Dakota Credit Unions Take Top Honors in 2020 CULAC Fundraising!

by DakCU Communications 

North Dakota places first and South Dakota places third nationally for CULAC fundraising by not just meeting, but far exceeding goals for 2020. ​

CUNA recently announced the results of their 2020 Annual CULAC Goals, and once again, North and South Dakota are standouts among all the states when it comes to CULAC fundraising.
 
North Dakota placed first in the country – raising $22,481.47 which put them at 278% of their stated goal and secured the CULAC Vanguard Award, which goes to the one state each year that raises the highest percentage of their annual goal. South Dakota came in at third, raising $20,663.61 which was 219% of their goal. Louisiana was between them, earning second place at 240% and the next closest state was Oregon, at 195% of goal for fourth place.
 
“Just to put this into perspective of how passionately our Dakota credit union employees are engaged in this process, only 16 states met their CULAC fundraising objectives last year,” says Jeff Olson, President/CEO of the Dakota Credit Union Association. Olson also serves as the Chair of the Federal Political Action Committee (PAC). 
 
He continues, “This is an amazing accomplishment when you take into consideration the number of credit unions and total credit union members we have in comparison to other larger states, associations and leagues. What is even more amazing is that hundreds of Dakota credit union staff and frontline employees contribute just $1 to $2 a month to help us support credit union friendly candidates. No other Federal PAC can generate that kind of perpetual support,” added Olson.
 
Last year, North Dakota finished second behind Louisiana, and South Dakota came in fifth place. DakCU and our CULAC Trustees are thrilled that both states stepped up their fundraising and were able to not only achieve the stated goals, but far exceeded them and improved their rankings in the process.
 
“Once again, the Dakotas have shown our fundraising leadership at the national level,” stated Paul J. Brucker, President of Railway Credit Union (Mandan, ND) and the North Dakota CULAC Trustee. “We would not be able to accomplish this without the exceptional work of Jeff Olson and our entire advocacy team. We will continue to work diligently to expand our footprint in this important area. We need to be positive and forward-thinking to envision a time when the ‘election smog’ in Washington will blow out and we can proceed forward with our efforts to make credit unions the primary financial option. A very sincere ‘thank you’ to all those who support our efforts with their dedication and contributions to CULAC and CUPAC throughout the year,” he concluded.
 
Chad Moller, VP of Branch Development at Dakotaland Federal Credit Union (Brookings, SD) and the South Dakota CULAC Trustee has nothing but praise for the accomplishments of both states. “I would like to extend sincere congratulations to Mr. Paul Brucker and the credit unions of North Dakota, as well as our South Dakota contributors for securing the top fundraising spots nationally in 2020. Paul has been a great mentor to me, and we both realize that none of this could be done without the continued support we get from our peers across the Dakotas. I am blessed to represent my fellow South Dakota credit union colleagues and the generous support they give to the federal CULAC fund. I am confident South Dakota will remain among the top fundraising states in the nation and I look forward to serving as Trustee in 2021.

*Photo shows Paul Brucker, left, and Chad Moller, right, at the 2020 CUNA GAC. 

The money raised for CULAC contributions are mainly due to the participation in the Payroll Deduction Program. Thank you to these credit unions that are currently participating:  
 
​Dakota Credit Union Association
Aspire Credit Union
Black Hills FCU
Capital CU
Dakota Plains CU
First Community CU
Flasher Community CU
Fort Randall FCU
GEM FCU
HealthCare Plus FCU
Highmark FCU
North Star Community CU
Northern Hills FCU
Oahe FCU
Railway CU
Sentinel FCU
Sioux Empire FCU
Sioux Falls FCU
Voyage FCU
Western Cooperative FCU
 
The CULAC League Goals is a formula based 50% on fair share of affiliated assets, and 50% on fair share of affiliated members. Affiliation is defined as affiliated with either CUNA or the league, since in either case a credit union can support CULAC. See the graph below for all the 2020 state standings. For more information on how you can schedule a payroll deduction rollout at your credit union, please contact Jay Kruse or Jeff Olson.