Virginia Credit Union Receives National Recognition for Adult-Focused Financial Education Programs

Virginia Credit Union has received national recognition for its in-person presentations and live virtual meetings that reached more than 32,000 youths and adults with lessons on personal finance topics between July 2024 and June 2025.

Each year, the Credit Union Financial Education Network (CUFEN) asks credit unions from across the nation to report their financial education work, with top-performing credit unions being recognized at the organization’s annual conference. VACU ranked first in the nation in the number of adults reached through in-person presentations and live virtual meetings and first in the nation in the number of financial education presentations conducted for adults.

“At VACU, we long ago recognized financial education as a critical resource to help our members and communities achieve greater financial success,” said VACU’s Cherry Dale, Senior Vice President of Financial Education. “Having an understanding of real-world personal finance concepts, including budgeting, the wise use of credit, and the importance of saving, empowers individuals and puts them on a path toward financial well-being.”

“There is also something transformative about in-person learning, which is why we continue to focus on such opportunities,” said Dale. “Financial education as an in-person experience allows participants to connect with and learn from each other and our expert staff in a way that offers support, encouragement, and motivation.”

CUFEN offers financial education resources, networking opportunities for credit union staff involved in financial education initiatives, and collaborative partnerships with other organizations in the financial education space.

Information reported to CUFEN must consist of formal, structured presentations, including in-person and live virtual meetings. Recorded video content and other financial education resources are not eligible under CUFEN’s reporting rules. Credit unions also separately report the number of individuals reached through the services of their partner organizations, including financial counseling services.

During the July 2024 to June 2025 reporting period, VACU reached 11,991 youths through 386 financial education presentations and 20,223 adults through 461 presentations. More than 1,500 members utilized VACU’s personalized financial counseling services offered through GreenPath Financial Wellness, and 5,348 used the Banzai financial education platform. Counting all of VACU’s financial education initiatives, including those not eligible for CUFEN reporting, VACU reached 106,741 individuals between July 2024 and June 2025.

VACU continues to be a recognized leader in financial education among the nation’s credit unions. Beyond traditional financial education programming, such as seminars, workshops, and classroom presentations, VACU has also launched innovative financial education programs that reach incarcerated individuals nearing their return to society, aid young people transitioning from foster care to financial independence, and provide a savings program for students enrolled in Richmond Public Schools.

“The more personal finance knowledge and skills people gain, the better prepared they are to make informed decisions that ensure their financial success,” said Tori Filas, Senior Financial Education Specialist and Virginia-based credit unions’ delegate to CUFEN. “Our programming is offering information on personal finance basics to young people who are just beginning their financial journeys while also catering to adults who need more in-depth and varied resources to make informed financial decisions that lead to financial well-being.”

Virginia-based credit unions have been among the most active organizations in CUFEN’s reporting initiative to highlight the financial education work of the nation’s credit unions. During the reporting period of July 2024 through June 2025, the commonwealth’s credit unions ranked first in the number of adults reached through financial education presentations (26,509) and fourth in the number of youths (35,987) reached.

• Learn more about CUFEN at cufen.org
• Learn more about VACU’s financial education resources at vacu.org/learn