Aleph magazine caught up with Mike Schilling on December 13, 2021 at the Burnaby branch of Community Savings Credit Union.
1. You’re a new immigrant to Canada. Tell me a little about your background and how you ended up here in BC.
I come from a big family and I was the only one that had a sense of wanderlust. I travelled the world, and worked in some amazing places. But at a certain point, I had to make a decision to settle down and to find a place where I could raise a family. And BC is such a beautiful place, and it’s got a lifestyle that’s really unmatched in the world. As much as I’m an immigrant, I feel like BC is now my home.
2. What shaped your worldview to make you a champion of the credit union movement?
Manchester is a working class city and so it’s really in my nature to help give the working class a shot at financial stability. My father served the unions as a financial advisor so to an extent, I’m following in his footsteps. To me, it’s less about what we do, and more about how we do it. The credit union movement is a vehicle for me to serve my community. And I believe that goes for every single employee at Community Savings as well.
3. Do you love your job? Why?
Yes, I love my job. I’m one of the fortunate ones. And I’m pretty clear on my main priority, which is to ensure that everyone else loves their jobs, too. And most of all, I want our people to be proud of what they do. We have a remarkable team here at Community Savings and we are all responsible to each other. The whole credit union movement started because the banks weren’t interested in helping certain communities and many people, businesses and organizations were ignored. It’s a joy to be able to fill the gap.
4. Tell me what makes Community Savings Credit Union different from other credit unions.
I would say it’s a unique combination of our courage and conviction. We have roots going back to 1944 and it is the same today as it was then — taking action to help people that are underserved. We are also strong advocates for a variety of community initiatives, with a primary focus on mental health. We take it seriously — in our communities, for our members and our team. It should be mentioned that we were the only credit union or bank that kept our branches open during the entire COVID-19 pandemic. It took a lot of planning and bravery on the part of our team, but we felt we owed it to our members to keep our services available.
5. Tell me about CSCU’s social purpose initiative.
Our team has put a lot of effort into articulating our shared purpose. And we have lofty goals. In essence, “we exist to unite working people to build a just world.” It goes back to what I mentioned about building a culture with purpose and direction. We want to be seen as progressive, and that the work we do for our members makes a difference in their lives. We believe that this can have a ripple effect, where we play an important role in uniting people to build strong, resilient communities.
6. What’s the secret to the longevity of your workforce?
Well, it’s a very simple formula. We treat people fairly, with respect and like they are members of the family. We look after them. We also focus on a shared sense of purpose. This is key. The proof is, some of our employees have been working here for over 30 years. And if I refer back to the fact that we stayed open during the whole duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, that wasn’t easy on any of us, particularly the front-line staff. But we act with courage because that’s part of our culture. There is a measure of pride in working here at Community Savings. This is not just theory. We put this culture of courage into action.
7. Tell me a little about the status of your merger discussions with CCEC Credit Union (the Community Congress for Economic Change) located in East Vancouver.
Since the beginning, going back 44 years, mergers have been a part of keeping this credit union (and others) healthy. And the merger with CCEC Credit Union is a continuation of that practice. However, I will also say that we choose our partners very carefully. There has to be a shared sense of purpose and the cultures have to align. This merger is not a numbers move. It’s about ensuring we’re able to serve the underserved, and supercharge it. We know that a lot of people in East Vancouver are victims of predatory finance from payday loans and other similar services. They put working people and their families in financial jeopardy. This merger is a solution to that problem.
8. The term “community” is right there in your credit union’s name. How important is the concept of community to CSCU?
It’s a vital and key differentiator for us. Communities are made up of individuals, and we put a lot of effort into listening. When we listen, really listen, to what our members are facing in their lives, we get a clearer picture of what it is we can do to help.
9. Banks and credit unions talk a lot about how they offer great service and how they serve their communities. In your experience, how does CSCU “walk the talk?” What policies do you have in place to make customized service a priority for your members?
Our service excellence is not driven by policy, per se. It’s driven by our culture. We have a very strong sense of “who we are.” We are genuinely interested in improving the lives of our members and in order to do that, we have to listen — and understand. It’s my experience that our members have great ideas about how we can serve them better. Our culture allows us to act on those ideas and to work hard to make them a reality.
10. The Lower Mainland is home to a very diverse cultural and ethnic mix. What plans do you have to ensure you’re serving the various needs of diverse communities in the best way possible?
Well, one example is the fact that Community Savings has a number of Persian-Canadian members. We’ve come to learn that they have a number of specific cultural needs that are both geopolitical and language based. We saw this as a huge opportunity to serve them in a way that is specific to their unique needs. So, we’re currently in the planning stages of developing a new credit union branch that operates under the banner of Community Savings, but serves the specific cultural needs of the Persian community. The working name is the Persian Credit Union and the idea is to offer Farsi language financial services along with easier international transactions. We’ll offer customized service, support, security — and we hope — success for this important segment of our community.
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