CUNA Councils, an insider’s view

It’s a name that you’ve probably seen at conferences, on pamphlets, sponsorship banners and many other places. As the various CUNA Council names start to show up more and more throughout our movement, my colleagues have become more intrigued, and have started to ask me what the Councils are like from the inside.

Officially, the Councils are a series of national organizations that help credit union executives grow in their careers, connect with others at credit unions nationwide and utilize tools, resources and education designed to strengthen the credit union movement. Unofficially, they are a series of communities. Like any well-run community, Council members support, strengthen and learn from one another, no matter who or how far away. Here is what I specifically see when I look at CUNA Councils from the inside:

Connection with the Industry

For some leaders, collaboration with other credit unions ends as soon as the conference is over. They’ll gladly take the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn alongside others, but once they’re back in their office, they’re on their own again. The Councils take the opposite approach and make constant connectivity an absolute priority.

As Council members, we’re always a few clicks away from a nationwide network of fellow leaders. In fact, the Councils even have their own social network called Councils Connect. Through Councils Connect, and each Council’s individual listserve, I can contribute to online discussion forums, make new connections via the membership directory, ask my peers for advice and even request vendor references, all by simply logging in.

This level of connectivity allows us to take on sudden issues, brainstorm strategies and build solutions within a matter of a few hours, and without having to leave our offices. It means every Council member is able to lead their team with the wisdom and experience of an entire nation of leaders.

Improvement Among Peers

Of course, we don’t run our community entirely in a digital space. Each Council meets once a year to learn from one another, collaborate solutions together, network and celebrate the achievements of our peers. The annual conferences emphasize current issues and industry updates and spotlight experts who are most knowledgeable about our community’s greatest concerns and latest industry opportunities. In my opinion, it’s well worth the trip and extremely valuable to meet face-to-face with the people whom I have been connecting with all year.

When we’re not gathering in person, the Councils gather around a virtual conference table. Each Council holds four virtual roundtables per year as a way to address hot topics affecting members’ roles and responsibilities. Since the quarterly roundtables are held online, but are treated as offline meetings, we’re often able to discuss and tackle important issues in a single sitting.

The Council white papers are another strategic convenience worth mentioning. Council white papers are some of the most influential in the industry; they contain expert insights and case studies from our national network on topics that matter the most to our movement. They give readers a closer look at today’s most important trends, techniques and perspectives, which include advice on how to react to what’s coming next.

Access to a Wealth of Resources

Of course, advice and ideas will only get you so far. Eventually, solving a problem means you need cold hard data and implementation tools. Once again, the Councils use the strength of a community to make those tools readily available.

The Councils have their own online file library that allows us to share and download resources from each other. The Council File Library puts everything from planning documents and templates, to policies and surveys, right at your fingertips. Council members are often first to respond to big shifts in the industry due to conveniences like the Council File Library and the In the News eNewsletter. These resources provide valuable information like advocacy and regulatory updates that we frequently need to reference.

So there you have it; that is what I see from the inside of CUNA Councils. As you may have gathered, I’m pretty excited about the view!

The CUNA Councils understand that a credit union’s success begins with the effectiveness of its executive team and the community surrounding that team, and they’ve assembled the resources and accessibility to cultivate that effectiveness. Membership is open to executives from credit unions of any asset size. To connect your credit union with one or more of the six Councils, visit the recently launched new website at www.cunacouncils.org.

Heather Moshier

Heather Moshier

Ms. Heather Moshier began her banking career in 1982 as an accountant with Kearny Mesa Federal Credit Union (KMFCU), a locally based credit union. During her tenure with KMFCU, she ... Web: www.sdccu.com Details