JetStream FCU Turns CDFI Funding Into Lifelines After Hurricane Maria
A pair of CDFI grants allowed the Florida-based credit union to help members restart their lives on the island or relocate to the United States.
Impact/Purpose
Our Purpose page is your central resource to explore strategies that elevate products and services from run-of-the-mill commodities to powerful tools that support members and communities and set credit unions apart from competitors.
Top Impact/Purpose Articles
Wright-Patt Turns Purpose Into Property For First-Time Homebuyers
The Ohio credit union’s Sunshine Community Fund is backing new homes in Dayton, combining financial support, education, and cross-team collaboration to empower first-time buyers.
First Alliance Debuts Mission-Driven Deposits
The Minnesota-based cooperative invites high-dollar depositors to turn private prosperity into shared possibility through a savings product designed around social impact.
What Can ALICE Do For You?
January 22, 2024
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Community financial institutions need an accurate understanding of financial hardships and local needs to develop effective solutions.
How True Sky FCU Turbo Charges Employee Success
January 15, 2024
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An employee communications team and formal pathways to individual development help True Sky FCU engage its workforce and encourage employees to aim high.
Jimmy Lovelace On Leadership
January 15, 2024
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The chief experience officer helps Community First realize the benefits of humanizing the sales and service processes.
By The Numbers: LICU, CDFI & Juntos Avanzamos
January 8, 2024
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Credit unions undertake all manner of certifications to improve their communities. Here’s how three of the most popular intersect.
Want To Rethink Employee Engagement? Get An Outsider’s Opinion.
January 8, 2024
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Air Force FCU is tapping healthcare talent in its new approach to recruiting, benefits, and engagement.
Find Your Purpose, Find Your Path
January 8, 2024
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In uncertain times, credit unions that know their North Star are poised for success.
This Year, Turn Purpose Into Action
January 8, 2024
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Purpose drives engagement; engagement drives results. Not sure where to start? Check the map.
Polar Plunge With A Purpose
January 1, 2024
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Each year, Affinity Plus takes an ice-cold dive to make a big impact in the community.
Best Of 2023: Driving Employee Engagement
December 26, 2023
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Credit unions are deploying myriad strategies to engage employees and make them feel like part of something bigger.
Best Of 2023: Supporting Member Financial Wellbeing
December 26, 2023
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As Callahan looks back on the year behind, inspiration emerges for the year ahead.
What Can ALICE Do For You?
Community financial institutions need an accurate understanding of financial hardships and local needs to develop effective solutions.
How True Sky FCU Turbo Charges Employee Success
An employee communications team and formal pathways to individual development help True Sky FCU engage its workforce and encourage employees to aim high.
Jimmy Lovelace On Leadership
The chief experience officer helps Community First realize the benefits of humanizing the sales and service processes.
By The Numbers: LICU, CDFI & Juntos Avanzamos
Credit unions undertake all manner of certifications to improve their communities. Here's how three of the most popular intersect.
Want To Rethink Employee Engagement? Get An Outsider’s Opinion.
Air Force FCU is tapping healthcare talent in its new approach to recruiting, benefits, and engagement.
This Year, Turn Purpose Into Action
Purpose drives engagement; engagement drives results. Not sure where to start? Check the map.
Polar Plunge With A Purpose
Each year, Affinity Plus takes an ice-cold dive to make a big impact in the community.
Best Of 2023: Driving Employee Engagement
Credit unions are deploying myriad strategies to engage employees and make them feel like part of something bigger.
Best Of 2023: Supporting Member Financial Wellbeing
As Callahan looks back on the year behind, inspiration emerges for the year ahead.
Browse Topics
Innovation Only Goes So Far Without Internal Alignment
Marc Rapport
Coastal Credit Union evaluates fintech through the lens of member value, strategic growth, and organizational readiness to implement new ideas.
Why Legacy Institutions Must Evolve To Survive
Matt Kershaw
Long-term growth depends on pairing trusted community relationships with intentional investment in technology, leadership, and purpose.
Future Bets For Fintech
Rebecca Wessler
Credit unions are making decisions about where to build, invest, and partner as they balance today’s priorities with tomorrow’s opportunities.
Future Bets From Today’s Credit Unions
Marc Rapport
Industry leaders share how they approach fintech investment, balancing immediate needs with longer-term bets while keeping member value and mission at the center.
Competing For Gen Z, SMBs, And The Future Of Money
Callahan & Associates
Credit unions that enable seamless movement between fiat and digital assets position themselves as a trusted on- and off-ramp.
The Financial Readiness Gap: Credit Unions Evaluate It Every Day. But Who Builds It?
Callahan & Associates
The credit unions that win the next generation will be the ones that showed up early, when young members were forming habits and deciding whom to trust.
Defending Your Credit Union Against Fraud Means Fighting Fire With Smarter Fire
Callahan & Associates
The challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to adopt it responsibly with the right governance, the right partners, and the right balance between technology and human oversight.
Digital Assets Are Coming For Payments. Are Credit Unions Ready?
Andrew Lepczyk
McKinsey projects trillions of dollars in growth across digital assets, with money movement emerging as one of the biggest opportunities.
The Long Game For Fintech At FORUM Credit Union
Marc Rapport
The Indiana cooperative blends internal development with selective partnerships to meet members’ needs today now while positioning for what’s next.
Mission Fed Weighs Fintech Returns Against Real-World Fit
Marc Rapport
The San Diego cooperative leans on its CUSO and the CURQL network to make fintech investments, but member needs still guide which solutions ultimately make it into the credit union’s operations.
Find Your Purpose, Find Your Path