To us ‘credit union folk’, the value of membership is rooted in our core. We know that membership to a cooperative means ownership. It means we are a part of something greater, a community of shared interest, we’re among friends. To those who are new to cooperatives, or are just now discovering the value of membership and ask us to define it– we sometimes struggle to share the warm and fuzzy feeling that we get just thinking of words to describe it!

I’ve started reading the book “Tribes” by bestselling author (and also past CUNA’s ACUC speaker), Seth Godin.  On the book-flap, Godin describes a tribe as, “any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.” The book’s concept is to focus on leadership with a different spin, tribe leadership.

Win this book by sharing your examples below

As I page through the book, I am flooded with the Credit Union and cooperative parallels to tribes.  I’m amazed at the interchangeability between ‘organization’ and ‘tribe’ and ‘membership’.  However, on page 30 it really started getting sticky. Godin defines the difference between crowds and tribes.

Crowds and Tribes, he outlines, are…

“Two different things:

• A crowd is a tribe without a leader.
• A crowd is a tribe without communication.

Most organizations spend their time marketing to the crowd. Smart organizations assemble the tribe.”

How are credit unions ‘assembling the tribe’ versus ‘managing a crowd’?  How are we showing potential tribe members we’re exactly what they’re looking for?  On paper, it’s apparent that credit union membership trumps taking your money to any other financial institution. The 7 cooperative principles alone should convince any person off the street to move their money to a CU on the spot. To find out how credit unions are assembling their tribes, I started my search with ‘credit union principles’.

To my delight, I found a variety of great examples of doing it right:

Be Engaging – My favorite example of ‘assembling the tribe’ is how the crew at Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union   uses the principles as the foundation for their credit union’s blog – http://www.7principles.coop/ . The blog seems to serve as a primary communication valet for the CU’s tribe. This crowd has turned tribe with a widespread communication hub (I can also see they’re ‘liked’ by 895 Facebook friends). Also, their new ‘tribe leader’ is also featured in a recent blog post! 

Be Entertaining – One of my favorite CU videos by gira{ph}. This video spells out our CU Principles clearly in black and white (with a little red, too).

Be Fun – A great way to bring together your CU staff ‘tribe’ is to create an enjoyable work environment.  Have you seen this debut video from The Summit FCU last week? It must be gratifying to work for CU that can crack a joke, make fun videos, and capitalize on the latest craze!  With nearly 4,000 views in less than a week, the fun is definitely far-reaching.  Another fine example of assembling the tribe.

What is your CU doing to change your membership from crowd to tribe? 2012 is the International Year of cooperatives, what better opportunity to shout from the rooftops the benefits of credit union membership. Is your credit union taking this unique opportunity to engage your membership? We would love to showcase how your credit union is assembling the tribe (of membership, of staff, of potential membership).  Please share your best practices below and be automatically entered to win a copy of “Tribes” by Seth Godin. 

CONTEST NOTES: Contest begins today and ends on Wed., Feb. 15th at 11:59PM (ct). Winners will be chosen by a random number generator. Make sure you leave an email address where you can be contacted.  The winner will be notified via e-mail and will also be announced on the blog.  The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants received.  No purchase necessary to win. Void where prohibited.      This competition is offered by Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and is open to anyone who comments on this post and is at least 18 years of age. Employees of CUNA and family members of such employees are not eligible to enter.   CUNA shall not have any liability for any malfunction of or damage to the prize. The award winner may be responsible for applicable state or federal taxes on the value of the contest prize

Social Media presence isn’t easy and building momentum for its use at a national conference can be a challenge, however it planked our expectation this year at CUNA’s ACUC (America’s Credit Union Conference). And one of the entertaining highlights? Random pictures of attendees laying face-down in peculiar locations, in San Antonio and across the US.

Twitter is a natural tool for a conference. It allows attendees to post great take-aways from sessions, network with peers, share bright ideas, suggest city hotspots, plus much more. We used the hashtag of #ACUC11 so attendees of the conference could search tweets to find what others were saying about the event.

Over the course of the 4-day conference (6/19-6/22), according to Topsy.com’s Analytics, there were 679 mentions of #ACUC11  (!!). Thanks to the influx of tweets, retweets, and @mentions CUNAverse managed to gain many new followers, and we can now stay connected to our new friends (in 140 characters or less).

