We strive to provide the best possible service to each and every Canadian we encounter.
Accreditations & Awards Received by CCS
External, Independent Reviews
Every organization strives for excellence in its chosen field. At the Credit Counselling Society, we are no different. We aim to provide exceptional service to our clients and the communities we serve, always with an eye to our mission: “To Help. To Educate. To Give Hope”. To do this, we hold ourselves to the highest possible standards in our operations, our people and our behaviour. We reach for the highest levels of accreditation and service, and our efforts are frequently recognized and rewarded not only by our industry and other peers, but by our clients and our own employees as well. Here are explanations of our various accreditations, affiliations and awards:
Accredited by the Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is an independent agency that recognizes businesses for operating with high levels of trust and integrity in their standards of practice. Accredited members of the BBB must adhere to the BBB’s Standards of Trust so that consumers can feel confident that they are dealing with an upstanding, trustworthy organization with a clean track record. These standards also include being transparent, being responsive, safeguarding the privacy of the people we help, and embodying integrity.
The Credit Counselling Society is accredited by a number of BBB chapters across Canada and been accredited since first opening its doors over 27 years ago. Over that entire time, the Credit Counselling Society has consistently maintained the BBB’s highest possible rating of A+.
Accredited by Credit Counselling Canada
National Association of Non Profit Credit Counselling and Debt Payment Programs
The Credit Counselling Society has been an accredited member of Credit Counselling Canada (CCC) since its inception, in 1996. CCC is a national association of non-profit credit counselling agencies and Orderly Payment of Debts programs. Member agencies provide education and guidance in money management, credit counselling and debt payments. CCC also upholds the industry’s strictest standards of accreditation which require a non-profit organization to comply with rigorous standards that measure an organization’s integrity, financial responsibility, risk management, and delivery of programs. The staff of all CCC accredited members must also comply with CCC’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Periodic audits ensure continuous compliance at all levels. Of all the various benchmarks with which CCC members must comply in order to achieve accreditation, two stand out and set their members apart from other credit counselling and debt relief organizations:
- To be accredited and to remain accredited, a member organization must ensure that all of its Credit Counsellors are professionally accredited. New Counsellors have up to 18 months in which to receive this professional accreditation.
- No member is allowed to pay their Credit Counsellors commission of any kind. This standard helps to ensure that the guidance provided by each member’s Credit Counsellors is objective and does not favour a service that could generate revenue for the organization.
At the Credit Counselling Society, we go above and beyond to ensure that our staff and practices adhere to CCC’s strict expectations of professionalism. It is important to us to belong to such an organization so our clients can be sure that they are receiving the best possible information and service. We also take comfort in knowing that our fellow members are operating at the highest possible standard, which elevates the industry as a whole.
Affiliate of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
North America’s Largest Association of Non Profit Credit Counselling Organizations
In 2017, the Credit Counselling Society became the first International Affiliate member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling® (NFCC®), North America’s first and largest non-profit credit counselling organization. A large part of the NFCC’s mission is to support its member organizations in their efforts to deliver the highest-quality financial education and counselling services. We are extremely proud to be the only member of the NFCC outside of the United States, and to be recognized internationally for our outstanding financial education and counselling programs. As with our membership in CCC, our place at the table with other NFCC members allows us to benefit from and participate in industry-wide conversations and professional development. This can only make us a stronger service provider going forward.
All NFCC organizations are accredited by the Council on Accreditation (see below) and are held to the highest standards of excellence by 18 quality standards that are the most rigorous in the industry.
Named One of Canada’s Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work
Over the years, Great Place to Work Canada has named the Credit Counselling Society the winner of 16 awards. These include the following:
- Best Workplaces Canada – 5 times
- Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance – 2 times
- Best Workplaces for Giving Back – 2 times
- Best Workplaces for Women – 2 times
- Best Workplaces in British Columbia – 2 times
- Best Workplaces for Inclusion
- Best Workplaces for Millennials
- Best Workplaces for Fairness
The Great Place to Work program uses detailed employee surveys to assess the culture of an organization and ranks similar sized companies against their peers.
Winner of the Consumer Choice Award
in Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and Vancouver
The Consumer Choice Awards (CCA) are recognition of the best of the best by consumers themselves. Through a rigorous multi- step process which includes surveying customers in local areas, as well as conducting extensive company research to identify those companies with the highest customer service ratings, Consumer Choice Awards are awarded annually at the local level.
The Credit Counselling Society is very proud to be a repeat winner in many of the cities we serve. While it is always rewarding to be recognized by your peers and other professionals, it is incredibly rewarding to be acknowledged publicly by the clients we serve when they are at their most vulnerable.
Licensing & Registration
The Credit Counselling Society is federally registered as a non-profit under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. At the provincial level, the Credit Counselling Society is licensed to operate in all of the following provinces:
Province
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
Ontario
Saskatchewan
Registration Number
319758
17012
18103
4723742
314609
Province & Registration Number
Alberta 319758
British Columbia 17012
Manitoba 18103
Ontario 4723742
Saskatchewan 314609
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Putting Your Interests First
Our goal is to always put consumers first and look out for their best interests in everything we do. One way we do this is through transparency and accountability. We are held accountable to the most rigorous standards in our industry.
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