Caisses Desjardins du Québec and Caisses populaires de l'Ontario [Change site]
The caisse belongs to you
Your caisse Desjardins is a financial services cooperative, which clearly distinguishes it from banks. When you open an account at Desjardins, you aren't just another customer, you become a member.
You're an owner
One member, one vote
You may, under certain conditions, receive member dividends
You can become an officer
You're an owner
Are you a caisse member? If so, you are also a co-owner of your caisse. Each Desjardins caisse if a financial services cooperative that belongs to its members. Each member has a say in how the caisse is run and how it contributes to the community.
One member, one vote
All caisses hold their Annual General Meetings in the spring and invite their members to participate. As of the age of 18, members can attend their caisse's Annual General Meeting and voice their opinion by exercising their right to vote.
Take this opportunity to give your opinion on how your caisse will spend the budgetary surplus. Your vote could have a direct impact on the youth oriented projects sponsored by your caisse in your community. To find out when your caisse will be holding its next Annual General Meeting, click Where to find us to visit its Web site.
You may, under certain conditions, receive member dividends
A financial services cooperative does not make huge profits like the banks do because it may decide to return a portion of their surplus earnings to its members. During the Annual General Meeting, the members decide how the surplus earnings will be distributed. For example:
- into the member accounts, which is known as member dividends
- into the community to sponsor collective projects, for instance, employment-generating projects, young business start-ups, among others
You can become an officer
All adult members can become an officer of their caisse. To do so, they have to submit their candidacy and be elected by the other members during the annual meeting.
Are you between 18 and 30 years of age? If so, you may also take part in the Young Intern Officer program offered in several caisses and complete an internship as an officer: a fulfilling learning experience.
Becoming a caisse officer is a concrete way of contributing to your community's socio-economic development while learning more about cooperatives and the financial world.