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.
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
Langley Members Help Other Homebuyers
February 14, 2022
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A new program for first-time mortgage applicants intends to substantially reduce burdens around closing costs.
VSECU: The Budding Cannabis Market
January 12, 2022
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VSECU is one of a few financial institutions that serves the needs of cannabis businesses in Vermont. By doing so, the credit union addresses an area of financial exclusion within its field of membership.
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 ...
Langley Members Help Other Homebuyers
A new program for first-time mortgage applicants intends to substantially reduce burdens around closing costs.
VSECU: The Budding Cannabis Market
VSECU is one of a few financial institutions that serves the needs of cannabis businesses in Vermont. By doing so, the credit union addresses an ...
Browse Topics
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.
All Eyes On AI
Aaron Passman
Artificial intelligence for credit unions has moved from a future concept to today’s full-fledged leadership and governance challenge.
The Callahan Guide To The 2026 Final Four
Tony Waltrich
What happens when credit union performance data meets March Madness? Callahan’s proprietary model breaks down state-level results to forecast who takes home the hardware.
A Rewards Program That Relies On Relationships, Not Usage
Savana Morie
Nuvision’s Added Advantage program tracks member engagement across the credit union, then rewards relationships through better pricing and other perks.
Innovations Financial Bets Big On Small Business Lending
Aaron Passman
CDFI grant funding helps the Florida cooperative offer microloans for small businesses after many banks pulled out of its market.
How Marine Credit Union Shifted Its Foundation From Siloed To Symbiotic
Savana Morie
By aligning governance, leadership, and day to day operations, Marine Credit Union transformed its foundation from a parallel operation into a visible extension of the credit union brand.
How Today’s Market Is Stress-Testing Credit Union And Bank Earnings Models
Andrew Lepczyk
Credit union and bank earnings reflect different business objectives. Those differences matter for how financial institutions serve their markets.
How Does BCU Put AI Policy Into Practice?
Marc Rapport
AI governance matters as much as innovation when it comes to AI. Learn how BCU built an AI practice that prioritizes data integrity, risk management, and real world decision making.
Awkward Conversations: How To ‘ACT’ On The Crisis In Ukraine