Planking goes Big Time

I won’t go into the history of planking (you can find it here on Wikipedia)  but it took this years’ ACUC by storm! From State League presidents (see NC’s John Radebaugh planking on a riverboat) to speakers, and attendees.  Even CUNA Mutual and those holding down the CUNA fort in Madison  got in on the action(See a collection of CU planking pics here).

It was a great way to build a community of attendees outside the conference sessions also by tying in some tourist sights San Antonio has to offer. Has anyone ever planked the Alamo? If not, @PJLiving  is the first!

Twitter seemed to bring a new life to America’s Credit Union Conference. As a staff member that stayed in Madison as things were in full-swing, I felt like I was right alongside of attendees. Reading highlights from breakout sessions and quotes from our Keynote Speakers, it was a nice breath of fresh air to check in the #ACUC11 search to see what would pop-up next. It was a great tool of inclusion in an age where we may not all get to travel for training. Though the information is fleeting (twitter keeps a tweet’s search functionaly for about a month), it’s a great way of connecting “in the moment”.

Are you using twitter at your credit union?  If so, share your best practices and ‘wow’ moments with a comment below.  Oh, and don’t forget to follow @CUNAverse

Road Trip!

Travelling cross-country with your dog by VW bus and selling grilled cheese sandwiches made ‘with love’ may not sound like an ideal vacation to you. But, to Eric Saperston this evolved into his ‘coming of age’ journey. After graduating college he travelled the country calling up political leaders, celebrities, CEOs and average Joes and asked if he could take them out for coffee. A simple request from a man with no street cred; but the desire to learn about their values, struggles, and advice for future generations. As luck would have it, most people enjoy a good cup of coffee.

The video on Eric’s website gives a great idea of how his journey evolved into an experience of a lifetime. No, the experience of lifetimes – as each interview gives perspective to another person’s understanding   life-view and allows us, as viewers to experience their realm of existence.

a cup of joe & a great convo

With Eric’s drive and optimism he has conducted ‘coffee talks’ with Jerry Garcia, The Fonz, President Jimmy Carter, and countless others who provide insight and question their purpose in life. With this enlightening experience, Eric has written, directed and starred in The Journey, a documentary which allows the viewer to experience in 93 minutes a voyage that took him 7 years to accomplish.

In learning about Eric’s interviewing style by watching clips from his talks, I found that he asks great questions.  Over the years, I’ve learned that “if you don’t ask, you’ll never know,” which I’ve applied to many aspects of my life (Is this price negotiable? Can I have a cookie? ). However, there’s a difference between asking a question and asking a good question. Below is a list inspired by wikihow on how you can ask meaningful questions:

• Start simple: beginning with a simple concept will allow the question to evolve with discussion. Whether the question is broad or narrow, keep it simple.
• If you’re using questions to gather knowledge, define exactly what it is you want to know: Before you pose a question, it is important to have a concept of what is unclear about the information in your head; otherwise you risk creating confusion and not getting an answer that satisfies what you seek to know.
• Never ask a question in an aggressive manner: This indicates that you are only asking the question to prove to the other person that you are right and they are wrong, meaning that you are argumentative and not open-minded.
• Lay your concepts or ideas/assumptions at the door: to get a truly honest response, don’t prefix your question with your own connotations or opinions.
• Be gracious: the golden rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

Eric Saperston

CUNA is privileged to add ‘expert question-asker’ Eric Saperston to our fabulous list of keynote speakers at this year’s ACUC. He will delight attendees with first-hand stories of his journey and enlighten us to reach our full-potential. I can’t wait to be inspired by Eric, and if I’m lucky – maybe he’ll let me take him out for a cup of coffee!

BIG TIME Thursday CONTEST: A good answer always starts with a good question. We want to know: What questions have you asked yourself in your role at the credit union that has inspired you to improve as an organization, department or individual?

Answer this question in a comment below and we’ll do a random drawing on April 14^th of all commenters to give away a DVD of Eric Saperston’s documentary The Journey and a $15 Starbucks Card, so you can be inspired to have a ‘coffee talk’ of your own.

