Credit Union Foundations

Using our tailored approach, we help credit unions leverage their foundations as powerful tools for financial empowerment, community involvement, and long-term success.

We assist credit unions in establishing and maintaining their foundations by providing strategic guidance in three key areas: financial management to ensure sustainable funding, operational efficiency to streamline foundation operations and maximize their impact, and marketing strategies to enhance community outreach and member engagement.

Financial

Evaluate what type of foundation you want to create.
If you do have a program, we will evaluate how sustainable your program is right now and assess if we need to start a new program. This includes looking at financials and your long-term sustainability.
Create goals and metrics for financial sustainability.
Assess if you have a need to diversify your fundraising stream to sustain your operation.

Operational

Evaluate your dedicated staff, board involvement, and volunteers to see what resources are needed to implement the plan.
Establish systems, processes, and deadlines to execute the plan.
Implement the current plan with weekly accountability.
Conduct training for the staff, board, and volunteer leadership.
Measure the return on investment and go over the next steps.

STRATEGY

Establishing a foundation represents a significant step in expanding a credit union’s community impact, strengthening member engagement, and deepening its long‑term commitment to the communities it serves. Our approach ensures the foundation is built on strong governance, compliance, and strategic framework that positions it for sustainable, measurable impact.

Whether you’re considering launching a charitable foundation or seeking support to help it grow, I’d welcome the chance to connect for a free consultation and learn more about your vision. OR I specialize in guiding credit unions through the creation of high‑impact charitable foundations that extend mission and deepen community impact.

Credit union foundations are powerful engines for financial mobility, community partnership, and long‑term impact. But launching and maintaining a foundation requires clarity, compliance, and a strong alignment between the credit union’s mission and its philanthropic strategy.

We help credit unions design, establish, and strengthen foundations that are legally sound, strategically aligned, and built for measurable community outcomes.

We Guide Your Credit Union Through Every Stage of Foundation Development

Foundation Feasibility & Strategic Alignment

Before forming a foundation, we help by conducting readiness assessments, stakeholder interviews, and strategic analysis to help you determine the right path forward—and what it will take to get there.

Foundation Formation & Launch Support

We help guide you through the full formation process with clarity and confidence, by helping you:

Define your mission, vision, and strategic focus areas
Drafting bylaws, governance structures, and board roles
Supporting legal and compliance steps in partnership with your legal counsel
Design early‑stage programs and philanthropic priorities
Create messaging and launch communications

Governance & Board Development

A foundation’s success depends on a board that understands its role and feels equipped to lead. We help your board operate with clarity, confidence, and shared purpose by providing:

Board training tailored to credit union culture and cooperative principles
Scenario‑based learning to build confidence in fiduciary and fundraising responsibilities
Tools for effective oversight, strategic planning, and community accountability
Support for board recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing development

Program & Impact Strategy

A foundation is only as strong as the impact it creates. We will help your credit union foundation become a trusted, strategic community leader—not just a grantmaker.

Fundraising & Donor Strategy

Credit union foundations have unique opportunities to engage a variety of constituents. By helping you design donor strategies that feel authentic, mission‑aligned, and achievable.

We meet your team where they are and help them grow into confident fundraising leaders.

Ongoing Foundation Management & Best Practices

Foundations thrive when they are well‑managed and future‑focused. We provide ongoing support to keep your foundation aligned with best practices, operational excellence, transparency, and trusted community stewardship.

Ready to Build or Strengthen Your Credit Union Foundation?

Whether you’re exploring the idea, preparing to launch, or seeking to elevate your foundation’s impact, we’re here to guide you with clarity, strategy, and partnership.

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“Imagine one-of-a-kind services critical for the care of vulnerable children without a significant, dependable, annual revenue stream. Steffanie Bonner’s development expertise and acumen set the course to stabilize this condition by securing a new, recurrent funding source that exceeded $200,000 a year and reengaging lapsed donors who subsequently increased their giving while she led a successful board capital campaign. Her soft and technical skills have repeatedly positioned similar organizations for meaningful, long-term success. Without a doubt, she moves organizations forward.”

Janice Edmiston

Former Colleague at Child Abuse Network with over 35 years of nonprofit work experience

"Steffanie is a delight to work with. She is knowledgeable about the requirements for non-profit organizations and very responsive to her clients. Her ability to synthesize complex concepts into an easy-to-understand format is noteworthy."

