Charity works best when the people closest to a problem get to decide how to solve it, and Centra Credit Union‘s Pay It Forward campaign proves the point.
Small Projects, Big Reach
Through the Centra Foundation’s Pay It Forward program, Team Members lead their own mini-service projects for local nonprofits. This round, Centra put $10,000 behind 18 organizations and the volunteer projects that went with them, all across the Communities it serves.
The idea fits the credit union philosophy of People Helping People. Centra keeps hunting for fresh ways to let its Team Members give back, and this program hands them the steering wheel.
Who Got a Boost
The following nonprofits were supported:
- Advocates for Children
- Asociación de Mujeres Mexicanas en Indiana
- Center for Lay Ministries
- Coburn Place
- Cradle Family Resource Center
- Foundation For Youth
- God’s Grace
- Head Start
- Hope of Southern Indiana
- Human Services Inc. ‘Head Start’ program
- Indiana Youth Group of Columbus
- Jamestown, NY YMCA ‘Empower Her Housing’ program
- Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center
- REACH! Food Program for Kids
- REACH Columbus, Inc.
- Sports Cards 4 Veterans
- Students’ Fund of Hope
- Turning Point Domestic Violence Services
The Numbers and the Nod
Whatever project a team picks, the campaign gives Centra and its Team Members another way to live out their vision of creating value for each other, their Members, and the Communities they serve. In the third quarter of 2026, 180 Team Members volunteered their time, and $10,000 flowed back into those Communities.
“Pay It Forward projects are a great reminder of what’s possible when people come together around a cause that matters,” said Jenni Carr, Centra’s AVP of Community Impact. “I’m always inspired by our Team Members’ creativity, generosity and heart for serving others. Their passion for finding meaningful ways to support local nonprofits creates a lasting impact and helps strengthen the Communities we serve.”
Where It Fits
Pay It Forward lines up with the Foundation’s focus areas: financial empowerment, scholarships and career development, social responsibility, and emergent community needs. In 2026, the Foundation is allocating $28,000 across 56 teams to pay it forward.
Want the details? Visit Centra.org or follow Centra on social media at @centracu.
When employees choose the cause, the generosity tends to land exactly where it’s needed.