During the NCUA’s 2021 DEI Summit, you can learn about best practices in expanding gender diversity in the executive ranks, as well as creating and maintaining credit union board diversity.

•  On Wednesday, Nov. 3, a panel of female C-suite executives will share stories of successes and setbacks on their path to leadership, while also discussing how to increase gender diversity in the executive ranks.
• ​ On Thursday, Nov. 4, a panel of leaders will take a broader look at boardroom diversity by sharing their experiences building and maintaining a diverse board of directors.

​Register Today! Visit the NCUA's DEI Summit 2021 event page for updated agenda items, including sessions and speakers.

CUNA Mutual Group and Inclusiv are collaborating to help raise credit union awareness and utilization of the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) program: 
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• Need guidance on CDFI Certification? Join the Inclusiv/CUNA Mutual Group Office Hours. Inclusiv staff will provide an overview and answer questions pertaining to CDFI Certification every Wednesday from 2:00 - 3:00 pm.
  • In 2021, an unprecedented level of funding was allocated to CDFIs by the CDFI Fund and Treasury's Emergency Capital Investment Program. The next round of CDFI funding ($1.75 billion) will be targeted specifically to MDIs; however, only 15% of minority-designated credit unions are CDFI certified. Inclusiv offers specific resources targeted to MDIs interested in becoming CDFI certified and accessing these federal grants. Every third Wednesday of the month, the office hour will be dedicated to MDIs (September 15, October 20, November 17).
    
    

• The Streamlined CDFI Application Qualifying Round opens September 12-October 15th: On August 25, 2021 NCUA provided the following newsroom update. You can also find some helpful video tutorials on the Streamlined Application in the Inclusiv video library.  
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• 2021 Inclusiv e-Books Juntos Avanzamos and the CDFI Credit Unions Build Inclusive Economies. 

The FDIC and Minnesota Department of Commerce are hosting a webinar titled “Household and Small Business Financial Capability Challenges for Minnesota’s African Diaspora” on Thursday, August 12th at 11:00 a.m.

​This webinar will help attendees understand financial capability challenges specific to the African Diaspora in Minnesota, and builds upon previous outreach in 2021 to better understand how to increase financial inclusion for Minnesota’s BIPOC and immigrant communities.  In the upcoming event, we will hear from two organizations that directly serve the African Diaspora: African Career, Education, and Resource Inc. (ACER) and Sakan Community Resource.   ACER will discuss financial capability challenges for immigrant small business owners, and Sakan Community Resource will discuss non-interest bearing financial products. 

The goal for the event is to create awareness about the challenges faced by the African Diaspora around banking and lending and the need for culturally relevant financial products that promote economic inclusion. The event will take place on WebEx and you can register online. 

The Fluence Forum was held last Saturday and aired on WCCO Radio. Moderated by Sheletta Brundidge, the Forum participant discussed the current state of economic inclusion and shared personal finance strategies that lead to financial empowerment. Guests included Anisha Murphy from the Community Reinvestment Fund and Debra Hurston from the Association for Black Economic Power and the following representatives from Minnesota’s Credit Unions: Jay Hall, SVP of Branch Operations, Ideal Credit Union and Grace Nakiboneka, Head Teller, Hiway Credit Union. 

In the first segment, Jay Hall emphasized the credit union "people helping people philosophy" and discussed the importance of financial literacy as the basis of financial empowerment. "It's not about how much money you have, its how you use that money, " Hall said.

For the second segment, Grace Nakiboneka said that the first step to financial freedom is getting an account and that credit unions find ways to serve people. "At Hiway, we're stepping away from saying ‘no’, and [instead] saying ‘not right now’. We’re going to give you the steps you need so that you can come back, or even go to another credit union, and get that account," said Nakiboneka.

​CUNA Mutual Group is collaborating with Inclusiv to help raise credit union awareness and utilization of the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) program.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund designates organizations that provide financial services to low-income communities and to people who lack access to financing and that meet certain criteria as Community Development Financial Institutions.

CUNA Mututal Group and Inclusiv have prepared timely videos that cover how credit unions can take advantage of the NCUA’s streamlined application process for CDFI and what to do next if their streamlined application is, or is not, approved by NCUA. 

There is also a module detailing the Minority Depository Institution (MDI) designation, and how a credit union can self-designate as an MDI.  

More resources on becoming a CDFI:

• An Inside Look at CDFI Credit Unions
• Apply Now for NCUA Streamlined CDFI Certification 

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The Minnesota Credit Union Network has created a DEI Resource Center for credit unions to aggregate partners, tools, and trainings to help further their DEI journey.

As part of our commitment to advance economic equality and financial inclusion, the page includes:

• links to industry partners
• resources attract and retain CU Employees, Board Members
• resources to improve member engagement and attract prospective members

Check back often as resources will be added and updated. Credit unions are encouraged to share ideas and suggestions. To submit a resource, email MnCUN Director of Communications Julia Miller.

With nearly 60 million Hispanics living in the US, many credit unions are focusing on strategies that make homeownership a possibility for their growing number of Hispanic members who want to achieve the American dream.

The Urban Institute projects that by 2030, 55% of all new homeowners will be Hispanic. And according to Freddie Mac, in 2018 there were 4.9 million mortgage-ready Hispanic Millennials, also called Hispanials, in the US. So why aren’t even more credit unions establishing a plan to attract either Hispanic members or employees? MGIC recently partnered with CUNA Mutual Group and I had the opportunity to ask Multicultural Strategy Manager Edgar Hernandez that very question –as it turns out, it’s for the simple reason that many credit unions simply don’t know how to go about reaching the Hispanic demographic.

So, what is the best way to attract this new, untapped set of potential first-time homebuyers? According to Edgar, credit unions should focus on what we know Hispanics value most. This article will help you better understand the Hispanic homebuying demographic and develop a more diverse outlook on these prospective first-time homebuyers with some valuable strategies, tools, and cultural insights.