The President’s Perspective

​Pints & Politics begins for CU advocates; ICU Day announced; FCCU celebrates new branch; Sentinel unveils new logo; and 9 SD credit unions attend Leadership Symposium.  

Pints & Politics Season Kicks off this week!
The 2024 election is right around the corner; in fact, we are just 48 days away from the November 5th general election. Because of our unique cooperative structure, credit union members traditionally demonstrate a strong sense of civic duty and exercise their privilege to vote each cycle.

Once again, the Dakota Credit Union Association is collaborating with our regional credit union chapters in hosting our annual legislative/candidate Pints & Politics events. John Alexander and I have two meetings today, beginning in Rugby with a luncheon hosted by the North Central Chapter. This evening we’ll greet Minot area lawmakers along with the Credit Unions United Chapter, and on Thursday, we’ll be in Webster, SD with the Golden Pheasent Chapter.

Credit union advocates and volunteers need to be properly prepared and engaged, and the purpose of these events is simple: to educate legislators and candidates on the credit union difference and to tee up any legislative agenda items for the upcoming legislative session.

For me personally, this year marks my ninth election cycle over the past 18 years. Internally, we used to call the event our bi-annual “chicken dinner” circuit, as just about every chapter served a chicken dinner at their legislative event. These extraordinarily successful meetings are credit union specific educational programs designed to bring our advocacy and grassroots efforts to the chapter level. The program not only provides lawmakers and candidates the opportunity to meet with credit union professionals and voters, but they are also artfully designed to bring credit union advocates, lawmakers, and candidates together for an informal evening of credit union education and awareness. More importantly, these events have achieved measurable results as we have successfully connected with nearly 700 state legislators and candidates since 2008.
​
I am looking forward to seeing many of you over the next several weeks as we hit the road and come to your chapter meeting. Find a complete list of upcoming events you can attend here on our website.   
​
Small Credit Union Roundtable Planned!
It’s been a few years since we were able to gather our small asset size credit unions for networking and dialogue, so we are happy to once again be holding our Small Credit Union Roundtable on Oct 14 – 15 at the Hampton Inn in Watertown, South Dakota. This event is specifically for sharing ideas among our credit unions in the $150M and under asset size. The event is not limited to CEOs or managers, so if you are unable to attend please feel free to send another member of your leadership team. We will open with a networking dialogue and social at 6:00 p.m. on Monday evening, Oct 14, and have a full day of discussion with lunch provided on Tuesday, Oct 15. This is a free event but we do ask you to register in advance so we can plan accordingly. Please contact George McDonald with any questions.

ICU Day announced.
It’s hard to believe we are already thinking about October – but it is time now to start planning for National Co-op Month and International Credit Union (ICU) Day on October 17. The event is being organized by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) this year and you can find many helpful resources here, including promotional items, ideas for celebrations, talking points, and more. Let’s make this a “big deal” across the Dakotas as we continue to promote credit unions as a better financial services option for all! Check out the ICU Day podcast here.

---

​Sentinel FCU reveals new Brand!
Sentinel FCU has revealed their new logo that comes about just as they are about to celebrate their 70th year of service! The brand refresh encompasses the credit union’s heritage, geography, culture, and future aspirations. Dorothy Voorhees, interim CEO, shared that the updated look is not just about a new logo, but represents the credit union’s commitment to constantly seek better ways to serve their members and their community. Congratulations on a successful rebranding and your continued success! 

On a positive note!
Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union celebrated the tenth anniversary of their Credit Union Leadership Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee recently, with a record showing of 268 professionals representing 164 credit unions and 26 states, including 9 credit unions from South Dakota: Aspen FCU; Dakota Rail Line FCU; Dakotaland FCU; Healthcare Plus FCU; M-O FCU; Northern Hills FCU; Oahe FCU; Sentinel FCU; and Service First FCU. One Dakota attendee, Myles Burnham, Executive Vice President from Aspen FCU, was interviewed on CU Broadcast. Myles is a repeat attendee who is on track with leadership training in conjunction with the credit union’s succession plan. Miles has risen through the ranks to become a future leader at his credit union and was the recipient of the William O. Knight Scholarship to attend management school earlier this year. Congratulations on your continued success, Myles! 

Congratulations to First Community CU!
And finally, this week, First Community Credit Union is holding a grand opening celebration for their new Moorhead facility, located at 2602 34th St. South, near the I-94 exit by Menards. Their newest branch features a stone and steel building with four offices, lobby, and teller line with a vaulted ceiling, along with a break room, secure work room, and two drive up lanes with an ATM. Congratulations on your continued success, Steve Schmitz, and crew!
​
Have a great week, 

DakCU President/CEO