UPDATE (04/14): This contest has ended – congratulations to our winner, Katherine Dyer. She won a copy of Eric Saperston’s documentary The Journey on DVD and a $15 Starbucks Card. THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!

CONTEST DETAILS: Contest begins today and ends on Wed., April 14th at 11:59PM (ct). No purchase necessary to win.  Make sure you leave an email address where you can be contacted.  The winner will be notified via e-mail and will also be announced on the blog.  Multiple comments are allowed as long as you have a valid idea in each comment. (No duplicate comments) The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants received.  Void where prohibited.

This competition is offered by Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and is open to anyone who comments on this post and is at least 18 years of age. Employees of CUNA and family members of such employees are not eligible to enter.

CUNA shall not have any liability for any malfunction of or damage to the prize. The award winner may be responsible for applicable state or federal taxes on the value of the contest prize.

Starbucks, the Starbucks logo and the Starbucks Card design are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Starbucks U.S. Brands, LLC. Starbucks is not a participating partner or sponsor in this offer.

I receive a daily digest from our Trainers Listserv, where credit union trainers can ask questions, share best practices, and  network in an open-forum format (sign up for the listserv for free here).  Yesterday morning I saw that a trainer was inquiring about what compliance training is required in 2011. It’s a great question that many ask themselves this time of year.

CUNA has a team of compliance experts on hand that know how important compliance is in the credit union industry.  There are many free resources at www.cuna.org/compliance, including an e-guide to federal laws and regulations which describes in detail the law, regulation, and latest developments on each.

Jan Vogel is the Manager of Compliance Instructional Design here in our Madison office. I was able to chat with her on the importance of compliance training and what’s coming up for 2011:

Why is it important for trainers to be on top of the compliance training requirements?

Jan Vogel – Some Compliance training is required annually so if trainers aren’t on top of compliance training they could be written up in their NCUA or State Examiner’s review.

This list outlines the training required by federal regulations and the NCUA Rules and Regulations.  In addition, for those regulations where training isn’t required by statute it is still a prudent thing to do since front line staff are usually the ones responsible for carrying out many of the compliance requirements.  And in order for them to do that, they need to know what those requirements are and in many cases “why”.  Any fines that can be levied and public relations problems that can occur for noncompliance can prove to be more costly than the dollars invested in providing staff training.

What compliance topics are new or revised for 2011?

JV – There are 4 big changes to begin in January 2011 – the FACT Act, a new model privacy form, Regulation Z, and SAFE Act. Credit Union Magazine puts out a monthly “Compliance Matters” feature that can be extremely helpful on keeping track of compliance changes. Here is a link to all compliance articles, including the Rules-Regulations-Deadlines feature

How will credit unions know what compliance training is required of them based on their location?

JV - Since state law requirements can vary, it is suggested that you check with your compliance staff, compliance attorney, or state credit union league for any additional state law training requirements that may apply to your credit union.

As Jan points out, compliance training can only help make your credit union a strong and sound financial institution that will serve as a positive force in the lives of your members. Another very important piece for your staff training is to include your credit union’s specific policy and procedures as they relate to each individual compliance requirement.

For a listing of the required regulations, along with resources CUNA has for you, take a look at this article, which was featured in OnDemand Magazine.  http://tinyurl.com/28z54h5

Jan Vogel is a Curriculum Design Manager in CUNA’s Center for Professional Development (CPD).  She is responsible for the design and production of compliance-related educational materials for credit unions and leagues.

I have to confess: I’m a discount junkie. I and perhaps some of you as well, have a certain love for discounted shopping. We go by many names – coupon queens (and kings!), discount divas (divos?),  frugalistas… the list goes on -just don’t call us cheap .  I simply love a good deal.  If someone were to compliment on anything I own, rather than dishing on the details of the object, I relish in what a bargain it was. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Whew, I’m glad I got that out in the open!  I get the impression that I’m not alone in my conquest for coupons.

Thanks to Groupon I can affordably solve a mystery while eating a 3-course dinner.

