Getting back to basics

by Beth Merlo, CUDE, DCUC Insights

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:

  1. Voluntary and Open Membership
  2. Democratic Member Control
  3. Member Economic Participation
  4. Autonomy and Independence
  5. Education, Training, and Information
  6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives
  7. Concern for CommunityThe U.S. credit union system also includes an important eighth principle:
  8. 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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