CDFI, DEI, OTP – an alphabet of hope and concern
The 2022 CDFI CORE funding round just closed. So, anything related to CDFI is top of mind for our team right now. Like anyone involved in the CDFI space, this was a record-breaking year. More certification and more grant applications than ever before. This increased awareness and participation is exciting! But this ramped up output […]
Diversity & Inclusion: It’s about culture, leadership, and making your business better
Fostering true diversity and inclusion is about finding out what people are all about and celebrating their differences. The importance of D & I really drills down to the concept that, when you look at things from someone else’s point of view – listening and understanding where they are coming from – you allow yourself […]
Walk a mile in cruel shoes
I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. Our deepening economic and political divisions are toxic right now, slowly fracturing families, friendships, neighborhoods, and even the credit union space. It’s heartbreaking. I’ve found that most of the day-to-day arguments are old. But what’s new is that the divisions can be leveraged and then amplified on […]
Are all credit union members equal?
Sometimes, during in-depth business planning conversations the question, “are all members equal” arises. It’s a tricky question, and it almost always creates serious debate. For some credit union leaders, the obvious answer is yes, but for others, the answer is “it depends.” Yes, all members are equal Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives. The membership democratically elects […]
The Strategic Importance Of Many Perspectives
If credit unions want to do a great job in four areas of big opportunity—and others—they’ll need input from leaders with a variety of life experiences. The communities many credit unions serve today have evolved over decades. Whether employers of select employee groups CUs served in the past have closed or the communities that surround […]
The Juntos Avanzamos designation builds bridges and trust within the community, resulting in high loyalty and growth.
As credit union leaders look ahead and consider whom their borrowers will be five years from now, they are likely to see a different group than they’ve been used to. The United States is projected to become majority-minority sometime between 2041 and 2046. The future of credit unions depends on our collective ability to attract, […]
Trust and the Hispanic community
As credit union leaders look ahead and consider whom their borrowers will be five years from now, they are likely to see a different group than they’ve been used to. The United States is projected to become majority-minority sometime between 2041 and 2046. The future of credit unions depends on our collective ability to attract, […]
Us & Them
More and more often these days, I find myself reflecting on the lyrics of Pink Floyd’s “Us and Them.” “Down and out, it can’t be helped but there’s a lot of it about; with, without, and who’ll deny that’s what the fighting’s all about; get out of the way, it’s a busy day and I’ve […]
Solving the Millennial credit union conundrum
It’s quite the conundrum: credit union leaders know they can’t afford to skip over lending to Millennials, but many haven’t yet figured out how to successfully attract enough borrowers under age 35 to impact their average age of membership. There’s so much talk about how to woo this 80-million consumer market – and so few […]
Sometimes You Have to Leave Credit Union-ville to See the Bigger Picture
I’ve always found value in networking with a diverse group of people, and diversity is easy to find within the credit union system. Having clients in six time zones representing big, small, urban, rural, community-based and association-based credit unions contributes to a never-ending (and richly rewarding) learning experience. But sometimes it’s not enough. Every now […]
When There’s a Credit Union on Every Corner
I recently had the pleasure of rediscovering my hometown. While some things never change, many things have – including the number of credit unions dotting the street corners. Having started my career in Utah, I was familiar with each of the credit unions I spotted. All are good brands, with expanded membership charters, serving the […]
Back to the Future… Leveraging Microenterprise Development for Growth and Social Impact
Today, a majority of credit unions offer some form of business products, many modeled on bank programs. For some, growth resulting from business products has been good, however, many have struggled to demonstrate that they can consistently compete with banks for business products. The problem is that traditional bank models overlook the low-to-moderate income consumers […]
