Harness for Credit Unions

Every credit union gives generously.
Almost none gives strategically.

Harness turns the dollars you're already donating into a growth engine for members, brand, and non-interest income. Without changing how much you give.

Book a demo See the outcomes →

Limited-time boost 2×

This month, every swipe gives double.

Every purchase counts twice this month — and the whole community benefits.

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HRS

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Boost ends July 31

Meridian

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Double the giving • Ends July 31 • Double the giving

Meridian This month's causes

3 local causes this month

The Pennies Program

Your everyday card is doing extraordinary good.

Every time you use your Meridian card, we fund a donation of 1–5¢ per purchase to a local cause you help choose. Funded entirely by us — you never pay a cent.

Today, that giving returns almost nothing you can prove.

Giving today

0×

traceable return you can prove

With Harness

5×

up to 5× traceable return

The return is a guess.

Giving keeps climbing, but almost none of it is tied to a measurable business result. Every other line on your P&L has ROI math behind it. Giving doesn't.

Harness makes it count.

Same giving, now attributed to real outcomes, turning a line you couldn't measure into up to 5× the traceable return you can take to the board.

One budget, five outcomes

The same generosity, working across five business outcomes.

You don't spend a dollar more. The giving you already do starts moving five lines on your P&L at once.

Non-interest income

Card-linked giving gives members a reason to reach for your card first, driving interchange-eligible activity and turning your giving program into a measurable contributor, not a cost center.

Net membership growth

A program members are proud of gives them a reason to join and a reason to stay. You attract mission-minded members and lift retention among the ones you already have.

New SMB acquisition

Local causes connect you to the local businesses that back them, opening doors to business accounts, lending relationships, and merchant partnerships across your field of membership.

Foundation performance

Give your foundation modern donation pages, recurring giving, and board-ready reporting, so every dollar in and out is tracked, attributed, and simple to report.

Brand awareness

Turn quiet generosity into a visible story. Real-time impact members can see and share puts your name behind the causes your community already cares about.

Three flagship programs

Three programs. One compounding engine.

These are the three ways credit unions put Harness to work. Start with one, or run all three: each program feeds the next, and the impact compounds.

Foundation Platform

Your foundation, running like a modern non-profit.

From strategy to execution. Give your foundation everything it needs to fundraise year-round: golf tournaments, galas, online giving, recurring gifts, payments and more.

Great for credit unions starting or already running a foundation.

Pennies Program

Everyday card activity, turned into everyday impact.

Every time a member uses their card, the credit union funds a donation of between 1–5¢ on their behalf. Members never pay a cent. The more members carrying the card, the bigger the impact they power together.

Great for credit unions with active CDAs.

Network Flywheel

Causes, members, and local business, compounding.

Giving connects you to local causes. Causes connect you to members and the businesses that support them. Each relationship feeds the next, turning generosity into a growth loop across your field of membership.

Great for credit unions with a non-profit checking strategy.

Questions

What credit union leaders ask.

Do our members pay for any part of this?

No. The Pennies Program is funded entirely by the credit union. Members never pay a cent; their card activity simply triggers a donation the credit union makes on their behalf.

How does giving turn into non-interest income?

When your card is tied to the local causes members already care about, it becomes the card they reach for first. That local affinity is what drives primary-card behavior: more everyday swipes, more interchange-eligible transactions, and a steady stream of interchange income built on giving members actually feel connected to.

How much giving budget do we need to start?

You don't need a bigger budget; you need a smarter one. Most credit unions start by redirecting giving they already do. We'll model a program that fits your current budget and show what it returns before you commit.

How do we measure ROI and report it to the board?

Every dollar is attributed to an outcome (non-interest income, membership, SMB relationships, foundation performance, and brand) in a dashboard and board-ready reports. You see the return, not just the spend.

How long does it take to launch?

Most programs go live in weeks, not quarters. We handle setup, cause selection, and member-facing storytelling; your team reviews, approves, and launches.

See your numbers for real.

Book a 30-minute working session. We'll model the impact on your actual member base, transaction volume, and giving budget, then recommend which pathway fits best.

Talk to a Strategist