Affinity Credit Union
Affinity Credit Union: The Des Moines, Iowa-based Affinity Credit Union ($145 million in assets, 13,717 members) directly donated over $50,000 to local nonprofits and charitable organizations in 2022, and contributed over $70,000 when factoring in the money raised through its charity golf outing. This number is more impressive given its asset size, with the $50,000 donation per year amount roughly equivalent to 5%-7% of total annual bottom line earnings. In addition to financial assistance, Affinity provides each employee with 16 hours of volunteer time off (VTO) per year to volunteer for organizations and events of their choosing, ranging from company organized activities like packing 20,000 meals with the Iowa Wild for Affinity's Tame the Hunger event, to spending time with rescue animals at the local Animal Rescue League and volunteering as chaperones/coordinators for local school events and fundraisers. In 2022, Affinity's 35 staff members utilized over 125 of VTO to help enrich its communities.
We are excited to present and recognize the CU Times LUMINARIES Class of 2023 credit union finalists that have laid out examples of how to be good stewards of the industry while making an impactful and positive change in the communities they serve. This slideshow highlights the nine finalists from our Community Impact – Credit Union category. We received so many entries for this category that we had to divide it geographically into "north" and "south" depending on the headquarters location of the credit union. This category is those credit unions located in the "north" quadrant of the U.S. and represents all sizes of financial cooperatives that are strategically focused on community efforts. The LUMINARIES Class of 2023 Finalists are currently being reviewed by an incredible and diverse judging panel of experts from across the credit union landscape. A select group of winners will be announced live on stage during our awards dinner and gala, which is scheduled for Nov. 9, 2023 at the Disney's Yacht Club Resort in Orlando, Fla.
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Michael Ogden

Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.