And so do we. Belong to the bank that puts members and the community first.
When you think of the big banks, it’s probably not their community spirit or deeply held sense of civic duty that springs to mind. But as a member-owned bank, BCU Bank has always put community ahead of commerce.
It’s been this way from the beginning. We were originally formed in 1970 by a small group of business owners who saw a need for a local, community-oriented alternative to the big banks.
For more than 50 years, our profits have flowed back to our members and their communities in the regions we serve, from the Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie.
In that time, we’ve helped countless local charities, organisations, and sporting groups to survive and thrive. High five!
Better yet, our members help us choose which groups to support – because when you choose to bank with BCU, you’re not just a customer. You’re an owner. And everything we do? You better believe we do it for you!
In the frame
We decided to make our commitment to our members and their communities official with our Community Engagement Framework.
The framework has been developed with the help of our members, staff, and our local communities to ensure we’re providing support to the areas that are most important to them, and where we can make the most impact.
Based on this research, we identified five key community focus areas where we could do the most good:
- Wellness
- Financial wellbeing
- Domestic violence prevention
- Climate change
- Diversity and inclusion
We provide this support through four key initiatives.
Community Cares
Community Cares is our local donations program which gives our local branches and member-facing teams the chance to support the local organisations, groups, clubs, and charities they love.
This empowers our team members to give a helping hand to groups and causes that are close to their hearts, with various amounts allocated throughout the year to organisations making a difference in our communities.
To be eligible for this initiative, community organisations must operate within the BCU branch footprint and align with at least one of our five key community focus areas above.
If you think your community group might be the right fit for our Community Cares initiative, talk to our team in your local BCU branch.
By Your Side
BCU’s By Your Side program is our community grants initiative. Through this, our members and people in our regions can nominate local organisations, groups, clubs, and charities that are doing amazing work in their communities to receive a $5,000 grant.
To ensure the grants do the most good, nominees must align with at least one of BCU’s five key community focus areas.
Two rounds of By Your Side grants are given out each year to deserving organisations, with five grants available each round. That’s a total of $50,000 each year!
The best part? Not only do BCU members and people in our communities have a chance to nominate community groups they love, once we determine a shortlist of candidates that match our criteria and guidelines, we throw it open to the public for voting.
Because You Matter
It’s not just community groups and organisations that need our support. That’s why our Because You Matter program focuses on supporting the wellbeing of individuals.
Through this program, our members and employees can nominate an individual to receive a $1,000 grant to help them reach their wellness and personal development goals.
These grants help individuals to cover the costs of things like meditation or yoga classes, joining a running or fitness program, healthy cooking classes, and more – if it benefits someone’s mental health and wellness, we want to hear about it.
We’ll review and determine ten winners each quarter – that’s $40,000 each year.
Employee volunteering
Our people don’t need to be told to be active in their local communities – they’re already deeply embedded in them. That’s what makes them BCU-worthy (well, that and their banking expertise).
We want to support them to support their communities, which is why our people can take two paid days leave each year to volunteer with charities and community organisations across our regions.
Need help applying?
Do you know some local legends who need our support, but you’re not sure how we can help? No problem – just talk to one of our friendly local experts at your nearest branch to see what we can do.