There are many emerging websites solely dedicated to bringing deep discounts to the masses. Groupon.com  is a website launched in 2008 that showcases ‘deal-of-the-day’ offers from businesses in and near the city you live in. Starting with the Chicagoland area, the site now has offers from over 150 US cities, around 100 international markets, and is reportedly worth over $1 billion dollars. LivingSocial launched a similar daily deals program in 2009, which has, to date, been their most successful venture. One thing I particularly like about LivingSocial is their ‘escapes’ off-shoot which features discounted vacation stays/packages. If I can save hundreds on my planned trip to San Francisco with minimal effort, you better believe I’ll take that offer! PS, signing up for deal alerts for vacation destinations is a great way to pick up dining discounts during your vacation (I picked up a San Fran one this week!).

How can credit unions capitalize on the discounts bandwagon??  Take part! Yesterday I read this blog post from Matt Davis of the Filene Research Institute on how credit unions can help to give the gift of membership to their loved ones over the holidays. I thought it was a great correlation of modeling some CU offers and behaviors off of what other cooperatives are providing their members. Is your credit union currently using something similar to attract new and potential members?  If so, we’d love to hear from you – post in our comment section below

As you approach the best way to showcase your CU in the social media realm, please consider new venues to spread the word other than the standbys of Facebook and Twitter. It’s refreshing to see new options for social media and the possibility it holds for credit unions to bring awareness, education, and our philosophy to the masses. Perhaps you showcase your own daily deal, or maybe you can sponsor the deal of the day to get out the good word.

If anyone has been experimenting with discounted deals for your CU, or plans to do so in the future CUNAverse would love to know, we love to see you trying new fun innovative ways of bringing awareness to social media capabilities.

Discount Divas everywhere will be singing your praises ;) Live, save and prosper!

Hello CUNAverse!

I, along with some other team members, just got back from a whirlwind of excitement at CUNA’s Experience Learning Live (ELL) conference. We had some marvelous speakers, workshops, and breakout sessions that provided trainers and HR professionals with great information and materials. Being a first-timer to the conference (as staff and a part-time attendee) I was blown away by the enthusiasm trainers have for their profession, and what consideration they take for the employees they train.

Kicking off the conference we played the ELL version of ‘Amazing Race, San Diego’ where we sent attendees on an exploratory expedition of the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego to get them familiar with our ‘home-base’ neighborhood where the event was held. I thought this was a brilliant take on the game, and felt honored to give teams ‘Journey’ and ‘Kid Rock’ their clues as they flew through the checkpoints.  After our photo-finish race had ended we held a networking reception so attendees could mingle and get geared up for the fun ahead.

The conference was full of useful information. Kirk Weisler kicked it off with a great opening act about creating a culture of high engagement, love, and strong connections. He brought home the idea of keeping a fun work environment where people are involved and a part of the organization, not just cogs in the machine.  He later led us in bringing story-telling into the trainer toolbox, another great way to keep your audience engaged.

In Paul Wesselmann’s session we learned how to improve our training outlines by establishing key objectives of training to present a direct cohesive message, which is essential in a learner’s retention rate. Keeping it new, interesting and lively are key to keeping the attention of the training audience. Paul had great best practice pieces that I will apply to my future training endeavors. It’s amazing how a new perspective can shed some light on a training session you’ve been giving for years .

CUNA’s own experts got to share their tried and true methods as well. Courtney Cantwell presented her Trainer’s Treasure Chest of free resources to help make training resonate with today’s learners. Marlo Foltz and Angela Prestil brought toys into the training realm and showed how training can have a playtime element to it as well as an educational one. Carla Schrinner helped trainers improve their skills and techniques with elements within CUNA’s CML program while her co-part Jayne Hitman provided the keys of achieving peak performance. This lineup of content reminded me of the plethora of knowledge I can get from my co-workers. It’s so nice to know that I can walk down the hall and get expert advice from my peers.

The ELLY awards were an experience in themselves! I’ve heard such spectacular stories of the awards, I was psyched to put on my frilly dress and see the “best of the best “earn their deserved accolades. Serving as the ‘Vanna’ of ceremony, I got to hand off the awards to the recipient, giving an earnest ‘congratulations’ to each and every one of them. I was surprised when on more than one occasion; my eyes welled up while listening to their sincere acceptance speeches. It was very touching to see yet another display of enthusiasm for their chosen careers.

