Is inclusion the missing piece in the finhealth puzzle?
By: Michelle Christie, Senior Manager of Financial Inclusion & Impact
I finally did it. I made it to CUNA’s GAC. And everything you all told me was true: it’s inspiring, empowering and, let’s be honest, exhausting.
But there’s an energy that keeps you going. A sense of unity and togetherness. That wasn’t so much about being next to humans again as it was hearing and feeling the credit union movement’s unwavering commitment to improving our nation’s financial well-being.
I didn’t realize I needed such a boost until I was there, but of course I did. Who wouldn’t? It’s been a long two years. The pandemic. The loss – of loved ones, of jobs, of freedom. The rebirth of a civil rights movement.
Successfully navigating society is tougher than it was at the start of the decade. We’re more divided than ever before and for a cooperative movement committed to improving financial well-being for all, that is a wake-up call.
Those already vulnerable have been hit particularly hard over the last two years. There’s a reason each Herb Wegner Memorial Award (a personal highlight of mine) winner referenced the power of inclusion.
The National Credit Union Foundation recently shared two powerful examples of work to include those who, even for a credit union, could all too easily be underserved.