P1- Measuring the impact of credit unions on wealth building in communities

Co-Lead Researcher: Lou Hammond-Ketilson, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan

Co-Lead Researcher: Jessica Gordon Nembhard, John Jay College, City University of New York

Co-Lead Researcher: Linda Moulin, Senior Vice President & Chief Governance Officer, Affinity Credit Union

Co-Lead Researcher: Myrna Hewitt, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Research, Affinity Credit Union

Partners: Affinity Credit Union and Advantage Credit Union

The study explores the many ways that credit unions benefit their members and their communities by documenting and measuring the kinds of products, programs and services credit unions provide and sponsor; and by calculating the impacts of these programs and services on members' well being, financial stability, asset/wealth-building, and skill development.

This study also calculates the impact of credit unions on community economic development and civic engagement. Our goals are to better understand the benefits credit unions provide their members and their communities, and the ways that credit unions help their members build wealth. We will investigate the kinds of assets and the size of assets credit unions help their members to own. We will also document the kinds of assets credit unions own, and analyze how they use them and/or leverage them to help their communities - individuals, businesses, and organizations in their communities - further develop and grow.

See the project overview for more.

See About Us for details on project co-leads and P1 Research Partners for additional research partner bios.

See What's New for recent project updates. Return to the Research page for more on our other projects.

In June 2012, Jessica, Linda, and Lou presented on P1 at the Cooperating for Change in the International Year of Cooperatives conference in Montreal. Abstracts and presentations slides available below as PDF files.

Panel: Co-operative Difference in Credit Unions [Abstracts]

Measuring the Impact of Credit Unions on Their Communities: Lessons from the Literature, Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, John Jay College, City University of New York [Slide notes]

Measuring the Impact of Credit Unions on Their Communities: Lessons from Preliminary Research, Dr. Lou Hammond Ketilson, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan [Slide notes]

Affinity Credit Union: Building Resilient Communities: Lessons from Practice, presented by Linda Moulin, Senior Vice President & Chief Governance Officer [Slide notes]

Panel: Measuring and Reporting Co-op Differences

Purpose and Tools of Credit Union Research, Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, John Jay College, City University of New York [Slide notes]