Sessions
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[In Spanish / en español]
Monday, May 2, 2022
9:00 am - 1:30 pm
Site Visit to Cooperativa Jesús Obrero, hosted by ASEC
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Financial Empowerment Workshop
The Financial Empowerment Workshop explores how behavioral science can be incorporated into the design of products, services or programs to improve members' financial well-being.
Have you ever thought: “Why aren’t members taking advantage of this great product we offer”? Find out how proven behavioral economics methods can improve product design and impact user behavior. Through understanding the impact of the environment on human behavior and motivations, the Common Cents Lab, an applied behavioral economics lab at Duke University, helps organizations nudge decision-making with thoughtful, research-based interventions.
In partnership with Inclusiv, the Common Cents Lab seeks to supply attendees with a foundational understanding of behavioral science to take into Inclusiv’s 2022 Annual Conference. This interactive session helps credit unions apply our methodology and principles to real products and services within their organization.
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Building More Equitable and Resilient Communities Worldwide
Inequality, financial inclusion, community development, resiliency and the impact of climate change - issues central to Inclusiv’s mission and focus – are issues that credit union systems across the globe are facing as well. Elissa McCarter-LaBorde, WOCCU’s new President and CEO will share new research and international initiatives to expand the role credit unions play in improving the lives of their members around the world. Elissa will be joined by representatives from national associations to share insights and solutions from credit unions around the world dealing with challenges like those faced in the US.
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Welcome Reception
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Buffet
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Our Future and Relevance Depend on It!
Inclusiv and its partners – AACUC, CU Pride and NLCUP – are working to ensure that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has a front-row, permanent seat in the consciousness of the nation and our movement. From policy to funding and accountability, our organizations represent the starting point for a process that’s transforming the credit union industry by embracing DEI principles and becoming a better reflection of the communities we serve. The extent to which credit unions can meet the needs of communities of color will most likely determine our future and relevance. Opening the session will be Janis Bowdler, the Treasury Department’s first Counselor for Racial Equity who will discuss Treasury’s efforts to mitigate the barriers to economic equality. Ms. Bowdler will be joined by Miguel Polanco, Director of NCUA’s OMWI and Cathie Mahon, Inclusiv CEO. Following that conversation, Angela Russell, VP of DEI for CUNA Mutual Group will lead a panel including Rene Sattiewhite, AACUC CEO, Diana Hastings, Executive Director of NLCUP, and Zach Christensen, Co-Founder of CU Pride and Director of DEI and Communications at Mitchell Stankovic Associates, on the path forward for the DEI movement.
Morning Breakout Sessions
10:15 am - 11:30 am
Cooperativas and Credit Unions Building Climate Resiliency
Financing clean energy and resiliency projects can offer a new source of revenue for financial institutions, such as the cooperativas in Puerto Rico and credit unions across the mainland U.S., that already act as financial first responders for community members when disasters disrupt daily life.
Strengthening cooperativas and credit unions is a proven and effective mechanism to support the economic revitalization of vulnerable communities, help communities recover from devastating climate-related weather events, and help them build resiliency against future disasters.
When climate events and natural disasters hit, often access to electricity is interrupted, and the most vulnerable members of the community wait the longest to regain access to power. Cooperativas and credit unions have been developing innovative financing solutions to support installing clean energy and resiliency systems that help community members survive devastating climate events and that restore access to power more quickly after an interruption. In addition, solar energy is a powerful tool to drive economic revitalization in many communities by building good jobs, while increasing energy affordability and reliability.
Inclusiv is partnering with credit unions and cooperativas to amplify their critical role in helping communities recover from natural disasters that have impacted and continue to impact their communities.
10:15 am - 11:30 am
Navigating the New Subordinated Debt Process: From Pre-Approved to Profitable
Enhancing regulatory capital is a vital step in positioning your credit union for growth, maintaining net worth compliance, and taking advantage of potential opportunities. In this session, we will dive deeper into the preapproval process and explore how secondary capital under the new subordinated debt rules can be a catalyst for short- and long-term growth. Learn how your credit union can start laying the foundation today in preparation for the road ahead.
