Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, Inc.
Do Good. Do Global Good
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our mission is to improve lives through credit unions and financial cooperatives. We are fighting financial exclusion through community -based financial solutions, worldwide. Our programs are focused on the credit union community, have a positive measurable impact on lives through credit unions, and are sustainable.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Haiti Home Ownership and Mortgage Expansion (HOME) Program
HOME works on both the supply and demand side of the housing value chain in Haiti to create affordable housing. Through an incentive structure the program mobilizes the Haitian financial sector and property developers to lead the creation of a larger market for housing finance products and infrastructure. By the end of HOME, the program will facilitate the construction or improvement of 1,750 households and 7,875 Haitians will be occupying new or improved houses as a result of the HOME Program.
The program works with implementing partners, Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and the Affordable Housing Institute (AHI), and specifically, seeks to unlock liquidity in the Haitian banking sector, to mitigate risk for participating financial institutions (PFIs) and developers, and enable low, moderate and middle-income Haitian households to gain access to affordable housing. The HOME Program challenges and assists PFIs, developers, and low, moderate and middle-income households to identify, articulate and implement these solutions themselves—acting as a facilitator in the process—but does not create artificial interference in the housing market.
This program is timely, given that the 2010 earthquake destroyed 180,000 homes adding to the existing housing shortage, creating a backlog of nearly 300,000 units. USAID in close collaboration with the Government of Haiti (GOH) identified a number of fundamental constraints in Haiti’s housing delivery system. Against a backdrop of extreme poverty, the Haiti HOME Program helps address some of these constraints through the innovative uses of capital that have the additional benefit of addressing gaps, disruptions, weaknesses, or inefficiencies in Haiti’s delivery of either affordable homes or affordable housing financing.
Where we work
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Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our development programs provide people with access to finance that allows them to solve their own health, education, food and economic problems. The financial empowerment of connecting unbanked populations to the resources they need to succeed is lifechanging. We continue developing technology to make financial institutions and mobile network systems interoperable. In turn, we build capacity of local merchants and train underserved populations on how to use mobile technology for practical purposes
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide technical assistance and training to support financial markets in growing economies, along with global partners, such as USAID, the UN, and the World Bank by promoting financial inclusion, strengthening institutions as well as providing policy and regulatory support.We implement projects globally that extend financial inclusion., including: Improving financial access for smallholder farmers in Kenya, Guatemala, and Ukraine Building the market for safe and affordable housing for low to middle income Haitians Ensuring economic stability for displaced and disrupted communities in Colombia increasing employment for youth and young adults in Guatemala and Ukraine Delivering community stability through financial support in periods of conflict in Ukraine Empowering legislative and regulatory environment for CUs in Ukraine.
Due to the rapid growth in innovative technologies, the financial sector has become an ever-changing landscape. We want to ensure that the credit unions can adapt fast enough to ensure that community needs are being met. Engaging digital partners lets us focus on our strength which is institution building and market outreach. We use the following principles to integrate established best practices into its current and proposed technology-enabled programs. Digitize transactions and automate institutional processes
Build digital literacy alongside financial literacy Be technology agnostic by encouraging natural market evolution & not investing resources in technology that will become outdated Identify “anchor” credit unions that will spark further development Remain transparent; invite multiple partners in assistance process Internally, develop shared networking; externally, develop interoperability Focus on long-term, integrated systems building by building in sharing platforms & agreements up front Promote open-sourcing arrangements Share learnings widely Collaborate & partner as often as possible
WOCCU’s programs will ensure equitable access to financial services and products and support women’s leadership in the industry. Through our programs, we will continue to work with financial institutions to design financial products specifically tailored towards women and youth. For example: KENYA We supported the development of six tools for women micro-entrepreneurs and farmers. These interventions have proven successful, whereas 36% of partner financial institution customers are women.
HAITI & COLOMBIA In Haiti, we work with savings and loans groups that are exclusively women, mostly women or have equal
membership percentages between men and women. This inclusivity has created an equitable outreach strategy, and in some cases, female beneficiaries exceed male ones, such as in our Colombia program where 60% of beneficiaries are women.
Over the past four years, WF has delivered nearly $1 million in aid to credit union organizations affected by natural disasters
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We are experts in financial inclusion. We have a cadre of technical professionals that deploy our core competencies in institutional strengthening, as well as working with SMEs and individuals to drive entrepreneurship, train on financial decision-making capacity and instill financial literacy and discipline.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Our goal to increase credit union membership to at least 260 million in 2020 was achieved two years ahead of schedule in 2018. Going forward, WOCCU is continually improving and updating its core set of tools and methodologies to guide our implementation projects, keeping up to date and adaptable to new opportunities and evolving market environments.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 12/19/2023
Mr. Bill Cheney
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union
Term: 2017 - 2024
Crystal Long
GECU Credit Union
Dallas Bergl
Inova Federal Credit Union
Manfred Dasenbrock
Sicredi
Susan Mitchell
Mitchell, Stankovic & Associates
Brian Caldarelli
PSCU
Dwayne Naylor
Civic Federal Credit Union
Renee Sattiewhite
African-American Credit Union Coalition
Joe Thomas
NextMark Credit Union
Raj Bandaru
Kinecta Federal Credit Union
Jennifer Oliver
SCE Credit Union
J. Kevin Ryan
Financial Center First Credit Union
Tyler Valentine
StagePoint Federal Credit Union
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/11/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.