How to Use Callahan’s Impact Dashboard

The Impact Dashboard was created in partnership with Filene Research Institute to help credit unions measure the impact they have on their members and communities.

Measuring your social impact is no easy feat. The dashboard is focused on ways to define, measure, and quantify community impact and to provide a baseline that you can measure against in the future.

The dashboard is intended to be a conversation piece. Use it to discuss policy and program development with leadership or within departments. As you use the Impact dashboard, understanding why different metrics affect your credit union’s social impact can also aid in course correction for existing programs and support executive decision-making.

The data is organized into three main sections:

1.Lending

• As one of the key components to credit union operations, lending metrics can work as an excellent indicator of the impact a credit union is having on its community.
• Given what a credit union knows about its members and its community, this section helps them to understand products needed, product affordability, and whether the credit union is properly serving its members.

2. Financial Well-Being

• Savings-related well-being is about the money that members are keeping for themselves – whether they are able to save enough, if the credit union is rewarding its members for their loyalty, and if the credit union is helping members on their journey to keep more dollars int heir accounts.
•  Lending well-being relates to lending terms that keep members out of predatory practices and help them boost their lending profile.
• Employee well-being is meant to ensure that credit unions are taking care of their employees and not only fairly compensating them, but rewarding them.

3. Community Development

• Part of the credit union difference is that cooperatives often work with their communities to further develop it and its inhabitants.
• The community development and philanthropic activity section looks at initiatives and programs in place at credit unions to brighten the futures of community members.
• It focuses on providing opportunity and donating to community organizations who best know how to utilize these funds.

How is Impact Calculated?

The Impact Dashboard measures a credit union’s potential impact relative to peers based on 51 public-data metrics. There are an additional 17 private-data metrics credit unions have the option to submit for increased impact evaluation.

The Impact Dashboard is a conversation starter, not a prescriptive report card. Therefore, the results, or the “Impact Potential ”falls into just 4 broad categories: Opportunity, Average, Good, and Strong. These are based on which quartile you belong to relative to your peers, and the legend can be found on the top right of the Impact Dashboard.

Your primary’s percentile is calculated based on quarterly performance. Based on your percentile, each metric falls into a quartile. The higher your quartile, the more Impact Points you achieve. If you are in the first quartile, you receive one Impact Point, and if you are in the top 25%, you receive four Impact Points for that metric. For metrics that are a simple Yes or No, you receive one or two points. The Impact Points are then totaled for each section. Your points are then compared against peers, resulting in your Impact Potential. Your Impact Potential is calculated for each of the three subcategories as well as your total.

Data from the 5300 Call Report is available for all users to see and benefit from. Upload your own data to unlock access to the internal credit union data section and increase your potential impact.  The below will outline how to participate and share your data.

While the upload functionality lives in Peer Classic for Callahan clients with access, new data can also be emailed to analystsupport@callahan.com forthose without Peer Suite or Peer Classic to participate.

How to Upload My Credit Union’s Impact Data

Begin by Downloading the Impact Template: Click here to download the template, or access it through the Impact folder in Peer Suite’s Left Navigation menu.

Filling Out The Impact Template

Instructions:

• Complete the Light Blue Cells: Fill in all light blue-shaded cells in Column D to the best of your ability. Be sure to maintain the current row order.
• Refer to Desired Format: Enter data according to the guidelines provided in the "Desired Format" column (Column E).
• Provide Additional Feedback: Use the green-shaded cells to offer any necessary feedback or comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I update my responses?

• Reupload Option: You can reupload the worksheet with updated responses as many times as needed.

2. What if an account code is not applicable to my credit union?

• Type "NA" in the associated field for any irrelevant account codes.

3. Why am I receiving an upload error?

• Format Check: Ensure your responses match the format provided in Column E.
• Row 9 Specifics: Use dashes appropriately for data in Row 9 to avoid errors.

4. Where can I find this data in my credit union?

• Data may come from multiple databases, depending on how your credit union manages its records.
• Need Assistance? Contact us if you need help identifying the right databases for these metrics.

5. What qualifies as “green lending”?

• Green lending includes activities that support sustainability, such as:
• Electric vehicles or charging stations
• Solar energy projects
• Energy-efficient upgrades (e.g., windows, appliances, or LED lighting)
• Weatherization efforts (e.g., insulation or wall treatments)

How To Upload My Credit Union's Data

1. Once you've completed your Impact Template, open Peer Suite
2. Click on Collaborate from the top navigation.
3. From the dropdown, select Upload NII/Impact Data.
4. Click Choose File to browse your computer for your completed Template.
5. Once selected, submit the file to the study.

As soon as your data is uploaded, the private data sections will be visible for you to use and you'll be able to start analyzing!