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.
Impact And Purpose Should Define Credit Unions
March 28, 2022
No Comments
To lead with purpose, credit unions must adopt a multi-stakeholder model, which includes their associates, members, and communities.
5 Tips For Navigating NCAA Player Sponsorships
March 23, 2022
No Comments
Name, image, and likeness (NIL) contracts are still new, but three intrepid credit unions share best practices and lessons learned about building relationships with college players.
How Abilene Teachers Rallied The Community With A Social Media Campaign
March 21, 2022
No Comments
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
No Comments
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
No Comments
Three executives share success stories learned from their cooperatives’ DEI journeys.
Awkward Conversations: How To ‘ACT’ On The Crisis In Ukraine
March 8, 2022
No Comments
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
No Comments
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
No Comments
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
No Comments
Org charts reflect key responsibilities, but what do variations in top-level structures say about business strategies, compliance goals, CEO priorities, and more?
Kellogg Community Balances Loan Growth With Member Impact
February 28, 2022
No Comments
Substantial loan growth is helping propel Kellogg Community Credit Union ($818.1M, Battle Creek, MI) toward the $1 billion-asset mark. But rather than concentrating on asset milestones, it remains focused on the impact it can deliver to the members and communities it serves. Year-over-year loan growth during the third quarter of 2021 was 18.5%, nearly three
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.
5 Tips For Navigating NCAA Player Sponsorships
Name, image, and likeness (NIL) contracts are still new, but three intrepid credit unions share best practices and lessons learned about building relationships with college ...
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?
Kellogg Community Balances Loan Growth With Member Impact
Substantial loan growth is helping propel Kellogg Community Credit Union ($818.1M, Battle Creek, MI) toward the $1 billion-asset mark. But rather than concentrating on asset ...
Browse Topics
Growth Is A Mindset, But Success Is In The Contract
Callahan & Associates
Arriba Advisors co-founder Tom Russell explores how credit unions can bridge the gap between a growth mindset and their technical reality.
Fraud Is Faster, Smarter, And Harder To Stop. Here’s How To.
Callahan & Associates
RKL offers insight, expertise, and experience to help fight off growing threats.
The Numbers Are Good. The Moment Is Hard.
William Hunt
Members are anxious about their financial futures, even as credit unions remain financially strong. Institutions that respond to this moment can make 2026 a turning point.
Wages Are Growing. Wallets Are Not.
Sherry Virden
Global events are flowing directly into household budgets, reshaping how credit union members save, borrow, and cope. Such trends don’t always show up in headline data.
Credit Unions Are Having A Margin Moment
Tony Waltrich
Credit unions are benefiting from a rare margin advantage as loans reprice slower than deposits. The question now is how institutions will use that strength to better serve members.
Where Have All The Members Gone?
Omar Shalabi
Membership growth is slowing, but financial activity is not. What does the modern financial relationship look like?
5 Takeaways From First Quarter Credit Union Performance Data
William Hunt
Inflation, war, and uncertain futures have reshaped members’ needs in 2026. What does credit union performance data from the first quarter of 2026 say about household budgets, inflation pressures, and more?
New Highs For Equity Markets Despite Iran And Oil Prices
Jason Haley
Look beyond the headlines to better understand what is driving current market trends and how they could impact credit union investment portfolios.
New Graduates Face A Cautious Job-Hiring Landscape
Tony Waltrich
Today’s job market is shaped by skills based expectations, with employers slowing entry level hiring and placing greater emphasis on applied experience.
A Credit Union Journey Into Cryptocurrency And Stablecoins
Savana Morie
St. Cloud Financial is betting on digital assets to protect member relationships and future relevance. It’s picked up lessons for other leaders along the way.
Awkward Conversations: How To ‘ACT’ On The Crisis In Ukraine