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“Adrian has brought wisdom, creativity and a depth of knowledge to the process that has proved invaluable. We have found him to be an excellent colleague and would not hesitate in employing him to develop further projects.” Eileen Halligan, CEO, Central Liverpool Credit Union.

If you are too busy with the day to day to plan for the long-term third-sector.co.uk can help you  draw up a business plan to guide your credit union as it considers:

• The LRO and applications to the FSA to expand your field of membership, offer corporate accounts and offer interest bearing savings accounts.
• Developing loan products for lower risk borrowers to balance your loan portfolio.
• Improving credit control and recovery of bad debts.
• Ways to bring down the cost per loan to help achieve sustainability.

Our business planning package includes:

• A health check with an analysis of your regulatory returns, accounts, management information and policies and procedures manual.
• A site visit to review operational systems.
• A planning workshop for staff, volunteers, directors and stakeholders.
• Support for fundraising.
  
• Continuity with new legislation: you can use the business plan to help with any post LRO applications to the FSA.

Contact us for more information or a no-obligation quote.

It takes just three minutes for you to support SurreySave Credit Union – a new and real alternative to the high street bank.

Unlike many other financial service providers, SurreySave will be a community-based organisation. We’ve applied to NatWest Community Force for funding to help us set up groups of local volunteers who will help us reach out into your neighbourhood.

You can read more about the project here. You can also read more about SurreySave on their website.

To vote for SurreySave please follow these steps:

1. Register to vote for Community Force.

2. You only need to check the box that you agree to the terms and conditions of community force; you do not need to agree to receive any marketing emails from Natwest.

3. Check your email and follow the link to confirm your registration.

4. Log in.

5. Follow this SurreySave link and vote for our project. You have three votes in total so you can also choose to support other community organisations at the same time.

Thanks for your support!

The Directors of SurreySave together with newly appointed CEO, Michelle Dollard

The new SurreySave Credit Union has achieved its formal registration as a new credit union from the Financial Services Authority.

This means that the credit union will be open for business at the start of 2012 offering affordable loans and safe savings for everyone in Surrey.

third-sector.co.uk has been working with volunteers on the project since 2009, wrote the SurreySave Business Plan, assisted with funding and led negotiations with the FSA.

David Wright, chairman of the Board of SurreySave said “We have been working for a very long time to reach this point.  The Financial Services Authority has scrutinised our business plan and agreed that we now have enough funding to establish our long awaited credit union.

“We know that there are many people in Surrey who need our services, many of whom have been turned away by the mainstream banks.  We will provide an alternative to high cost credit and loan sharks – helping families to keep their financial heads above water.

“We will also provide a safe home for people’s savings, which are 100% guaranteed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.  We aim to pay a reasonable dividend to our savers who will have the added benefit of knowing that their savings are being put to excellent use in our local community and help to support the Surrey economy in these difficult times.

“I want to thank the members of the Board and our supporters who have shown such loyalty and faith in SurreySave, and to our partners who have helped us to find the funds to launch the Credit Union.”

SurreySave will launch in January 2012 across the county offering loans and savings products.  More information will be available prior to the launch.  In the meantime, anyone who wants to be a founder member of SurreySave or to receive regular updates on our progress can register their interest here.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to lead Surrey’s newest mutual which is expected to receive approval by the Financial Services Authority in the next month.

SurreySave will be a not-for-profit financial co-operative which is owned and run by its customers, who become members. Credit unions offer a safe and convenient way to save money and provide loans at fair rates of interest.

With no shareholders to pay and deep roots within the community, SurreySave will offer a real alternative to the high street bank.

We are looking for a self-starting business minded CEO with in-depth financial knowledge. You will have a track record of success in operating a business, building partnerships and excellent negotiation and communication skills.

Please visit www.surreysave.co.uk for more information.

Third-sector.co.uk is proud to announce the launch of  ‘Connect and Grow’ our new e-mail based marketing service especially for credit unions.

Deliver attention grabbing marketing campaigns to your members at an affordable price, often for under 2p per message.

Find out more …

An e-newsletter service has been established for SurreySave Credit Union (proposed).

This enables supporters to subscribe and unsubscribe to our newsletters automatically and provides an instant contact method for the nascent credit union to communicate with its potential members.

The service is now available for other organisations; read more.

We have submitted an application to the FSA to create a credit union for Surrey. You can read the SurreySave Business Plan or visit the website to find out more.

The FSA have now signed off the application to extend the common bond of Reading Credit Union across the whole of Berkshire. The new organisation will be known as ‘Community Savings and Loans’ and will go live in the Autumn.

There’s some coverage on Meridian Tonight and the Credit Union builds on the success of its People’s Millions victory which saw them relocate to town centre premises.

We have launched a website for the proposed SurreySave Credit Union.

There’s an online pledge facility, information about the proposed credit union and a range of other useful downloads.

We are aiming for 500 online pledges by March 2011.

We have now secured funding to meet two out of three year’s running costs for the SurreySave Credit Union, which amounts to just over £200k.

With more offers of support in the pipeline we are now finalising the application to the FSA.