Day in the Life of Credit Unions captures the credit union difference

For the 20th anniversary of Credit Union Journal’s annual Day in the Life of Credit Unions project, instead of producing the big slideshow and print spread of photos that were taken all on the same day a couple of months prior to International Credit Union Day, this year, we asked credit unions to shoot their photos on International Credit Union Day.

More than 60 credit unions from all over the world took photos on Oct. 19 during International Credit Union Day.

With participants hailing from Australia, Colombia, Moldova, Romania, Russia and Tanzania, as well as the U.S., this year’s project had not only the largest number of credit unions but also the greatest number of countries represented.

The Day in the Life of Credit Unions project was conceived to highlight the credit union difference, featuring not only the typical day-to-day business of being a financial institution, but also all of the ways these cooperatives help their members and their communities.

As you’ll see in the photos that follow, what makes credit unions different isn’t merely the fact that they are not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperatives, it’s how they approach the business of serving their members. It can be as surprising as buying a stranger’s breakfast, as challenging as making a collections call friendly and as fundamental as simply sharing a hug.

So even though many credit unions had all kinds of special events happening in their branches to mark International Credit Union Day, the real magic is in what credit unions do every single day. From unlocking the doors at the start of the day to locking back up at the end and all the moments in between, both the out of the ordinary and the mundane, we are showing one day—albeit a very special one — in the life of credit unions.