The pandemic did not stop the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) from hosting their virtual annual meeting on July 20, 2020. Unitus Community Credit Union President/CEO and WOCCU Board Chairman, Steven Stapp, awarded three cooperatives for Membership Growth, while also passing the Chairman title on to Rafał Matusiak, President of the National Association of Co-operative Savings and Credit Unions (NACSCU - Poland).
In a time where many face hardships around the world, this opportunity allowed the group to come together and celebrate their accomplishments looking back over the past year. Stapp presented awards to Ghana Co-Operative Credit Union Association (CUA), which had a 50% membership growth rate; National Credit Union Federation of Korea (NACUFOK), nearing a 20% membership growth rate; and Kenya Union of Savings & Credit Cooperatives Ltd (KUSCCO), which saw a 14.2% membership growth rate in the past year.
Presenting these awards held a personal significance to Stapp: “During my time as WOCCU Chairman, I was honored to visit all three systems in Ghana, South Korea, and Kenya,” he reflected.” I saw first-hand the programs they had put in place, and the many ways they were reaching out to their communities. They have worked very hard, and they are all deserving.”
During his two-year term as WOCCU Chairman, Stapp set a milestone of 274 million credit union members worldwide, one of the most expansive membership periods to date. But even though his time as Chairman has concluded, Stapp’s passion for the global movement will continue to carry over into his role as CEO at Unitus. “We’ve accomplished a lot, but in a way, we’ve only just begun.”
CUA Stapp General Manager Emmanuel Coffie and Board of Directors
NACUFOK Stapp Chairman & President Yoon-Sik Kim
KUSCCO Stapp Managing Director George Ototo