• Deposits, up 6% to $2.24 billion;
• Total assets, up 4.5% to $2.54 billion;
• Net income, up 12.3% to $33.92 million; and
• Total loans, up 4%, to $1.8 billion.

We achieved these results by staying focused on our purpose, which is to empower our members, employees and community to live their best lives. It sounds like a simple concept, but I can tell you that it takes hard work and a true commitment by all of our employees to make it a reality.

You may have noticed that commitment in the ways we incorporated the input you provided in our member surveys into our products and services. For example, last year we reduced or eliminated many service fees; we increased the interest rates we pay on money market accounts and certificates of deposit; we expanded our moveUP Financial Wellness resources; and we introduced Zelle^® for making digital payments, began posting direct deposits up to two days early, and increased mobile deposit limits.

I hope you also noticed our efforts to improve member service, as we increased staff by 14%, primarily in member-facing positions, and invested in our employees through new and enhanced professional development. We launched a Leadership Foundations program and Leadership Academy, which help us improve the member experience while supporting career advancement for employees. In fact, 18% of our people received promotions in 2022.

The dedication and professionalism of our employees is a great source of pride here at Community First, and one of the ways we demonstrate that pride is through our employee awards presentation at the annual meeting. As a Community First member, you’re an owner of our credit union, and we invite you to attend the annual meeting taking place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at our headquarters, 637 N. Lee Street in downtown Jacksonville.

In addition to hearing a recap of our 2022 results and a brief overview of what’s in store for the year ahead, you’ll get to meet some of the employees who are delivering exceptional service and creating the value that we provide to the community. It’s a proud event for all of us who work for Community First Credit Union as well as for you, the members who provide us with the motivation and direction to keep improving and growing.

If you can’t attend the meeting, please feel free to give us feedback throughout the year, whether through our periodic surveys, on our website or in person at one of our branches. Helping you live your best life is why we’re here. ■