Impact Reporting and SEG Strategies for Credit Unions

How Credit Unions Are Using Data-Driven Impact Reporting to Strengthen Advocacy and Deepen Community Relationships

In an era where credit unions must clearly demonstrate their value, data-driven impact reporting has emerged as a critical tool for strategic growth and effective advocacy. This webinar explored how leagues and credit unions are leveraging insights to tell their story, build trust with legislators and community organizations, and increase participation in financial wellness initiatives.

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Why Impact Reporting Matters More Than Ever

The credit union landscape has changed dramatically over the past few decades—from over 20,000 institutions in the 1970s to just under 5,000 today. With rising consolidation and increasing regulatory pressure, the ability to communicate impact is essential for long-term sustainability.

Ben Hering, Director of Partnerships at CUCollaborate, opened the session by emphasizing the importance of preserving the credit union movement through strategic storytelling and targeted advocacy.

“If we can show legislators exactly how many of their constituents are credit union members—and how much we’re saving them—that’s powerful.”

Turning Data Into Advocacy: The Power of Project Zip Code

CUCollaborate is helping credit unions turn existing data into powerful advocacy tools by streamlining participation in America's Credit Unions’ Project Zip Code. By submitting member data already housed in the ARIES file, credit unions can tie their service impact directly to congressional and state legislative districts—essential for engaging with lawmakers.

As Ben explained:

“Imagine walking into a meeting and saying, ‘We serve 25,000 of your constituents, and we save them over $10 million annually.’ That’s what this reporting enables.”

CUCollaborate simplifies the data submission process and layers in impact analytics so credit unions get more than just compliance—they receive insights they can use across strategic planning, SEG engagement, and community partnerships.

Live Dashboards That Make Your Impact Tangible

One of the highlights of the webinar was a live demo of CUCollaborate’s AnalyzeCU platform and Impact Report Dashboard. These tools give credit unions the ability to:

• Export meeting-ready PDFs tailored by geography (e.g., congressional district, county)
• Visualize total annual member savings using risk-based benefit scoring
• View service across rural areas, distressed communities, and income brackets
• Track racial, ethnic, and demographic reach using census-enriched data

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American United Federal Credit Union, for instance, was shown to save its average member around $450 per year—a figure that resonates far more than abstract mission statements. “Money talks,” Ben noted. “And saving your members hundreds of dollars annually is a story everyone understands.”

SEG & Community Partnerships: Where Data Meets Strategy

Deliana Gamez, Advisory Director of Business Development, took the baton to demonstrate how these insights can be used to drive deeper engagement with SEGs and community partners.

“Partnerships need more than good intentions,” she said. “They need clear expectations, strong rollouts, and tangible value.” CUCollaborate’s impact reports support this by:

• Measuring baseline and ongoing participation in credit union benefits
• Quantifying member lifetime value and savings by partner group
• Providing data for annual lookbacks and strategic planning

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Deliana emphasized that this isn’t just about advocacy—it’s about elevating internal growth strategy.

“These reports show which partnerships are delivering results and where more engagement is needed. They help you set KPIs around real outcomes—like member savings—and track progress over time.”

For Leagues: A Scalable Advocacy Tool

The webinar also highlighted CUCollaborate’s work with leagues, such as the Nebraska Credit Union League, to aggregate impact across multiple credit unions in a state.

Brandon Luetkenhaus, the League’s Chief Advocacy Officer, noted:

“These reports allow us to walk into legislative meetings with real data—economic contributions, total members served, jobs supported. It makes our story credible.”

This aggregated impact becomes a powerful tool for policy influence and a way for leagues to support their member credit unions with centralized reporting and advocacy resources.

Q&A Recap

🔹 Can credit unions automate their data submissions?

Yes. CUCollaborate supports multiple methods for ARIES file submission, including secure manual uploads, automated PowerShell processes, and SFTP. Their team also provides hands-on support for onboarding and setup.

🔹 Is CUCollaborate compliant with data security standards?

Absolutely. CUCollaborate is a SOC 2 Type II compliant organization. A full due diligence package—including compliance letters and audit documentation—is available for credit unions needing internal review.

🔹 What if we don’t have internal capacity to manage the process?

CUCollaborate acts as an extension of your team. Their account managers provide setup support, technical guidance, and ongoing account management, particularly useful for smaller credit unions or those with limited BI bandwidth.

🔹 Can we use this data beyond advocacy?

Definitely. Many attendees noted the value of these insights for internal strategic planning, board reporting, SEG outreach, and identifying new areas of opportunity—both operationally and demographically.

Impact Reporting in Action: A Strategic Advantage

Whether you’re working with SEGs, lawmakers, or community organizations, CUCollaborate’s impact reporting helps credit unions:

• Prove their value in dollars and data
• Benchmark strategic growth across multiple channels
• Support financial wellness in a measurable, repeatable way

As Deliana put it, “We can say we want to make an impact. But if we’re not measuring it, how do we know we’re actually doing it?”

Ready to Get Started?

Credit unions can access CUCollaborate’s impact dashboard and advocacy tools through league partnerships or directly via the CUCollaborate registration portal. With support for automated ARIES file uploads, SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, and hands-on account management, it's easy to get started.

This isn’t just reporting—it’s advocacy, strategy, and partnership growth all in one.

📅 Book a Meeting with Deliana Gamez to Discuss SEG Strategy or Business Development

📅 Book a Meeting with Ben Hering to Discuss Impact Reporting and Advocacy