Redwood Credit Union donated more than $64,000 this year to housing-focused nonprofits, a 9 percent jump from last year. The money came from a quarter at a time, every time a member used an RCU Visa® debit or credit card on October 15.
The occasion was International Credit Union (ICU) Day, the annual worldwide celebration of what credit unions do for their members and communities.
Small Change, Big Pot
Think of it like a community potluck. No single dish feeds the crowd, but when everyone brings something, the table fills up fast. RCU applied the same logic to everyday spending. Groceries, gas, and coffee runs all added up to support seven nonprofits working on stable, affordable housing across Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Lake, Mendocino, and San Francisco counties.
“ICU Day is a celebration of the impact credit unions have on millions of lives around the world,” says RCU President and CEO Brett Martinez. “At its heart, ICU Day is about recognizing the difference we can make when we put our members and communities at the center of everything we do.”
Who Got the Funds
- TLC Child and Family Services (Sebastopol)
- Community Support Network (Santa Rosa)
- North Coast Opportunities (Ukiah)
- Homeward Bound of Marin (Novato)
- Redwood Community Services (Ukiah)
- NEWS Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse Services (Napa)
- Booker T. Washington Community Service Center (San Francisco)
Since 2021, RCU’s ICU Day efforts have raised more than $315,000 for nonprofits across the same six counties.
Why Housing
The need is real. According to the California State Legislative Analyst’s Office, incomes haven’t kept pace with housing costs. That gap creates barriers to financial stability, personal health, and community well-being, and it’s one of the biggest challenges in the North Bay and San Francisco.
The ICU Day donation is one piece of RCU’s wider housing work in Northern California, which includes financial coaching, mortgage lending, and down payment assistance grants for eligible homebuyers.
The Bigger Picture
RCU is part of a large movement. Nearly 62,000 credit unions and financial cooperatives serve 420 million members worldwide, including about 145 million in the U.S. That’s roughly 40% of the nation’s population, and the number keeps growing. Credit unions help widen access to financial services, support small business growth, and advance financial literacy.
What to Watch Next
Keep an eye on next October’s tally to see whether the donation total climbs for a second straight year. Also watch how the housing gap evolves in these six counties, since that will shape how far nonprofits and lenders like RCU need to stretch their efforts.