A 2008 Australian-Canadian credit union comparative study found that employees, as social capital investors, are making a significant contribution to their organisations and their members' communities. The qualitative, pilot study included 27 interviews with credit union employees. Through an interpretative analysis of employees' understanding of social capital and the relational context of that capital, findings point to employees developing and managing credit union's social capital as part of a culture of social responsiveness. As part of their mission statements, Australian and Canadian credit unions aim to assist those in need to stand on their own and to add value to their members' communities. This is part of their historical background as credit unions began in order to provide fair access to financial services for groups who were underserved by mainstream financial services. The study reported in this paper indicates that social capital investment and community engagement slowed down during recent mergers; this was especially evident in the Canadian credit unions. The economic slow down, and tight financial markets, also had an impact on credit union viability. But credit union employees were determined to re-engage with their communities, with an emphasis on social responsiveness as fundamental to their business practice. Credit unions in the study demonstrated a strong commitment to their members and their communities. In the context of this paper, where the focus is on applied research, social capital is used reflexively to refer to the investment of an organisation in community programs where employee involvement is central to the success of these programs. Social capital encompasses a broad range of concepts and understandings. It has perhaps been most widely written about by Pierre Bourdieu, the French sociologist who extended the idea of 'capital' to categories such as 'social capital', 'cultural capital', and 'symbolic capital'. In this paper, credit unions (the organisations central to the study reported here) are social arenas where struggles over certain forms of capital occur as employees, for example, determine that credit unions become more than financial institutions managing members' financial matters. When credit union employees engage with their members' communities and public relations and corporate social responsibility staff facilitate community partnerships, this paper contends that their role as social capital investors develops organisations' moral fibre and generates and develops organisations' reputation and character.