Self-Help Shares


Dear Donnetta: Help Me Manage My Money this Year

By Donnetta Collier, Senior Financial Coach
  | Jan 08, 2021

Donetta Collier

It’s that time of year for dreaming and setting goals. As a Senior Financial Coach for Self-Help Credit Union, I know that many people are struggling now. Managing your financial life takes time and careful planning—but it is so worth doing. If you are fortunate enough to be employed, now is the time to reduce financial stress and move toward financial freedom. Here are seven of my favorite financial wellness tips, plus bonus tips for finding ways to save.

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Self-Help's Top 10 Blog Posts in 2020

By staff
  | Dec 17, 2020

ITop 10 List

Each year we eagerly look forward to seeing which of our blog posts struck the biggest chords with our readers. This year, not surprisingly, several of the top posts relate to COVID relief and resources. You were interested in protecting your finances and learning tips for buying a home during this uncertain time. Many popular posts also focused on hope for a better future.
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Two Small Bakeries Frame Self-Help's History

By staff
  | Dec 04, 2020

Collage of early Self-Help borrowers

Self-Help celebrates its 40th anniversary with a new timeline of milestones, including the New Bern, NC  bakery that raised $77 for Self-Help in 1981. At our recent annual meeting we heard from owners of another small bakery in Columbia, South Carolina, who kept their business going with a Paycheck Protection Program relief loan. 

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Self-Help’s 2020 Annual Meeting: Collaborating in the Time of COVID

By staff
  | Nov 19, 2020

PPP collage

In this year's annual meeting, we recognized the hardships that our members and communities are facing as the COVID pandemic continues. We celebrated the COVID financial relief that Self-Help was able to provide to small businesses and nonprofits. We lifted up the possibilities for collaboration even during a time of deep division. And we celebrated 40 years of service with partners and friends.

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Spreading the Love in Englewood, South Chicago

By Micheline Savarin
  | Nov 05, 2020

Shepherd's Hope provides services to residents of Englewood

With Thanksgiving only three weeks away, we are entering a season of gratitude and service. Many of us are stepping up our efforts to volunteer, donate and help make this a better holiday season for the many people—far too many—who find themselves in need. Shepherd's Hope in a southside neighborhood of Chicago known as Englewood, is doing just that. 

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Beyond Money Management to Financial Empowerment

By staff
  | Oct 22, 2020

Dear Future I'm Ready graphic

In Wilson and Charlotte, NC, Self-Help is now staffed with a full-time Financial Coach. These coaches are dedicated to working one-on-one with members to help empower them with the tools they need to manage their finances and take meaningful steps towards their financial goals. In this post we hear from staff in Wilson and Charlotte who all share a passion for helping people realize their dreams.

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Shifting Away from Inequities in the Energy Sector

By Melissa Malkin-Weber, Sustainability Director
  | Oct 08, 2020

Environmental justice = Economic justice

Self-Help's Director of Sustainability, Melissa Malkin-Weber, reports on the Just Energy Summit, held last week. The conference focused on how racial inequities play out in the energy sector, imposing disproportionate costs and greater health risks on Black communities and other communities of color. Organized by Partnership for Southern Equity, the Just Energy Summit brought together activists, scientific, and policy experts to educate and share ideas for change. The event shone a light on how the threads of pollution, poverty and racism are inextricably intertwined.

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PPP Loans: Keeping Women in Business

By staff
  | Sep 24, 2020

3 Bennett College students

Self-Help has a long history of mission-focused loans and products that help empower women financially. When the COVID pandemic struck, we hit the ground running with relief loans through the Paycheck Protection Program--and we knew that we wanted a strong focus on women-led companies and nonprofits. When the last round of PPP lending wrapped up in August, we had achieved that goal. Nearly half of our PPP loans (47%) went to nonprofits or companies headed by women. In this post, we highlight a few examples.

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Introducing the CDFI Racial Equity Collaborative on Education

By Brittany Bennett
  | Sep 10, 2020

Henderson Collegiate good photo

Recently Self-Help has partnered with other Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to find ways to make racial equity an integral part of our charter school lending process. In this post, Self-Help's Charter School Sector Leader, Brittany Bennett, describes how this effort has resulted in the development of an equity assessment tool that is already helping CDFIs incorporate equity into their loan decisions. 

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Announcing Self-Help's 2020 Scholarship Winners

By staff
  | Aug 28, 2020

Scholarship collage

Congratulations to 27 students who were named as Self-Help Scholars this year! Please take a moment to check out some of our leaders of the future.

 

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