Throughout the conference, I felt a sense of community.  I could hear fellow attendees creating their own roundtables (at literal round tables) during our mingling sessions!  As I mentioned, their passion for training is apparent and contagious; it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

It’s so refreshing to speak (face-to-face!) with the trainers I often communicate with via e-mail and phone. Putting faces to names, and making meaningful connections was a key take-home element for me. There’s something very special about physically meeting, shaking hands with, or even hugging someone you regularly work with. In a movement where people helping people is our main philosophy, it was great seeing and speaking to those people whom we help, who help us, and who help others.

I re-read “Orbiting the Giant Hairball” by Gordon MacKenzie recently.  This book is about how to think outside the box without getting sucked into the politics and ‘norm’ of your organization.  A must-read in my opinion (and a must re-read!).

In an interview with Fast Company MacKenzie defined the corporate hairball as:

“An entangled pattern of behavior. It’s a bureaucracy, which doesn’t allow much space for original thinking and creativity. It’s the corporate tendency to rely on past policies, decisions, and processes as a formula for future success.”

Brilliant! A free-pass of empowerment to your own ideas and the ability to share them with leaders of the organization to grow, modernize, and revolutionize it!!… If only it were that easy.

In Courtney’s post about culture, we find that there are two thoughts, a culture of fear and one of love. It seems only natural that those who work in a culture of love will be more apt and able to orbit the political hairball of your credit union.

It’s not that the hairball is an unnecessary element in the workplace; each organization needs a strong foundation to rely on. There is also a necessity for change, and that is very difficult in an established workplace. People shy away from change, it’s difficult to learn new things, try new elements (what if it fails – GASP!), and change long-lasting procedure that has been on the books since Reagan was in office. But change is the essence of life. Without progress (which is change, nonetheless) we cannot move forward. Who do we look to for bringing evolution into the CU industry?

Credit union folks are sharp. Anyone in the industry has the ability to unlock the next ‘big thing’, what goes awry is their fear regarding thinking outside of the box, orbiting that giant hairball of bureaucracy, stagnant ideas and old policy. Many people feel that bringing new ideas to the table is a waste of time thinking “why would they change this for my ‘out there’ idea, what if it doesn’t work? Will I get fired? …I should just keep my mouth shut”.  And boom, another brilliant idea lost to the hairball.

What can you do? Praise creativity! You may not know it, but there’s a very bright light bulb in your staff just waiting to be turned on. Make sure you don’t bypass this opportunity by cutting the power before it gets a chance to shine. In the words of Gordon MacKenzie:

“It’s hard for corporations to understand that creativity is not just about succeeding. It’s about experimenting and discovering.”

When’s the last time you took a chance?  Bought a lottery ticket? Went skydiving? Went on a blind date?! Many of us take chances throughout the day and don’t even know it “eh, not too sure about the meatloaf at the cafeteria, but I’ll give it a go,” or “I think I could pull off skinny jeans.” Even if they’re not the best ideas you’ve ever had, you’re willing to give them a try. Ah, such is life.

Now, think about the last time you took a chance for your credit union??  Launching an expansive Facebook campaign?  (Too time-consuming). Hiring a Social Media Manager? (No, I don’t even know what that is!) Starting a blog? (Too much pressure.)

Why are we so resistant to change when it comes to innovation within the industry, but so open to it in other aspects of life? Think about that very first credit union to develop a website. What if that was considered ‘too risky’?  Where would we be if a few more didn’t join the internet bandwagon?  Where will your credit union get more membership inquiries from a website or a phonebook? The Internet has revolutionized all business’ relevancy. If you are not online in 2010 I will bet your membership numbers are declining rapidly (and I personally will never find you).

The credit union movement was created by taking a chance, by offering an alternative to other financial institutions.

Why not take a chance? All ideas may not be million-dollar ones (or I would be writing this from my second yacht in the French Riviera, in my awesome skinny jeans) but you’ll never know unless you try it!

When was the last time your credit union took a chance?

