You vs We

Many companies use “you” in their marketing or even in their names. It has been said that “you” is widely considered a powerful and persuasive word because it creates a strong connection and personalizes the message by focusing on the recipient’s needs and emotions. We’ve certainly used it to demonstrate our focus on, and commitment to, the members. I must admit, however, while a necessary part of our communications, I don’t believe it is more important than “we” especially when it comes to the Freedom philosophy.

At Freedom, “we” is more than just a word. It’s the foundation of everything we do. It means we’re in this together, not as customers and a company, but as members of a community, working side by side to build something better. “We” represents shared goals, mutual support, and a collective commitment to financial well-being. Every success story, every new home, every college fund, every small business loan is not just about one person. It’s about all of us. Because when we say “we,” we’re talking about you and us — together. We listen. We care. We grow — as one. That’s the credit union difference. That’s the power of we.

With that in mind, I want to say how excited I am that “we” are having our first all day, all employee, development day. I know we’ve had smaller meetings to share information, answer questions and just spend time together in a meaningful way, but this day is something I’ve thought about for some time. It’s always been a logistical nightmare to coordinate and a costly proposition to bear, but something I knew held great potential for organizational development and team building if we could just pull it off. You can imagine how happy I am that we found a way.

I know this is new and maybe a little daunting, so I want to stress not just the importance of the day, but how this is about our commitment to you. We intend this to be educational, fun and provide a meaningful experience with a lasting impact. As I’ve said to many of you over the years, you’ll get out of it, what you put into it, so come with an open mind, a positive attitude and we’ll do the rest. I look forward to spending the day with you and learning together.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

I’m sure it’s happened to all of us. We look back and say, “if I only knew then what I know now”. We ponder over past decisions wishing we had gone left instead of right, chosen one path over the one we took, tried this or avoided that. All that second guessing. Truth is each choice we made led us to where we are. Good, bad or indifferent, here is where we are and worrying about what could have been, serves no useful purpose. We make decisions with the information at hand, by instinct, through experience, and maybe a touch of desire, but we make them, believing it’s right at the time. We do the best we can with what we’ve got and with good intentions.

It’s the same thing at Freedom. We have a great team continuously looking for ways to make things better for our members, our employees, and our community, We gather data, do research, discuss (sometimes ad nauseum) and then we make the choices we think are in the best interest of all concerned.

As we navigate the final stages of the merger over the next few months, rest assured there are a lot of people working diligently to maximize the benefit while minimizing the impact. As with any endeavor such as this, there will be challenges but they won’t be the result from a lack of effort on our part.

I think the quote by the poet Robert Burns sums it up. “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gle” (the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry) which means no matter how much one plans, external factors can disrupt and derail those plans. It serves as a reminder of life’s unpredictability and the need for flexibility. It’s not about perfection it’s about progress, and Freedom continues to progress in support of our mission and all those we serve.

Freedom Federal Credit Union Expands Field of Membership to Serve Baltimore City and Carroll County

Credit Union’s Field of Membership Now Includes Businesses and Consumers in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, and Harford County

August 28, 2024 – Freedom Federal Credit Union announced today that they received approval from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), regarding their request to expand the organization’s field of membership. Effective immediately, Freedom membership is now open to businesses and any individuals who live, work, worship, volunteer, attend school, or have family in Baltimore City and Carroll County. Prior to this expansion, Freedom’s field of membership included Baltimore County and Harford County.

Additionally, the Freedom Board of Directors unanimously approved and ratified the new charter.

“With NCUA’s approval, we can now provide what we call the ‘Freedom Advantage’, our unique credit union service offering, to serve a broader range of individuals and businesses, particularly those who have been underserved by other financial institutions,” stated Mike MacPherson, President and CEO of Freedom.

“Making Freedom membership available to all businesses and individuals in Baltimore City and Carroll County is part of Freedom’s long-term strategic growth plan,” continued MacPherson. “Over the years, many businesses and individuals from these areas have expressed a strong interest in partnering with Freedom and becoming members. We are confident that Freedom is exactly the kind of financial institution that Baltimore City and Carroll County have been asking for and need.”

Freedom Federal Credit Union was founded in 1953 as MATCOM Federal Credit Union. The Credit Union started in Baltimore and later moved to Harford County in support of the Edgewood Arsenal, which became part of Aberdeen Proving Ground. Freedom received their Harford County community charter in 1999 and changed their name to Freedom Federal Credit Union in 2000. The expansion of their charter to Baltimore County was ratified in July 2020.

“The Board of Directors saw the vision and strategy of expanding into Baltimore City and Carroll County, and enthusiastically approved the new charter,” stated Lisa Ermatinger, Chair of the Freedom Board of Directors. “Because credit unions are financial cooperatives, the health and strength of the organization is dependent on its members actively engaging and using its products and services. The more members that are an active part of Freedom and that use our products and services, the better the ability we have to offer lower cost loan options, higher deposit rates, less fees, better technology and access, and more community support.”

As part of the expansion, Freedom will look at all options with respect to new physical locations throughout its entire field of membership, as well as how to best leverage technology for those who prefer to conduct business electronically.

READ THE MEMBER COMMUNICATION

About Freedom Federal Credit Union

Freedom Federal Credit Union is a community-chartered federal credit union offering business banking services and consumer financial services to those who live, work, volunteer, worship, attend school, or have family in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, and Harford County. To learn more, visit freedomfcu.org.