How to make charitable donation dollars work harder
CAMPUS USA Credit Union uses foundation and charitable donation account to focus its community service.
As part of its strategic planning five years ago, CAMPUS USA Credit Union leaders decided to make its already-generous charitable giving program a more organized, focused operation. Two key improvements have helped them achieve that goal:
- Establishing a charitable foundation with a board that directs donations
- Charitable donation accounts that offset some of the program’s cost
$2 billion CAMPUS USA CU, Gainesville, Florida, was already well-known for supporting its communities with donations and volunteer programs. But CEO Jerry Benton says the credit union’s charitable giving was more reactive than pro-active.
“Our senior management supervised [donations], but there were no clear goals. We were fielding requests as they came in, rather than establishing the types of organizations and geographic areas we should be targeting,” says Benton, a CUES member.
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