Accel is the financial counseling program offered by GreenPath, Inc., founded in 1961 by the Michigan Credit Union League for the sole purpose of providing financial education and counseling to credit unions. GreenPath is a charter member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation. GreenPath, Inc. is a public 501c3 organization with the mission of delivering education and debt management counseling to individuals and families in an effort to improve financial literacy and condition. The alliance with GreenPath began in February 2006.
Accel’s mission is to provide the highest quality financial education and counseling to credit unions in order to build member loyalty, instill fiscal responsibility, and minimize credit union loan losses. Accel not only enhances the financial well-being of members, but this unique service also offers participating credit unions the opportunity to differentiate themselves from other financial institutions.
Accel delivers value through:
Accel is a service offered solely to credit unions and is designed to provide a proactive financial education and counseling program for participating credit unions and their members.
Workshops
Accel provides several workshops to promote financial education and literacy within your community and to your members. Accel will provide the presenter at your venue or you can have a member of your staff attend one of our training sessions. Our workshop training sessions are designed to train credit union employees on how to present our educational workshops and return to your credit union with the knowledge and licensing necessary to use the Accel materials.
Usage Reports
Each month, Accel provides credit union partners with reports detailing the number of calls received, the caller's financial issues, and any services our financial counselors provided. In addition to the monthly reports, Accel will provide an annual report that summarizes the activity and outcome of all calls received over the previous 12 months. Accel is committed to reducing your credit union's loan losses by more than the cost of the program.
Staff Training
Accel provides training to help credit union staff understand program features and member referral opportunities. Training sessions are scheduled prior to the program start date and are designed to educate credit union employees about the benefits of the program. Employees are encouraged to refer members whose loan applications have been declined and members who need help with financial issues such as NSF's, payday lenders, delinquency, home purchases, avoiding foreclosure, credit reports, saving for large purchases, etc.
Marketing
A comprehensive marketing campaign has been designed to help bring awareness to credit union members. Marketing materials for publicizing the Accel program to the membership include, but are not limited to the following; newsletter articles, statement overprint messages, posters for branches, web link, on-hold messages, collection letters and decline letters for members turned down for loans. In addition, Accel will provide the text, layout and design for statement inserts and brochures and furnish all artwork, fonts and specifications to the credit union's printer upon design approval.
