Community First, since 1959, has been Doing Good!
Upcoming Events + Deadlines:
4/8 -- Shred Day, Fort Bragg

4/8 -- Shred Day, Lakeport


4/10 -- Shred Day, Napa

4/13 -- Shred Day, Sebastopol

4/17 -- Shred Day, Santa Rosa*

4/22 -- Shred Day, Clearlake

4/28 -- Shred Day, Ukiah


All Shred Days are from 9a to 11a.

*1105 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa
CFCU’s Sheffield to Retire 

Todd Sheffield, for nearly two decades the CEO of Community First Credit Union, a financial cooperative owned by its 60,000 Members, has announced his retirement. His last day will be June 30.

During Sheffield’s tenure, assets rose from an initial $91 million to its current $672 million. 

“Todd leaves us with a firm foundation in technology, as well as the strongest we’ve ever been in lending, deposits, and capital reserves,” said John C. Burke, Chair of the credit union’s Board of Directors. “More important, Todd set the tone for a corporate culture that is open, supportive, rewarding, and fun,” Burke continued. 

Sheffield has made the company an innovator in technology. Last year, Community First became the first locally based bank or credit union to add artificial intelligence to assist users with online banking, and the first to offer contactless debit cards during the early days of the pandemic. Prior, it was also the first local financial institution to introduce a smartphone banking app to make remote deposits and pay bills.

“I believe in the power and goodness of credit unions,” said Sheffield, a Certified Public Accountant, who has spent 33 years in the industry. Before joining Community First in 2001, Sheffield served as CEO at Sonoma Federal Credit Union, CFO at Redwood Credit Union, and Controller at Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union.

The Board at Community First has retained D. Hilton Associates to conduct a comprehensive search for new leader.
Annual Meeting of the Membership, April 15 (3p)
The 62nd edition of the Annual Meeting of the Members of Community First Credit Union will take place (virtually) on Thursday, April 15 at 3p.

What will you see, hear and learn? Board Chair John Burke will summarize the year that was, and CEO Todd Sheffield will report about your credit union’s finances, outreach and what additional services you can expect in the near future. You will also learn the results of Board and Supervisor positions up for re-election.

A credit union is a Member-owned cooperative, making you a part-owner. We hope you can join us!

The link to join the meeting on the day is here. Additionally, it will be prominently displayed on our web site (www.comfirstcu.org) on the day of the meeting.
April is National Financial Literacy Month! 
April is Financial Literacy Month and a great time to establish new healthy financial habits. This month, one of our goals is to raise awareness about the importance of financial literacy in all ages. 

Community First has partnered with an award-winning web-based financial literacy provider to bring you the most convenient way to learn about your money. Banzai, is an interactive, informative and fun way to learn good financial habits. And, because we are a not-for-profit financial cooperative committed to doing good – we’ve made this program FREE to our Members! 

Banzai has three courses to choose from:
  • Banzai Junior, ages 8 to 12
  • Banzai Teen, ages 13 to 18+
  • Banzai Plus, ages 18+

In addition to the courses, Banzai provides in-depth lessons to help you dive into the financial topics you care most about: building credit, going to college, managing debt, buying a home, and much more! 

This month, take time for yourself to learn new financial habits. The program is designed to benefit everyone, whether you are learning about money for the first time or are an experienced pro. 

Click here to get started. 
Community First'ers Volunteer at REFB
This past Saturday a group of 20 CFCU employees rolled up their sleeves and helped pack over 7,000 lbs. of food for those in need throughout the North Bay. It has been over a year since CFCU has last been able to volunteer with the Redwood Empire Food Bank (prior to COVID CFCU would volunteer at least once a quarter). Employees were excited to be able to roll up their sleeves and work with this amazing organization that does so much in our LOCAL community. We will be continuing to volunteer with REFB throughout the year. During 2020 CFCU found other ways to contribute to this organization.
 
In the early days of the pandemic, CFCU began selling branded facemasks in our branches with the proceeds directly benefiting the Redwood Empire Food Bank. These facemasks were purchased by Members, employees, and community members. To date we have raised over $3,500 and will continue to raise funds to help. Also in early 2020 CFCU was part of a donation-match program to help raise money for the REFB. CFCU donated $5,000 and was able to find the Federal Home Loan Bank to match our donation for a total of $10,000. Community First Credit Union means it when we say we are Here for Good, whether that is a donation or a group of employees packaging food for those in need.
California Relief Grant Program SCAM 
With the recent passing of the Coronavirus Relief Aid package, scammers and fraudsters are taking advantage of people and small businesses in need of assistance. 

Recently, our locally based compliance team assisted a Member who had fallen victim to a “California Relief Grant Program” scam. 

Scammers created a California Relief Grant Program website that appeared legitimate (e.g. different information sections, smiling people in professional wear, reviews, and more) but was not. The look and content of the website does not guarantee it’s real and safe. 

People in need of assistance were scammed into submitting private information to a fake website, thus putting themselves at risk of identity and money theft. 

Once the Member realized this website may not have been as legitimate as she first believed it to be, she contacted CFCU to let us know what happened. Community First compliance team was able to help this Member before it was too late. Whew!
 
“The bottom line is: No loan company will ever ask you for your user name, passwords, or security questions. We won’t even ask you if we are calling you. That will only happen when you call us. This is something to remember because scammers can also spoof phone numbers. If you answer a call from 707/546-6000 and someone asks you those questions, it is not us. Hang up and call us directly if you believe we may have been trying to contact you,” said Wendy Behrbaum, Community First Fraud Analyst.
707-546-6000
PO Box 6004,
Santa Rosa, CA 95406