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Coopera and CUNA announce grant fund for credit unions investing in Hispanic member growth
DES MOINES, IA (February 21, 2014) — Hispanic market solutions company Coopera, in partnership with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), has announced the development of a grant fund in honor of the late Warren Morrow, credit union advocate and Coopera founder. The Warren Morrow Hispanic Growth Fund, established through the National Credit Union Foundation will help credit unions with less than $500 million in assets start or enhance a Hispanic growth program.
“Warren was a visionary in the credit union industry who saw immense potential for growth for those cooperatives that focused strategically on serving the largest, fastest-growing and youngest community in the United States,” said Miriam De Dios, CEO of Coopera. “To carry on his legacy, this fund supports what Warren believed deeply – that credit unions were the avenue to providing dignified financial services to Hispanics.”
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Warren than by carrying forward his vision,” commented CUNA COO Jill Tomalin. “CUNA is pleased to be working with Coopera to launch the new fund and we look forward to its impact.”
To kick off contributions to the fund, Coopera will donate $1,000 as a part of its participation in the “Make a Difference” project hosted from its booth (#329) at the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), February 23-27 in Washington, D.C.
Donations can be made anytime by visiting http://tinyurl.com/morrowdonation.
A celebration will take place at the 2014 CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference, scheduled for November 3-6 in Las Vegas. More details will be announced later.
Morrow, who passed away in early 2012 at the age of 34, founded Coopera in 2006 in partnership with the Iowa Credit Union League to help credit unions across the country reach and serve Hispanics as an opportunity for growth. In 2009, Coopera also partnered with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) to form an exclusive alliance partnership to further Hispanic outreach throughout the credit union industry.
About CUNA
With its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) serves 90 percent of America’s 7,400 state and federally chartered credit unions, which are owned by 95 million consumer members. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives providing affordable financial services to people from all walks of life. For more information about CUNA, visitwww.cuna.org or the CUNAverse blog and follow @CUNAverse on Twitter. For more information about credit unions, visitwww.aSmarterChoice.org and follow @asmarterchoice on Twitter.
About Coopera
Coopera (ko-pair-a) is a full-service Hispanic market solutions company with specific focus on credit unions nationwide. Coopera’s dedicated bicultural and bilingual personnel work closely with clients to assess their needs and create growth strategies designed to increase Hispanic membership, revenue growth and loan volume. Coopera specializes in developing long-term partnerships with clients as they transition from the early stages of discovery to a best practice credit union. Founded by the late Hispanic community activist Warren Morrow, Coopera is owned by Affiliates Management Company, the holding company of the Iowa Credit Union League and is an exclusive strategic alliance partner of the Credit Union National Association. For more information, visitwww.CooperaConsulting.com.