Have you heard the news? CUNA’s website has undergone a make-over! The brand new look debuted the morning of July 5, bringing improved capability. As luck would have it, I recently had a Q&A session with Kevin Knope, CUNA’s Director of Systems & Support, who oversaw the new site’s construction.

CUNAVerse: Why the design change for CUNA’s website?
Kevin Knope: We made the decision to redesign based in part on analysis of visitor surveys and internal and external feedback–but mainly because our design was really old. CUNA launched its first site in 1995. Between 1995 and 2003 we had 6 different designs. In 2003, our visitors told us they were experiencing redesign fatigue. That led us to stick with that 2003 design (with slight modifications) for more than 6 years.

What benefits do the changes hold for those browsing it?
Better access to the depth and breadth of resources that CUNA provides. We’ve made enhancements to navigation and design to try to give a more cohesive user experience. The prior design was so established that people knew where the information they needed was, but it wasn’t as intuitive to browse as it could be. We hope that the new design improves on that, offering a clearer picture of CUNA at a high level.  Improvements in workflow, and automation allow us to deliver more information faster than ever, which means more of what our visitors are looking for, sooner.

How long did the design process take?
We spent about six months in actual development. Gathering data and input took longer.

How many people were involved with the redesign?
We had a small steering committee from our executive management team, an advisory group, an external design firm, and our development team. Approximately 30 people with some serving multiple functions.

What are you most excited about?
Personally, I’m most excited about the prospect of increasing access to CUNA. We have had a lot of positive reaction already, we like hearing that the design is attractive and that it’s more intuitive to navigate, but have we increased the value they find in the site, and in CUNA? I really hope that in the next 6 months or so we can look at our metrics and say, “Yes, this made a difference.”

What is a lesson learned that you’d like to pass onto our readers?
You can’t make decisions in a vacuum, but you can’t make them in a town hall either. 10 years ago, we didn’t spend a lot of time in analysis and discussion. We felt like we just knew what was best and we did it, and people thanked us for it. The Web is too integral to an organization to run it like a fiefdom, no matter how benevolent. We had an excellent cross-functional advisory team of about 15 people on this project. Big enough to get the perspective of CUNA and the various audiences we serve, small enough to get (with some work) consensus. Combine that perspective with site metrics and visitor surveys and you have enough information to decide what you need to do better and devise a strategy to do it. To execute that strategy, you need the support of senior management. Our steering committee was small enough to meet on short notice, make decisions and recommendations quickly, while still representing the broad perspective of CUNA.

As you can see, an overhaul of a website is no easy task. Time, preparation, and implementation are all key players in the success of the live site. Has your credit union remodeled your website in the past?  What lessons did you learn in the process?

>Well we have reached the two week mark from the YES Summit. As Christopher mentioned we who returned to the Midwest tundra of Madison have finally dug ourselves out of the snow (although my poor car had a less-than-ideal fate of being plowed in for 5 days). I hope that you all have been able to reminisce and take back ideas from our fabulous speakers to those at your credit union. I, for one, learned soooooo much!

It was a real pleasure moderating this year’s conference. The rumors are true that credit union people are very passionate in what they do. I could feel the vibe of the whole movement when you all got together to discuss and brainstorm during the interactive sessions, very exhilarating!

Not only did I gain new information and insights from the topics we discussed, but I also brought back a bunch to share with my colleagues who weren’t as lucky as to travel to sunny Texas (their loss!). They absolutely love the blog and our CU Community! I can’t really blame them; these are great resources to share our ideas, experiences and thoughts on the CU Movement for the Y generation.

Again, it was intriguing to walk around the ballroom and hear all the ideas that were created and discussed among your tables, you all are so creative. Now that everyone’s settled back at the office we can discuss ideas you’ve taken from the conference that you can implement at your CU. I’m very curious to see what you think will work at your organization. I’m also sure that many would benefit from hearing what you’re trying and the success (and road bumps) that came along with it. We have bright CU minds that are willing to offer many solutions!

And in conclusion, my Ode:
We’ve concluded the YES Summit for 2007,
Held in Austin, TX -Jason’s version of heaven.

Dearest YES Summit, I want to thank you,
for giving me tools for youngins at my CU.

I hope that you all have a great week!
Brianne