“All of our members are equal.” This mantra is one of the cornerstones of the LGBT cause, and it’s also the slogan for the Riverset Credit Union.
“We don’t have stockholders,” Lisa Florian, director of business development and marketing at Riverset, says. “Everyone is equal.”
So it was a no-brainer for the financial cooperative when the opportunity to be a Pittsburgh Pride sponsor presented itself two years ago.
“It fit in really well with how we feel about our members,” says Patrick Flynn, member and community relations representative.
“Plus, it’s a really fantastic opportunity to get to know a lot of different people.”
Last year, Pride attendees may have participated in the company’s photo booth, a feature Flynn partook in and is fondly reminded of every day with two picture strips hanging in his office.
But it’s not just this particular Pittsburgh event in which the credit union lends a hand. One look at the company website, and you’ll see that the organization really is an equal opportunity player, participating in events with everyone from the Ronald McDonald House to the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
“If we’re expecting the community to do business with us, we’re expected to give back to the community,” Flynn says. “On a personal level,” Florian says. “[Patrick and I] believe this, as well.”
Florian has a personal connection to the LGBT cause. Her brother is gay, an admission he confessed to her with a tone of dread.
“I thought you called me to tell me something is wrong,” she said, in flashback to that scene.
The partnership between Riverset Credit Union and Pride is symbiotic, too. Both Florian and Flynn remarked that Pride attendees have sought out the institution based on the company’s LGBT support. So Riverset reaches out, and the LGBT community reaches right back.
“To promote equality is the definition [of a credit union],” said Flynn. “The point is that everyone
cooperates.”
The organization has received a lot of positive feedback on its equality stance, with no dissenters or controversy, which serves as a reflection on overall acceptance within the community.
“You’re doing your banking,” Florian says. “Why does your sexuality have to come into it?”
It’s often the company’s hands-on customer service that keeps people coming back. While at
some banks, you may get a cut-and-dry response, without a review of a customer’s options,
Riverset goes the extra mile to support people instead of quickly dismissing them, a banking
technique they’ve extended to the LGBT community, as well.
“As a responsible organization,” said Florian. “That’s what you do. People are people.”
Riverset Credit Union plans to be a part of the Pittsburgh Pride festivities again in 2013, an
undertaking that gets everyone excited for the summer.
“It was the first thing we discussed,” Flynn says, regarding Riverset’s 2013 plans. “Not even a question.”