Katherine G. Coyle

Partner I Conner Winters

I would definitely trust Steffanie Bonner as a consultant. She has such amazing talent and experience to share.

Katie Sawicki

Director of Development and Operations at Signature Symphony

Steffanie has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Anyone working with her will benefit greatly!

Julie Ryker

Development Specialist I The Salvation Army

Steffanie facilitated a half-day board retreat for our organization, and her guidance was exactly what we needed. As a smaller nonprofit in the process of rebuilding our board, we were looking for clarity, alignment, and renewed energy. Steffanie created a welcoming space, brought everyone into the conversation, and ensured each board member felt engaged and empowered. Her ability to draw out meaningful dialogue and help our board understand how to best support the organization has already made a positive impact. We are incredibly grateful for her expertise and highly recommend her to any organization seeking stronger board cohesion and direction.

Margaret Wish

Fostering Connections

Steffanie Bonner’s support and guidance was essential as I worked through the development of our credit union’s foundation. We were navigating major
structural decisions-especially around whether to establish ourselves as a private foundation or a public charity, and whether the foundation could help support future credit union membership growth.
I wholeheartedly recommend Steffanie to any credit union working to establish or strengthen its foundation. Her knowledge is outstanding-but it’s her steady presence, her ability to anticipate what you need, and her genuine care for her clients that truly set her apart.

Sarah V. Hall

Director, Foundation | WeStreet Credit Union

Steffanie came into the credit union foundation space with a solid background in nonprofit and foundation leadership. Over time, she thoughtfully applied that experience within the credit union environment, taking the initiative to understand regulatory expectations, operational boundaries, and the strategic role a foundation can play in extending a credit union’s mission and community impact. Steffanie is steady, collaborative, and deeply mission-driven. She creates an environment where leaders feel supported and aligned, balancing strategic vision with disciplined execution.
I recommend Steffanie without hesitation to any credit union seeking to establish or strengthen a foundation. She brings nonprofit depth, well-developed credit union expertise, professionalism, and integrity to every engagement.

Michelle Minton

VP of Internal Audit | TTCU Federal Credit Union

Steffanie Bonner, CFRE was involved in building the credit union’s foundation from the ground up including governance, compliance, strategy, and donor engagement.
She has a clear understanding of how a credit union foundation can extend the credit union’s mission and impact while improving the credit union’s brand.

Stephanie Jones

Chief Strategy Officer (Retired)/ TTCU Federal Credit Union

Steffanie partnered with the Tulsa Air and Space Museum (TASM) during our Ascending Together expansion initiative, a major gift campaign centered on the construction of a new aircraft ramp and hangar. From the onset, Steffanie brought a depth and breadth of experience that proved invaluable. She quickly understood both the scope of the project and the culture of our organization. As a strategic thinker, she helped us refine our case for support and articulate a compelling, mission-driven message that resonated with donors and the broader Tulsa community.

Beyond her professional expertise, Steffanie is a collaborative and thoughtful partner. It was truly a pleasure to work alongside her as we advanced our fundraising goals. Her insight, professionalism, and dedication significantly strengthened our campaign efforts.

Tonya Blansett

Executive Director | Tulsa Air and Space Museum

When nonprofit board members step away from their careers and families to participate in the important work of strategic planning, it is essential that their time is invested wisely and leads to meaningful results. In my 20 years of bringing nonprofit boards together for strategic planning retreats, Steffanie Bonner stands out as one of the best facilitators I have worked with. She has a remarkable ability to guide a board through defining its goals while skillfully facilitating a thoughtful and productive strategic planning process. Her experience, tools, and facilitation style brought clarity and focus to our retreat, enabling our board and staff to identify key priorities, clarify objectives, and establish a clear path forward. We left the retreat with actionable next steps, achievable timelines, and a board that felt confident and energized to move the plan into action.

Toni Moore

President & CEO of Philos Hospitality, Inc. / Hospitality House of Tulsa

Steffanie Bonner provided consulting services to us for several months while we were short staffed in fund development. She stepped right in and hit the ground running with a handful of key deliverables, all of which were executed with high quality, service and professionalism. Her expertise in the area of fund development was instrumental to our success during this time.

Nancy Austin

Board Chair / Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma

“Think of giving not as a duty, but as a privilege.”