10:15 am - 11:30 am
CDFIs: An Unprecedented Time for Credit Unions
The CDFI Fund has seen exponential growth in CDFI certified financial institutions recently in large part due to the growth of credit unions achieving CDFI certification. As of January 2022, there are 433 CDFI certified credit unions and the number is likely to hit 500 by 2023. In this session we will discuss the opportunities for CDFI credit unions to better serve their communities and members, and the call to action as financial first responders. Also, we will discuss the growth of programs and support Inclusiv creates for CDFI certified members and round out the conversation with upcoming opportunities for 2022. We invite all credit unions interested in hearing about this current moment in time to learn how depositories are leading the charge to use infusion of capital for great impact. We hope you will join us for this CDFI briefing and discussion!
11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Break with Exhibitors
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Annie Vamper Helping Hands Award Luncheon
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Compliance Can Promote Financial Inclusion
Compliance can take many forms. There's consumer compliance, Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act compliance and OFAC compliance. The impact of each must be assessed when contemplating a new product, service, strategy, or market. We will discuss the different forms focusing on:
- ITIN New Member/Lending
- Strategy centers around a relatively new concept-Clean Energy Lending
This an interactive conversation where we will talk about how to address these areas within your compliance program and policies.
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Growing Your MDI Credit Union: Products and Partnerships that Meet the Needs of Your Members
Come join us as we hear from credit unions who have developed customized products and services for underserved markets, successfully expanded their fields of membership, and formed innovative partnerships in order to engage segments of the market different from their traditional membership base. This session was designed with Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and smaller asset sized credit unions in mind, but all credit unions and cooperativas are welcome to attend to learn more.
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Leveraging Tech to Combat Predatory Lenders
Access to fair, safe, and affordable small-dollar loans can often be a vital financial lifeline for low-income families. But all too often, low-income borrowers have few or no good small-dollar loan options and turn to predatory lenders in their communities or unscrupulous fintechs operating online. Community development credit unions (CDCUs) that can sustainably offer small-dollar lending products provide members with an important financial backstop that stabilizes families and puts credit union members on the path towards improved financial health. Our session will explore how credit unions are successfully offering small-dollar loans through integrated fintech solutions that automate the underwriting process, making these products financially sustainable for credit unions and far more affordable for members.
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Break with our Exhibitors
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Building a More Inclusive, Equitable, and Cooperative Future
With over 40,000 cooperative businesses in the U.S. and more than 2 million worldwide, the cooperative sector is vibrant and present in every industry, from farming and financial services to housing and healthcare and everything in between. Puerto Rico is a terrific example of a cooperative ecosystem in which financial co-ops work closely with a multitude of cooperative businesses to help consumers achieve financial security. Yet the magnitude of the cooperative sector is often unrecognized; worse yet, the role of cooperatives as an effective platform to address economic and racial inequities in the U.S. and abroad isn’t fully understood. The COVID pandemic exposed the need for a more inclusive, equitable and cooperative future. With recent research indicating that younger people are more interested in unions, cooperatives across all sectors have the opportunity to provide a better future for people across the globe. Panelists will discuss how cooperatives can evolve and interconnect to meet the needs of working individuals and families to build wealth and greater security.
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
DEI Tuesday Receptions
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Buffet
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Business Meeting
9:30 am – 10:30 am
Mitigating the impact of climate change on low-income communities and people of color
Community development credit unions (CDCUs) advance financial inclusion and racial and social justice. Many communities served by CDCUs have experienced the devastating impacts of climate change, climate-related disasters, and energy insecurity in recent years. CDCUs, serving as front-line community lenders, have confronted the disproportionate impact climate change takes on low-income communities and people of color and have taken action to design climate-friendly financing solutions. These community lenders are delivering the benefits of clean energy to low-income, rural, and communities of color. This session focuses on the disproportionate impact of climate change on low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color, and the vision for how CDCUs are designing climate solutions for the communities they serve.
Operating at the intersection between climate action, resiliency, and social justice, we are thrilled to have Shalanda H. Baker, the Deputy Director for Energy Justice in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy, lead this session. Shalanda will share her vision on how we must address energy and climate justice challenges to build a more equitable and inclusive financial system and society. She will also discuss how the federal government has been developing new solutions, such as the Justice40 Initiative, to address energy and climate justice issues across the country.
