Return on investment (or dividends on savings). At the end of each fiscal year, most credit unions pay their members dividends or interest on the amount of savings they have with the credit union. Credit unions may simply be an activity for the benefit of their members, or they may be a financing resource as well. So the issue of whether to distribute dividends to credit union members becomes important in low-income communities. Members like to receive the dividends as concrete proof that their savings are earning money. If the credit union retains and pools the interest instead, the indirect benefit is greater to members in new credit unions. The credit union can also be used in this way to accumulate capital in the community for further economic development. LO.1