Between natural disasters, economic volatility, and political chaos, there is a lot to respond to these days. It’s important for credit unions to create contingency plans and prepare for crisis. It’s equally important to escape the reactivity trap by proactively creating opportunities for joy and connection.

That’s precisely what Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union has done with 325 Day, an event with a name that refers both to its date and the credit union’s local area code. The idea is to celebrate local businesses, gather community members, and most importantly, have fun!

This month, we’re joined by Abilene Teacher FCU’s Community Development Officer, Elizabeth Gray, and Marketing Director, Kathy Mayer, to talk about the evolution of the event and its growing impact. We also address this month’s BIG question:

During an era when so much is moving online, why is a sense of place still important and how does your credit union benefit by bringing people together in real life?

The listeners of this podcast are likely to know that credit unions are financial cooperatives — an identity that some credit unions lean into and others don't talk about much. Amongst the general U.S. population, our understanding of cooperatives is limited, at best. Most people are ill-equipped to distinguish between, say, a consumer co-op, like a credit union, and a worker co-op, like PixelSpoke!  We'd like to change that, and we think that credit unions can play a crucial role, not only in expanding our general understanding of what co-ops are and why they matter, but also in supporting the broader cooperative ecosystem.

We're excited to be joined by two guests who have made it their life's work to expand access to ownership through the cooperative business model. Frank Cetera is the Business Transfers Program Director for the Democracy at Work Institute, which helps communities overcome accelerating economic and social crises through worker ownership, and also a Board Member of local CDFI, Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union. Stacey Smith is SVP and Head of Programs at Project Equity, which helps raise awareness of broad based employee ownership and supports businesses transitioning to employee ownership.

Frank and Stacey help us tackle this month's BIG Question:

How can credit unions more broadly support a cooperative economy, and what specific needs can they address for co-ops in their communities?

What is a micro-interaction, and why should credit unions care? Fintech growth and business transformation strategist Samantha Paxson joins us on The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss how credit unions could benefit from focusing less on big loans and focusing more on daily financial activities. 

We talk about how frequently used financial tools and services, like debit cards and P2P payments, not only help keep your credit union top of mind for members but also help keep member financial wellness front and center for your credit union. We also unpack this month’s BIG question:

When it comes to sustainable growth, what underutilized, high-impact strategies should credit unions be pursuing in 2025?

Many of us have been trained to look outward when it comes to growing companies, whether that means looking to new target markets, potential investors, or evolving trends. But according to Ronaldo Hardy, President & CEO of The National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO), we are missing a crucial step. In episode 106 of The Remarkable Credit Union, Ronaldo talks about why we actually need to start by looking inward as he tackles this month's BIG question:

How can credit unions shape their brands from the inside out, starting with their people, culture, and impact?

In a heavily regulated industry like financial services, innovation can seem daunting. There are so many regulatory hoops to contend with, not to mention a fierce aversion to risk. But as Jerome Emanuel, Chief Lending Officer at Alternatives Federal Credit Union has discovered, if you focus on solving a proven problem and finding ways to say yes, the doors that end up opening just might surprise you.

Jerome joins us for this month's episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss Alternative FCU's game-changing FAIR Mortgage product, including what inspired it, how they got it off the ground, and what the results have been to date. He also addresses this month's BIG question:

How can a financial product address systemic inequality, and what risks are entailed in changing the rules of the “game?”

In this age of multibillion-dollar credit unions, it can be easy to forget that most started with a small group of people looking to pool their resources. 

Well, Jessica Gordon Nembhard is here to remind us. Professor of Community Justice & Social Economic Development in Africana Studies at John Jay College, CUNY and author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice, she believes that wonderful things can happen when communities come together for mutual aid. 

Among other things, we talk about the proliferation of Black cooperative responses during Covid, the importance of credit unions as community assets, opportunities for credit unions to play a more central role in supporting cooperative development and ecosystem building, and the challenges currently facing Black-owned credit unions, including potential strategies to better support these vital community institutions.

We also address this month’s BIG Question: 

What role do Black cooperatives currently play in the ongoing fight for economic, racial, and social justice, and what potential is not being realized?

Demand for clean energy products is on the rise, and not just from well-to-do Tesla owners. There is also widespread interest and demonstrated need in lower-income and disadvantaged communities. But how can credit unions meet that need?

Enter the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator program (CCIA), which is currently offering funding to credit unions and other community lenders to deliver green products, with a focus on the underserved. We’re joined by two leaders in the credit union movement, Cathie Mahon, President and CEO of Inclusiv, and Blake Jones, a founding board member of Clean Energy Credit Union.

Cathie and Blake share how credit unions can leverage new government funding opportunities and why they are so well positioned to deploy clean energy solutions in their communities. They also address this month’s BIG question:

Why should credit unions care about clean energy, and what do they stand to gain from helping low-income and disadvantaged communities deploy clean energy projects?

We all know that products are a credit union’s bread and butter, so to speak. But a “product-first” mentality can result in more transactional relationships with your members, not to mention a product mix that may not fully meet their needs.

This month, we talked to Alicia Portada, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Lower East Side People’s Credit Union, about how they focus on following the need, keeping boots on the ground, and keeping more vulnerable communities front and center when it comes to their expansion strategy. We also tackled this month’s BIG question:

What if credit union marketing efforts were less product-focused and more partnership-focused? What would that look like in practice, and how could this approach help realize The Credit Union Difference?

As AI has wriggled its way into more nooks and crannies of our everyday lives, we’ve been hearing quite a bit of chatter about technology versus humanity. We’re not here today to speculate about possible dystopian futures, but we are here to talk about why it’s so important for even the most technologically advanced credit unions to keep the focus on their people. 

Chylon Pappas, VP of Corporate & Government Engagement at First Tech Credit Union, joins us to share how First Tech does just that. She helps us unpack this month’s BIG question: 

What does a people-first focus look like in practice, and what are the key things more credit unions should be doing to better serve their employees, members, and broader communities?

Welcome to our 100th episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast! We couldn't have asked for a better guest to help us celebrate this milestone—the inimitable Linda Bodie, Chief + Innovator at Element Federal Credit Union.

Linda joins us to share some incredible stories from her over 25 years as a leader in the credit union movement, including how Element FCU became the first financial institution in the country to offer mobile deposit on iPhone; what led to the creation of CU*Pride, the credit union association for LGBTQ+ professionals; and how Element FCU succeeds in taking risks and making its members laugh along the way.

We also tackle this month's BIG question:

How can credit union leaders foster a space—for members and staff—that is both safe and brave?