Stanford Federal Credit Union Makes a Difference in Two Notable Ways

In recent months, we’ve been tackling a new type of series for us. It’s not calling out specific BankingBridge features or hyping up our partners. Instead, we’re looking outward. We’ve pinpointed some lending institutions that inspire us, and we’re putting them in the spotlight. 

This month, we want to focus on Stanford Federal Credit Union (SFCU) and the work this institution does in its community. 

A little history

This credit union dates back to 1959, when it was founded by a group of Stanford University employees to give themselves a better option than local banks. Specifically, they wanted a credit union focused on serving the people at Stanford. That blossomed outward, to students, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Stanford Health Care employees, and more. 

Fast forward quite a few years. Perhaps because it sits in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford Federal Credit Union has long been an early adopter of technology. This credit union was the first financial institution to offer online banking.

Today, SFCU serves all of the Bay Area with a dedication to improving the financial lives of its members. Joan Opp, President and CEO, and roughly 230 team members now serve more than 80,000 members, more than 16,000 of which are students. But SFCU isn’t just impressive for its growth or its significant member perks. We love two additional efforts from the credit union: its community involvement and its financial education efforts. 

Plugging in with local causes

Sanford Federal Credit Union looks for ways to get involved in Stanford, Palo Alto, and the surrounding area. Whether that’s through buying sponsorships, employee participation in events, or volunteering, the SFCU team has found opportunities to back a lot of good in the Bay Area. 

Specifically, the team has involvement in all of the following:

• Alzheimer's Association Ride to End ALZ
• American Cancer Society Relay For Life
• American Heart Association Heart Walk
• Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee (BASOC) Golf Classic 
• Bechtel International Welcome Reception
• Belle Haven Neighborhood Community Mobile Market
• Children's Miracle Network Wine Auction
• College & University Professional Association for HR
• Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital:

• Annual Sponsorship
• Summer Scamper
• Spring Fling
• Volunteering

• Palo Alto Players Annual Gala
• Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run & Walk
• Ravenswood School District Walk for Ravenswood
• Rise Together Education 
• Stanford 2023 Metabolic Health Center Symposium
• Stanford Alumni Latino Summit
• Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs Women-Focused Founder and Investors
• Stanford Auto Racing Team Race 
• Stanford Genetics Conference on Structural Variants and DNA
• Stanford Medicine:

• My Heart Counts Race
• Race Against Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)

• Stanford Students:

• De-Stress Event
• Camp Kesem
• Class of 2023 Senior Formal Gala 
• Speed Friending Event

• Stanford Treeatholon (i.e., triathlon)
• Stanford University:

• Annual Pow Wow
• Cardinal Walk
• Emeriti Sponsorship
• Women's Leadership Summit
• Athletic Events

A huge part of the reason we’re choosing to highlight SFCU is because the credit union has found so many meaningful ways to engage with its community.

Empowering their community through financial education

The team doesn’t stop at partnering with external organizations and events, though. It also does internal work to bolster people through the Bay Area. Specifically, SFCU’s extensive financial literacy resources help people get the education they need to put their money to work for them.

Stanford Federal Credit Union offers: 

• Calculators. With a wide variety of calculators, the credit union lets people crunch the numbers applicable to topics including home financing, personal financing, investment, and retirement. The calculators can help to answer questions ranging from “Should I rent or buy?” to “How long will my retirement savings last?”
• Seminars. SFCU offers roughly 100 free seminars throughout the year, and people don’t need to be members to participate. This spring, for example, the credit union will host a home buying webinar including a realtor and mortgage consultant to help guide people through the process. 
• Learning modules. With this online education, people can take courses on topics they’re curious about. SFCU offers modules including Money 101, Investing in Your Future, Small Business Essentials, and Building Financial Capability. 
• Free financial counseling. Members can visit a branch or call (888) 723-7328 to connect with an expert who can help with everything from budget counseling to getting out of debt. 
• Library of financial tips. Stanford Federal Credit Union continually builds on its financial resources by publishing new tips to this extensive library. Covered topics include fraud prevention, credit building, and homeownership. 

Kudos to the SFCU team for all of the inspiring work they do!

If learning about all this giveback from Sanford Federal Credit Union has you wanting to explore opportunities for your own team, we can help. With BankingBridge tools, you can automate a lot of the more time-consuming aspects of your marketing efforts. That frees up time to lean into making a difference. Book a demo today.