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Break with the Exhibitors
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
CDCUs: The Ultimate Financial First Responders
Historically CDCUs have mitigated the economic impact of generations of disinvestment in low-income communities. Over the last two years, CDCUs have gained national recognition for their role in mitigating the pandemic’s economic impact in the communities they serve. The imperative to get COVID relief funds to under-resourced urban and rural communities raised the profile of CDFI, MDI and mission-driven credit unions across the country. Regulators play a critical role facilitating financial inclusion efforts, developing tools such as the low income designation and the minority depository designation, which have become widely embraced by credit unions. How do we leverage these tools to ensure that credit unions lend deeper in their communities?
Speakers: Todd Harper, Chairman, National Credit Union Administration; Cathie Mahon, CEO, Inclusiv; Mabel Jiménez Miranda, Presidenta Ejecutiva, COSSEC
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Buffet Lunch
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
Closing the Racial Equity Gap. Promoting Asset Building in Minority Communities
The 2020 pandemic and its economic fallout has taken a disproportionate toll on people of color, and it’s expected that it will widen the gap in various areas, including wealth. How do we level the playing field to ensure all have an equal chance to achieve the American dream?
The typical white American family has roughly 10 times as much wealth as the typical African American family and the typical Latino family. Depending on the year or how it’s measured, those numbers may change, but the wealth racial gap has continued for decades. While the share of wealth owned by the richest 3% has grown, the share owned by the poorest 90% continues to decline and this wealth divide disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority communities. Homeownership remains persistently unequal and the recent SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program exposed the ugly truth that the financial system doesn’t work for everyone, particularly for minority business owners.
How do we move the needle? Focusing on equity and closing that critical racial equality gap is not only positive for society overall but could ultimately have a positive effect on local economies and the nation.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Juntos Avanzamos: Excel at Serving Immigrant Communities
Join Inclusiv and NLCUP for a discussion with Juntos Avanzamos credit union CEOs about best organizational strategies for serving the Hispanic community and building high impact, long-term financial inclusion initiatives. As the communities that our credit unions serve become more diverse, it is of paramount importance to have the human and fiscal resources, structure, policies, procedures, products and institutional support at the board level for continued success and impact. Our guest speakers, experienced CEO's of Inclusiv/Juntos Avanzamos designated credit unions, will spearhead a conversation on the internal transformations that are required to excel at serving immigrants in your community.
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Your Keys to High-Impact Home Lending: Third-Party Origination and Loan Participations
Want to provide high-impact affordable home loans to low-to-moderate income and communities of color but find yourself hindered by obstacles that seem insurmountable? Whether it’s the need for more staffing or staying abreast of complex regulatory compliance – third-party originations can help. We will discuss outsourcing opportunities with Inclusiv partners for processing, underwriting, closing, and servicing, freeing up your credit union to focus on member service. This session will also explore the value of loan participations to generate revenue or reduce risk. If you haven't considered the benefits of third-party originations and loan participations, now might be a great time to start!
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Building A Robust Financial Wellness Program
Community development credit unions are mission-driven to offer services that improve their members’ financial well-being, and yet building robust financial wellness programming can seem daunting. In our interactive breakout session, we will explore the how credit unions have created multifaceted programs to build their members financial well-being. With our panel of experts, we will illustrate approaches to weaving together financial education, digital tools, and coaching to provide members with a range of entry points and resources to address their financial support needs. This session is for any credit union looking to start or enhance their financial education and coaching offerings to their members.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Building on the Momentum: What the future holds for CDCUs
With 450 institutions serving 17 million consumers, the community development credit union movement has never been stronger. Our collective impact has been recognized, and as a result, resources of an unprecedented scale have been channeled to CDFIs and MDIs to increase capacity and increase access to asset building opportunities for the members and communities served by CDCUs. Increasingly government agencies, philanthropy, community-based organizations, and local governments are looking at CDCUs as effective, sustainable, and trusted partners to eliminate systemic barriers to close the racial equity gap and increase financial security. With a track record of almost half a century in community and economic development, the Inclusiv network is proud to be the connector and advocate for community development credit unions and other mission-driven organizations and agencies interested in leveraging the CDCU business model. During this panel, CDCU leaders will reflect on this historic moment, talk about their community impact, and share their vision to expand our collective footprint to create a more equitable future for all.
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Closing Reception
Thursday, May 5, 2022
8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Site Visit to BoniCoop, hosted by ASEC
2:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Site Visit to Sagrada Familia, hosted by ASEC