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.
Inside Connex’s DEI Journey
April 11, 2022
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The Connecticut credit union has an in-depth plan to help narrow the racial wealth gap and expand access to underbanked consumers.
Impact And Purpose Should Define Credit Unions
March 28, 2022
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To lead with purpose, credit unions must adopt a multi-stakeholder model, which includes their associates, members, and communities.
How Abilene Teachers Rallied The Community With A Social Media Campaign
March 21, 2022
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By turning March 25 into “325 Day,” the credit union helped launch a civic celebration that has become an annual event.
Is Your Credit Union Prepared for the CDFI Emergency Support and Minority Lending Grant?
March 16, 2022
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The Treasury has said it will be rolling out the long-awaited $1.75B Emergency Support and Minority Lending Program Grant funds in the spring of 2022. That’s over five times as much as the CDFI’s FY 2022 FA budget, and Spring is just a few weeks away… are you ready?
DEI Best Practices For Credit Unions
March 14, 2022
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Three executives share success stories learned from their cooperatives’ DEI journeys.
Awkward Conversations: How To ‘ACT’ On The Crisis In Ukraine
March 8, 2022
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Key stakeholders in the credit union movement are perhaps feeling anxious or uncertain. What should we, as leaders, be saying to members and employees?
Women CEOs On Leadership
March 7, 2022
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In honor of International Women’s Day, CreditUnions.com offers insight into what makes an effective leader from women executives across the industry.
Affinity Plus Learns Lessons Of Its Own By Investing In Staff MBAs
February 28, 2022
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The Minnesota cooperative leaned on insight from industry peers to create a path for building employees’ skills and knowledge.
Organizational Structures And Today’s Credit Union: A View From The Top
February 28, 2022
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Org charts reflect key responsibilities, but what do variations in top-level structures say about business strategies, compliance goals, CEO priorities, and more?
Inside CAP COM’s Focus On Infrastructure
February 21, 2022
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Top-Level Takeaways CAP COM provides infrastructure grants that fund needs that don’t normally appeal to gifting. The credit union’s foundation is in its second year of granting $100,000 to a diverse array of service providers. Infrastructure is an essential need that doesn’t easily attract funding, especially in the non-profit world. Its costs underly the ability
Inside Connex’s DEI Journey
The Connecticut credit union has an in-depth plan to help narrow the racial wealth gap and expand access to underbanked consumers.
Impact And Purpose Should Define Credit Unions
To lead with purpose, credit unions must adopt a multi-stakeholder model, which includes their associates, members, and communities.
How Abilene Teachers Rallied The Community With A Social Media Campaign
By turning March 25 into "325 Day," the credit union helped launch a civic celebration that has become an annual event.
Is Your Credit Union Prepared for the CDFI Emergency Support and Minority Lending Grant?
The Treasury has said it will be rolling out the long-awaited $1.75B Emergency Support and Minority Lending Program Grant funds in the spring of 2022. ...
DEI Best Practices For Credit Unions
Three executives share success stories learned from their cooperatives’ DEI journeys.
Women CEOs On Leadership
In honor of International Women’s Day, CreditUnions.com offers insight into what makes an effective leader from women executives across the industry.
Affinity Plus Learns Lessons Of Its Own By Investing In Staff MBAs
The Minnesota cooperative leaned on insight from industry peers to create a path for building employees' skills and knowledge.
Organizational Structures And Today’s Credit Union: A View From The Top
Org charts reflect key responsibilities, but what do variations in top-level structures say about business strategies, compliance goals, CEO priorities, and more?
Inside CAP COM’s Focus On Infrastructure
Top-Level Takeaways CAP COM provides infrastructure grants that fund needs that don’t normally appeal to gifting. The credit union’s foundation is in its second year ...
Browse Topics
What’s Next For Credit Union Earnings?
Omar Shalabi
As margin support begins to fade, earnings performance is becoming more sensitive to revenue mix and harder to interpret through public reporting alone.
The Great Wealth Transfer Is Also A Relationship Transfer
Savana Morie
Harvard FCU combines digital estate planning with human financial guidance to support positive, proactive wealth transfer across generations.
The Lending Lag Is Real, And Here’s What Smaller Credit Unions Can Do About It
Callahan & Associates
Discover how small to midsize credit unions can weather the economic headwinds hitting their communities right now.
Fresh Risks For Financial Markets
Jason Haley
Look beyond the headlines to better understand what is driving current market trends and how they could impact credit union investment portfolios.
What’s In A Name: AVP Of Member Insights
Aaron Passman
At Service Credit Union, Dave Widener connects data, strategy, and culture to shape better outcomes for members.
At Cardinal Credit Union, Small Investments Offer Big Financial Lessons
Aaron Passman
The Ohio-based cooperative has partnered with a fintech to offer fractional investing as part of its financial education curriculum in local schools.
How Compensation Blind Spots Impact CEO Retention And Succession
Callahan & Associates
Seven questions credit union board members should ask to ensure alignment on executive benefit plan goals.
What Makes Good AI Policy? Start With Curiosity And Accountability.
Marc Rapport
As credit unions move from experimentation to adoption, leaders offer firsthand knowledge on what separates weak policies from strong ones that actually work.
Governance And Guardrails Help Credit Unions Navigate AI
Aaron Passman
How Members Cooperative focuses on structure, oversight, and clear expectations to ensure AI supports, not undermines, long term strategy.
What’s In A Name: Chief AI Officer
Aaron Passman
As Hudson Valley Credit Union’s artificial intelligence chief, Preetha Sekharan holds a rare role in the industry, but it’s one that is likely to become far more common in the future.
Awkward Conversations: How To ‘ACT’ On The Crisis In Ukraine