Why The World Just Got Smaller…
by Sean McDonald
…for me.
I just spent two days in Madison, WI working with the World Council of Credit Unions on a project designed to help credit unions attract a younger audience. What made this event unique from any other panel that I’ve sat on or focus group that I’ve participated in is that the attendees hailed from different parts of the world – the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and South Korea were all represented.
I am used to teaching training workshops and speaking at conferences. It had been a while since I was on the learning end of things – at least in a workshop setting. I learn every day but not in a “classroom” setting. But what I learned this week from a group of the most passionate and talented credit union leaders from around the globe will stick with me forever. So I decided to share these tidbits with all of you, my followers and readers.
The difficulty in attracting younger members is not unique to credit unions in the U.S.A. –when the folks from the other countries presented and spoke about their efforts, the phrase, “we’re all in this together” took on new meaning for me. Indeed, talking with and listening to these credit union advocates made me realize that while we all seem to struggle a bit with being relevant to younger generations, there is so much we can learn from each other by sharing our struggles, successes, and what we have in common. Of course, the business and consumer cultures in Canada, Brazil, Australia, and South Korea are vastly different than those of the United States. But I learned that while legalities, regulation, and the like may be very different, the basic premise and foundation of credit unions remains constant whenever they are located. Our challenges are the same, our focus points are the same, and our goals are aligned.
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