Credit Union Guidebook
Retail Impact Investing A GUIDEBOOK FOR CANADIAN CREDIT UNIONS FOREWORD Impact investing has the potential to be a growth opportunity and differentiator for the Canadian credit union sector. Today, impact investment options exist primarily for institutional and accredited investors. The opportunities for everyday investors to generate a return, while generating positive impact, are limited – this, despite evidence of market interest led by millennials and others. Credit unions are well positioned to tap into this opportunity. A core part of their mission is to ensure the financial, social and environmental well-being of the communities they serve: a mission that is aligned with the principles of impact investing. We see this Guidebook as a tangible resource to help credit unions address a marketplace gap and empower members to make investments that will have demonstrable, positive impacts in their communities. The Guidebook offers credit unions of all sizes and at all stages of their social responsibility journey actionable ideas of how to create and deploy retail impact investment products for their members. The guide also points to recommendations that the credit union sector as a whole can undertake. The Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) is committed to working with credit unions to explore how these recommendations can be advanced. We welcome your ideas and feedback - contact us at www.impactinvesting.ca/contact. CCUA is proud to have partnered with Purpose Capital, Employment and Social Development Canada, as well as a number of interested credit unions, to develop and share the research in this Guidebook. We want to extend our gratitude to Affinity Credit Union, Alterna Savings and Credit Union, Assiniboine Credit Union, Conexus Credit Union, DUCA Financial Services Credit Union, Libro Credit Union, Mennonite Savings & Credit Union, Meridian Credit Union, Servus Credit Union and Vancity Credit Union for their support and contribution to the development of this Guidebook.
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