Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As a credit union, we deliver profits to our members, rather than shareholders, fostering the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” Supporting members from all walks of life is the core of what we do; naturally, initiatives to bolster diversity fit seamlessly into this credo.

As an organization, Coastal is committed to embracing diversity. For us, diversity is more than a focus or initiative. It is a journey and, as a result, a cornerstone of our long-term strategic plan, our mission, vision, and values. It is who we are. Just like any other strategy, we know that our growth in this area is never finished. That is why our strategy and values hold us accountable to continue promoting equity and inclusion in both our workforce and our services, ensuring our organization reflects internally the members we serve externally, in order to better serve them and our employees alike.

To help accomplish this, we founded our Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. The Committee’s mission is tantamount to realizing our strategy and living our values, as they help pioneer new ways for us to promote and grow our diversity maturity from the inside out.

“This is enterprise-wide, not just department-specific,” says Creighton Blackwell, Chief Culture & Impact Officer at Coastal and executive sponsor of the Committee. “There’s been a lot of broad discussion [on these topics] over the last few years, but we want to be intentional with acting them out.”

Some of our methods – both to address and reduce bias, and champion racial sensitivity – are obvious: starting the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee has been a big part of it, but we are also proud of some of our internal grass roots efforts which have resulted in lasting change.

For instance, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, we began hosting many listening sessions, creating a space for employees to share, and be heard. We gathered in small group settings, allowing our colleagues to voice their thoughts and feelings on recent events.

The result? Coastal employees – newly empowered and comfortable to broach these topics with one another – have been more willing to initiate conversations they normally wouldn’t have before. This openness, of course, ignites a highly positive domino effect, as those conversations continue to happen beyond our own walls.

Beyond these initial discussion groups, we’ve also just completed our inaugural DEI book club, debuting with A Peacock in the Land of Penguins, chosen to ease into discussions on accepting our differences, and how to create strength from them. It was a gentle introduction into embracing diversity and touched on what businesses across the country are facing: how to manage the increasing diversity of the workforce, and how to capture the talent, creativity, energy, and commitment of all employees.

To broaden options for employee involvement and education, we have developed other initiatives to ensure our employees understand the importance of diversity. In 2020, 100% of our employees participated in DEI training. Our company-wide goal for next year is to have at least half of our employees participate in a DEI event outside of their required training.

“The goal is to integrate DEI into the fabric of Coastal’s culture,” says Arlene Babwah, VP of Risk Management, and chair of the Committee. “Coastal has begun the DEI journey, laying the foundational groundwork for a strong, sustainable program.”

As we look toward the future, the goal of our organization is to confront these issues for the benefit of all of us – even if it means starting with uncomfortable conversations. It’s important to create space to have them, however, for the benefit of society at large, and to encourage us all to be better colleagues. This can be difficult, but remembering that all of us are in this learning journey together is vital and humbling.

To corporate leadership teams considering starting their own programs, Blackwell has some advice: “You don’t have to solve it in one day. Embrace the journey, embrace the intentionality of keeping a good pace. Assess where you are and go from there.”

There is more hard work to do, but we at Coastal remain committed to inclusion for all, and ensuring that our employees, members, and broader communities can access our financial resources to improve their financial wellbeing. After all, we believe everyone deserves to “bank better to live better.”