It’s safe to say that the past year was unexpected and unusual for us all.

A+FCU members and staff adapted to changing circumstances through lobby closings, postponed events, and discovering new ways to do banking.

“I’m grateful for the support and patience of our members as we continue to adapt to the new business ‘normal’, and for the resilience and dedication shown by our entire team,” Eric R. Kase, President and CEO of A+FCU, said. “As an organization, we continued our tradition of giving back through a number of philanthropic activities in 2020, and will continue to do so in 2021.”

We’re so thankful we could come together as a community to support one another. Here’s some of what we accomplished in 2020 and how we’re giving back throughout 2021.

A+ Gives

After a successful 2019 launch, we continued our A+ Gives program last year and supported multiple organizations. A few highlights include:

• A $10,000 donation and volunteer time for The House That Credit Unions Built with Austin Habitat for Humanity
• Partnering with Austin Junior League to put together 1,000 bags of food for children to have during the weekends through their Food In Tummies (FIT) Program
• Donating over $11,000 to unpaid school lunch balances at 18 local schools
• Presenting a check for $2,050 to the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center from both A+FCU as an organization and employee donations
• Hosting a diaper drive for the Austin Diaper bank along with employee donations
• Sponsoring a puppy for a veteran through Hounds for Heroes

So far in 2021, we’ve partnered with Wreaths Across America in San Marcos and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Bastrop, Lee, and Fayette Counties. Visit our A+ Gives page to learn more about the program and see what we’re doing this year.

Cash-Back Checking Giveback

In June 2020, we reached over $10 million given back to members through our Cash-Back Checking program since it began in 2007. Members who have a free Cash-Back Checking account and debit card earn 10¢ for signature-based purchases and 5¢ for PIN-based purchases.

We also gave back over $195,000 to local schools and school districts in 2020 and over $50,800 so far in 2021 through our custom school-spirit debit card program. Since the start of this program in 2015, we've given nearly $650,000 in total to the participating schools and districts.

Helping Members & Businesses

As one of the first financial institutions in the area to close branch lobbies, it was important to us to expand drive-thru services to meet member needs.

Our team quickly shifted operations while ensuring the health and safety of both our members and staff. We implemented an online request system for in-branch appointments, electronic signature capability for branch forms, and created and shared resources about remote banking services. Additionally, we assisted members with loan modifications, payment extensions, waived fees, and special loans.

Our Business Services team also continued working to help local business members with their needs. In 2020, they helped our business members receive $10.1 million in funds from the Paycheck Protection Program to keep their workforce employed.

Virtual Summer Camps

In the summer of 2020, A+FCU partnered with Boy Scouts Capitol Area Council to donate $25,000 to support their virtual day camps.

Our Community Education team also pivoted our free, in-person summer camp program to be entirely virtual and helped over 500 kids continue to learn about financial education.

Awards & Nominations

We were fortunate to be the recipients of many prestigious awards and nominations in 2020, including:

• Customer Experience Award (Large Category) at the Greater Austin Business Awards
• First place in the Cornerstone Region for the Desjardins Youth and Adult Financial Education Award
• Large Business Category Winner at the Austin Gives Generous Business Awards
• Forbes’ Best-In-State Credit Unions for 2020

Click here for a full list of our accomplishments.

We’re beyond grateful for everyone’s support in 2020 and we look forward to what the rest of 2021 holds for us as a credit union.

A+ Federal Credit Union headquarters are located at 6420 E. US 290 SVRD, Austin, TX, 78723.

Have a great story to share? Let us know! Email our Customer Success team at customers@austinchamber.com