DakCU Momentum Continues: Advocacy, Awareness, and Impact Across the Dakotas
As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to 2026, one thing is clear: Dakota credit unions are moving forward with purpose, strength, and momentum. Through advocacy, awareness, education, and collaboration, Dakota Credit Union Association (DakCU) continues to deliver meaningful value to our members and the communities they serve. Advocacy That Delivers Results State-specific advocacy remained a top priority throughout 2025. In South Dakota, DakCU tracked, reviewed, and analyzed more than 450 bills, actively monitoring and influencing nine key pieces of legislation with potential impact on credit unions. We provided written and oral testimony on four priority bills, ensuring the credit union perspective was clearly represented. In North Dakota, DakCU played a leadership role in national conversations that led to the introduction of the Central Liquidity Enhancement Fund Act. We also successfully secured the removal of the Department of Financial Institutions from the state appropriation process during the 69th Legislative Session, an important win for regulatory clarity and credit union independence. National Advocacy Wins
Regulatory and compliance Regulatory and compliance support remained a strong focus, with 271 compliance touchpoints delivered to credit unions throughout the year. Engagement in education and peer learning continued to grow, with 116 attendees participating in compliance, BSA training sessions, and roundtables. In addition, 64 compliance-related articles and blogs were published to keep credit unions informed of evolving regulatory requirements, driving 653 page views to league resources on InfoSight. Supporting this work, InfoSight360 serves as a cutting-edge compliance research tool, providing guidance across 14 major operational areas. Its AI-powered search feature analyzes all available content to deliver comprehensive, accurate answers to compliance questions, while seamlessly integrating InfoSight, CU PolicyPro, and RecoveryPro into a single, streamlined platform. Statewide Awareness Program (SWAP) Momentum Continued The Statewide Awareness Program (SWAP) continued to deliver strong results in raising credit union awareness across the Dakotas with over 13 million impressions served in the Dakotas (May 2024-May 2025). Then, informed by valuable feedback from SWAP contributors and the SWAP advisory team, DakCU developed and launched a completely new, in-house campaign “Your Money. Your Values. Your Credit Union,” during the summer months, helping to keep general credit union awareness top of mind across the Dakotas, while ensuring the messaging resonates with today’s consumers. From August through December, the campaign generated impressive reach:
To date, the campaign has generated more than 2.35 million total impressions, significantly expanding visibility for Dakota credit unions. Looking ahead, SWAP momentum will continue into spring 2026 with digital and print billboard placements scheduled for February through April, along with the launch of paid social media campaigns to further extend reach and engagement. Communications That Connect DakCU’s communications and social media efforts continued to deliver strong value for members in 2025, with a focus on timely information, visibility, and meaningful engagement. Now in its third year, the DakCU mobile app continues to receive positive feedback for its ease of use and effectiveness in keeping members informed especially during in-person events, where real-time updates matter most. The biweekly Memo newsletter remained a cornerstone of connection throughout the year. More than 550 unique stories were published in 2025, and the Memo webpage continued to be the most-visited section of dakcu.org, with readers spending nearly two minutes per visit on average. With more than 2,100 subscribers, the Memo continues to grow as a trusted, go-to source for league news, advocacy updates, and member highlights. Members who aren’t currently receiving the Memo can easily sign up here to stay informed and connected to everything happening across the Dakota credit union movement. DakCU’s website remained an important hub for member resources and information, generating 133,000 page views across more than 48,000 users and 75,000 sessions. Visitors most frequently landed on pages tied directly to DakCU’s core priorities including the Credit Union Awareness/SWAP campaign, the Annual Summit, and the Memo reflecting strong interest in advocacy, education, and timely communications that support credit unions’ work across the Dakotas. Social media engagement also saw notable growth. LinkedIn content generated nearly 80,000 engagements and surpassed 1,000 followers, while Facebook grew to more than 1,300 followers and produced over 183,000 impressions along with hundreds of shares. Throughout the year, DakCU also issued 15 press releases and op-eds, resulting in nearly 70 placements in national credit union outlets and local print publications helping elevate the credit union message and amplify member impact statewide and beyond. Education and Networking Elevated DakCU continued to deliver high-quality education and networking opportunities throughout the year. In 2025, we hosted the 8th Annual Roundtable (formerly MonDak), Annual Meeting & Summit, New Ideas Conference, Professionals Forum, quarterly CEO Town Halls, and a brand new 1.5-day Compliance Conclave, each designed to support leadership development and peer collaboration. Our training and leadership programs also continued to expand. The Sales CU training resource and the iLead@11 Emerging Leader program saw more than 20 participants successfully complete the program, while the Summit Crasher program experienced another record-breaking year of applications, highlighting its growing impact and popularity. Strategic Partnerships That Strengthen Credit Unions To help Dakota credit unions grow and thrive, DakCU researched and reviewed more than 50 potential strategic partnerships in 2025. New and expanded partnerships now support student lending, membership marketing, community development, lending and point-of-sale financing technology, vendor management, and cybersecurity, ensuring members have access to tools that meet today’s evolving needs. Foundation Impact Continues to Grow Thanks to the tremendous support of our affiliated members, the Dakota Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) had another strong year. In total, $13,000 was returned in grants, scholarships, and other aid, along with a $25,000 donation to the Credit Union for Kids Micropreemie Unit at Sanford Children’s Hospital. These funds advance the Foundation’s mission of promoting financial well-being for all by supporting financial education technology, financial counseling certifications, youth-focused education events, professional development for credit union employees, and continued support of local Children’s Miracle Network hospitals and CU Aid. To further expand this impact, the Foundation offers ongoing scholarship and grant opportunities, with a simple online application available through the Foundation’s scholarship and grant form for those seeking support. Making the Most of 2026 Your DakCU membership provides access to a wide range of dues-supported benefits designed to strengthen your connection with members and support your credit union’s success. We encourage you to explore everything DakCU has to offer by reviewing our digital Membership Matters brochure at your convenience. As the financial services landscape continues to evolve, DakCU remains committed to keeping you informed, prepared, and connected. Be sure to visit the events section at dakcu.org to stay up to date on upcoming conferences and professional development opportunities. Thank you for your continued trust, engagement, and partnership. Here’s to a successful, impactful, and forward-moving 2026. Comments are closed.
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