Getting back to basics
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the March 2021 CUDE program (#BestClassEver). Although I was very excited to attend, there was a part of me that wondered what I could really learn. After 14+ years at DCUC, I thought I had a good handle on what it meant to be a part of the credit union industry. As it turned out, there’s always more to learn. Because while I know a lot about the history and I can explain the difference between a credit union and a bank, I had gotten wrapped up in the day-to-day operations and was missing that important connection to our mission.
In my first week at the virtual CUDE class, we did a deep dive into the Universal Cooperative Principles:
- Voluntary and Open Membership
- Democratic Member Control
- Member Economic Participation
- Autonomy and Independence
- Education, Training, and Information
- Cooperation Among Cooperatives
- Concern for CommunityThe U.S. credit union system also includes an important eighth principle:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Some of these principles sound a bit dry while others seem very obvious. Yet, there is a bit of magic that happens when you take time to consider what they mean as a whole.
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