We provide knowledge and programs to assist individuals and households in Western New York achieve financial self-sufficiency by being better able to control, organize and manage their personal finances.

Our Vision

Our vision is aimed at one thing – helping individuals and households in our WNY community to manage the increasingly complex financial side of life. Our VISION is ambitious and we willingly accept this challenge, knowing that it can and must be achieved if we are to meet the community’s needs. Success is built around:

Our Team

We will continue to build a talented, well-trained, highly motivated, flexible Team, which will increasingly include Volunteers. We take great pride in our work and are always looking to find ways to strengthen the Organization and be of even greater help to our Clients.

Our Services and Clients

We are committed to expanding the services we provide and to supporting an increasing number of Clients. We will expand beyond our ‘traditional’ Client base to include students of all ages looking to improve their financial self-sufficiency. Our service delivery will meet the needs of this new Client base, looking for locations beyond the ‘four walls’ of our Agency. This will mean increasing use of Information Technology, taking services to the Clients, particularly education in financial literacy, and having more locations where our Counseling and Advisory Services can be accessed. We serve the eight counties of WNY. A key strategy for the Agency is to provide more ‘prevention’ in the form of education and training and reduce the number of Clients requiring the ‘cure’ of Debt Counseling.

Our Finances

We are committed to staying financially viable. We will develop strategies to increase both ‘income’ and the sources from which it is derived.

The Way We Work

We are expert collaborators and our VISION includes finding new Partnerships with organizations in all sectors of the Community in order to find better ways of supporting our clients. Internally, we don’t just talk about the importance of cultural diversity, we build it into our services and ensure that our Team is both diverse and culturally competent. We pay great attention to the need to live our values every day and in everything we do. This concern with our behavior is matched by a need to have efficient, continuously improving systems that take advantage of new technology.

Our Reputation

We strive to become increasingly known across WNY as the best place to go to get Financial Education, to have financial questions answered and to get help resolving credit problems. We market our Agency through many channels and value our reputation in the Community.

Our Values

Integrity

Our Client service is built on trust and confidence. We are clear about our expectations and are open and honest with our Clients about what is expected of them and in return what they can expect of us.

Respect and Compassion

We listen with empathy and develop an understanding of the Client’s situation without being judgmental.

Knowledge

We stay current with the Clients and the Communities we serve. We understand what we can do and respect the power of referral to supplement our capability to provide full service to the client.

Confidentiality

Our Clients expect the information we share is treated with the strictest level of confidentiality and respect for their privacy. We are committed to the highest level of trust.

Value

We earn our reputation and the value of our service by providing the Client what they need when they need it. Our staff is committed to making certain no one leaves our Agency without having touched a helping hand.