News

Dear Fellow Members,

I hope this message finds you well as we continue on through the summer months. Last quarter, I reflected on the idea of growth and how we planned to expand our financial services to you, your family, and our entire community. As I reflect on my first year as your CEO, it's important to note that our credit union's successes would not be possible without you, our members and owners, who have supported us throughout our journey of improving our service standards and offerings.

Twelve months ago, our reinvigorated management team promised to invest in the communities of which we’re a part, and also in the members we serve, by expanding our First Harvest team and elevating the financial products and services to meet your expectations. This past year, we developed new and inclusive products and services for our members. Our First Harvest Virtual Branch offers a convenient and digital-minded way to open accounts online and tackle your First Harvest finances; our Growth Savings account has provided a competitive, safe, and liquid opportunity for our members to save; our new First Step Checking account provides a banking solution for those who want a simple checking option or are looking to establish a banking or credit history; and our First Harvest Investment Solutions connects seasoned professionals with our members looking to grow their investment strategy. 

As you’re aware, we brought our First Harvest Direct Contact Center back to our Deptford headquarters and have made great improvements to our call-answer time. To build upon our service standards, we have successfully grown our credit union employees by 10% since Fall 2023, which includes our First Harvest Direct team members, Training, Recruiting, Marketing, back-office operations, and Branch Teams working together to create a welcoming and uplifting work environment while delivering best-in-class member service. Enhancing our team and our member experience demonstrates our commitment to the “people helping people” philosophy that guides the credit union movement and First Harvest in particular. As a result, we have enjoyed membership growth, and our total loans outstanding to members has surpassed $182 million. In summary, more people in our community are discovering the First Harvest difference, and in turn, we are providing affordable and meaningful saving, spending, and borrowing options for our members.

Additionally, to extend our offerings to more employers and individuals throughout the Southern New Jersey region, we’ve partnered with five new Selected Employer Groups to offer their employees and their families the benefits of credit union membership as well. There are many paths to join our credit union family of 46,000 strong.

We are excited to see the success of our ongoing efforts to provide outstanding service and innovative product offerings to our members. You deserve a dedicated financial institution built on integrity and trust, and our First Harvest team is committed to delivering you quality financial solutions and personalized service.

As always, thank you for being a member of First Harvest Credit Union!

Sincerely,

Mike Dinneen
Member
President & CEO
[email protected]