Our Work in Action
Case Studies
CU Strategic Planning unlocks opportunities for credit unions to change their communities. Our multi-year approach to community development is an investment that drives profound change for credit unions and the communities they serve. For more information about how we've helped hundreds of credit unions, please contact us.
Featured Case Study
Nearly 80% of Buckeye's activities are directed to low-income members in northeastern Ohio. CEO Michael Abernathy says of the $136.5 million credit union, "We take risks on people every other financial institution has left behind." Since becoming a CDFI in 2017, Buckeye has served its membership in part using the nearly $7.5 million in grant funding earned with assistance from CU Strategic Planning.
Featured Case Study
With the help of CU Strategic Planning, the $246 million New Orleans Firemen’s FCU credit union has received six awards totaling more than $15.5 million from the Community Development Financial Institution Fund since 2019. It leverages these CDFI awards to “aggressively serve designated low-income areas,” in the words of CEO Judy DeLucca.
Featured Case Study
Raiz FCU CEO Max Villaronga knew that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Accessibility (DEIBA) must be a strategic imperative for the $930 million credit union. He brought in CU Strategic Planning to help guide decision-making with Raiz in terms of strategic direction and resource allocation to further assure the credit union’s meaningful service to its membership and ongoing survival.
Read more about our work with Raiz
Featured Case Study
SWLA sought to offer a new type of student loan product – one that would meet both the members’ needs as well as the credit union’s needs — and needed help designing its product and reserving for the loans. Enter the experts at CU Strategic Planning, who have decades of experience working on just such programs.
Partnerships
CU Strategic Planning is proud to have led the movement of mainstream credit unions into the field of community development. Suncoast CU, the League of Southeastern Credit Unions and CU Strategic Planning launched Community Development Across Florida. As part of the project, CU Strategic Planning developed statewide partnerships with the United Way's ALICE, Habitat of Humanity Florida, and the Florida Prosperity Project.
Suncoast won a CDFI Award of $1.4 million to launch “Financial Inclusion Mortgages” to make home ownership accessible to over 300 marginalized, very low income families. CU Strategic Planning wrote the award application, developed the program, partners and product enhancements.
Featured Case Study
JetStream Federal Credit Union wanted to reach out to more of its low-income members with products and services that fit their needs. CEO Jeanne Kucey explains how the credit union obtained and leveraged the grants it received to provide more services to more of its members, unlocking the potential in its communities, with guidance from Credit Union Strategic Planning.
Loan Growth With Impact
The three-time CDFI award-winning, Carolina Foothills FCU, staff are well-trained to spot and convert predatory loans into safe, secure loans that contribute to the credit union’s ROA. The benefit of CDFI certification far exceeds its $1,926,267 in grants.
Carolina Foothills experienced improved ROA and loan growth immediately after engaging CU Strategic Planning. It was transformative. At year-end 2012 ROA was .25% and loan growth 1.7%. By 2013 loan growth doubled, and it doubled again in 2014, membership grew by 11.78%. In 2020 membership growth and loan growth are still both 4.5% higher than peers and ROA 24 BP higher.
CU Strategic Planning helped Carolina Foothills implement a community development business plan, enhance products, policies and establish partnerships to drive loans. As a result, the credit union increased its double bottom line even before receiving its CDFI Awards.