As I’ve said before, at CUNA we place a huge importance on ensuring that, as an industry, we remain mindful of our movement’s future.

Specifically, I’m talking about doing everything we can to support and groom our young credit union professionals so we have a strong stable of leaders to whom we can one day pass the torch.

In our eyes, that grooming must include advocacy.

Time and again, we see how valuable it is—how much more effective we are as an industry in fighting for our priorities—when our credit union leaders step into the fray as grassroots advocates.

This is true both during events in Washington, D.C., such as CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Conference(GAC) and league Hike the Hill visits, and when members of Congress return to their districts during recess periods.

There’s certainly an art to grassroots advocacy; to building relationships with lawmakers who have many organizations and people vying for their attention, and to telling your story about why members of Congress should support credit unions.

 

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