Ballyconnell CU launches Community Fund

Ballyconnell Credit Union has announced a new €75,000 Community Fund, and is now inviting applications from clubs, groups and societies within their district.

The fund, formally launched last week, will distribute their first tranche of €20,000 with a closing date for applications of September 7.

The fund is open to a range of local groups involved in social, heritage, cultural, sporting, environmental, educational and charitable endeavours, that share the same ethos as Ballyconnell Credit Union: serving the community.

Founded in 1986, Ballyconnel CU has grown steadily to become a leading provider of financial services within an area stretching westwards from Belturbet.

It was last year that Ballyconnell CU came up with this exciting new initiative on how to continue to best serve the community. To the fore was an ambition to deliver something “really tangible”, beyond the sponsorships they already provided for football jerseys or funding for schools and parades.

“We are a community-based financial co-operative. Community is at the very heart of everything we do as a credit union,” explains Barry O’Flynn, Ballyconnell CU CEO.

The €75,000 committed, he adds, is a “substantial amount of money”. The CU aims to ensure it will has the “maximum” positive impact for those it stands to benefit.

“We’ll still do the sponsorships, that bit is never in doubt, but we wanted to do something that demonstrated tangibly our community ethos, and that thanked our members for the trust they place in us. That trust has been earned over generations, by doing the right thing.”

The new community fund will be administered over the next three years, and the local CU is eager to hear from interested parties.

They’re not looking for the fund to overlap with the larger-scale capital funded projects, rather offer support to the “often overlooked” groups and initiatives that “make communities tick”.

“Whether it’s someone holding a teddy bear picnic, a club that needs something for its members, a group that’s cooking meals for older people maybe, or schools looking to add an additional service - we want hear from you,” says Mr O’Flynn.

“It doesn’t need to be an event with grandiose ambitions. It could be something very ordinary, but one that we would love to recognise and support for its importance to the people who benefit from it.”

Ballyconnell CU Marketing Manager, Micaela FitzPatrick, acknowledges: “There are many wonderful organisations, that do incredible work on a daily basis in our communities, but who could always do with more, if the funds were more widely available.”

Mr O’Flynn took over as CEO in March 2023, having held a similar position in Sligo CU for the previous 25 years.

He landed in Cavan at an exciting time. With Ulster Bank exiting the Irish marketplace, the Credit Union movement stepped up in places like Ballyconnell to further expand their suite of services. This included adding new current account services, complete with a globally accepted MYCU Debit Mastercard, contactless payment options, access to overdraft facilities with no surcharge interest, and an easily accessible online app.

Though much of the heavy-lifting was overseen by Mr O’Flynn’s predecessors, he eagerly embraced each of the developments, underpinning their importance to the blueprint for Ballyconnnell CU’s future success.

Future thinking

Mr O’Flynn estimates now only around three out of 10 transactions are “face to face”, yet the same level of service that has always been available at Ballyconnell CU remains.

“It was a sign of ambition that Ballyconnell Credit Union took these things on. It puts us in a place where we’re able to offer services to members comparable to any bank.

“It was never our intention to be a bank, but it was always our intention that if members chose us, they weren’t going to be at a disadvantage.”

He paid tribute to the CU’s Chair and Board of Directors for providing leadership in a Community that relies on their Credit Union for the day-to-day services their Members need and which the really excellent and professional staff provide with a smile.

“They have been ambitious and brave in what they’ve done, and the nice thing now is that we’re in a position to say to our young Members that you can save with Ballyconnell Credit Union through National School, have a Debit Card and safe access to your money from 12 to 16 and enjoy all the adult services any bank can offer after 18.

“We’re not at mortgage stages just yet but have plans to move in this direction within 24 months. We must be at our best however, when our Members need us most.”