Beyond Tech Innovation: How BECU is Reimagining Philanthropy

These days, most people automatically think of technology when they think of innovation, but innovation doesn’t require fancy digital bells and whistles. In fact, sometimes the most impactful innovations aren’t about dramatic invention, but rather incremental iteration.

Philanthropy is a field that’s rife with opportunities for iteration, and Gloria Dixon, BECU’s Director of Philanthropy and the Executive Director of the BECU Foundation, isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. As one of the top five largest credit unions in the United States, Washington-based BECU is known for its massive breadth, but what’s remarkable about the credit union’s community development work is that its impact runs both wide and deep.

In this month’s episode, we talk to Gloria about how she’s steering the credit union’s philanthropic efforts and iterating as she goes. We also address our BIG question:

How can credit unions be more involved in meaningful systems change, particularly when it comes to economic inequality?