The President’s Perspective

After a brief vacation break, Jeff is back in the office and ready for tomorrow’s virtual Town Hall! Plus, now is the time to review your current health benefits program!

Greetings and Happy Monday! It is good to be back in the office working on behalf of our Dakota credit unions after a little time off. That old saying that you need a vacation after your vacation comes true sometimes. While I did find time to relax and enjoy visits with family and friends, I also found a few home projects that needed attention, although I always seem to run out of time. So, it’s back to work where the calendar is jam-packed for the rest of July. I am looking forward to connecting with many of you on our third quarter “Town Hall Tuesday” virtual meeting which is scheduled for tomorrow, July 12, at 3:00 p.m. CT (2:00 p.m. MT). Email invites have been sent to all Dakota CEOs and managers; be sure to contact me if you need the meeting link.
 
DakCU’s Health Benefits Trust offers affordable option in employee benefits.
The Dakota Credit Union Association (DakCU) offers affordable health benefit options for Dakota credit union affiliates through the Dakota Health Benefits Trust (HBT) in both North Dakota and South Dakota. Collectively, the DakCU HBT is a combined $14 million dollar health benefits program exclusively for affiliated credit unions and their employees. In North Dakota, the plan is administered by North Dakota Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the South Dakota plans are administered by Wellmark. Many of the plans the DakCU HBT offers are similar to what you may already be offering. However, because we are an IRS and US Department of Labor approved benefit program, the HBT can offer excellent health benefit options at a cost savings to your employees. If your credit union is interested in learning more about our employee benefit trust plans, now is the best time to get a review of your current program and consider the trust for 2023. Please reach out to me or Karla Clark to learn more about our HBT or if you want to set up a virtual informational meeting with a trust consultant. 
 
Ready to share #ILoveMyCreditUnion?
We know that credit union leagues and champions are gearing up for the social media blitz set for Friday, July 29, as we are ready to tell the world why we love our credit unions. Last year, on one single day, the trending hashtag reached more than 22 MILLION people with more than 33,000 interactions across nine different countries – and this year is likely to be even bigger!

The idea is simple: On July 29, you can participate by making a social media post on any or all platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, using #ILoveMyCreditUnion. The idea is to get that hashtag trending, bringing more attention to our great industry. I hope that you’re ready to blast the credit union difference out – and I am looking forward to seeing all the great posts from credit union staff, members, volunteers, and everyone that loves their credit unions.

Credit unions make a difference in the lives of our members every day, and this is our chance to flood social media with these amazing stories. I hope you will take the time to join us, and it’s not too late to sign up and get involved! Thanks to the Illinois Credit Union League for leading this initiative.
 
Registration open for credit union peer networking opportunities in August.
We have two terrific networking opportunities that we are hosting in August, the Dakota Large Credit Union CEO Roundtable and our CU Professionals Forum. Both events take place on Tuesday, August 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Fargo, ND.

CEOs from credit unions at 150 million or more in assets should have already received their invitations, however, we do need you to register in advance so we can plan accordingly.

The CU Professionals Forum is open to all credit union professionals; the only requirement is a willingness to ask questions and engage in conversation with others during this attendee-driven meeting. This is a fantastic opportunity to have industry dialogue on trending topics with your Dakota credit union peers and this year there is NO FEE, but we do ask you to sign up no later than Friday, August 5th so we can reserve your seat and buy you lunch! 

For your convenience, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Delta Hotels Fargo - 1635 42nd Street SW - Fargo, ND. Make your reservations by July 28 to receive the special rate of $109 plus tax per room. Call 701-277-9000 and be sure to mention Dakota Credit Union Association or click here.

And, while you’re making your plans to attend one of these events, we invite you to stay an extra day for the Dakota CU Foundation’s golf outing on August 17 – details below!

Register early for Foundation’s golf outing and $ave!
The Dakota Credit Union Foundation is gearing up for our 6th Annual Dakota Credit Union Foundation Golf Scramble, which will be held Wednesday, August 17, at the Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo, ND. The deadline to register for the golf outing is Wednesday, July 27 – but you can save by registering by Friday, July 15.

The “Early Bird Discount” is $135 for individual golfers ($150 regular price) and $460 for a team of four ($500 regular price). This important fundraiser helps support our efforts towards “financial well-being for all” by providing financial literacy classroom programs, scholarships for professional development and certification for financial counselors, in addition to supporting our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. I hope to see many of you there!
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Have a great week, and thanks for all you do! 

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DakCU President/CEO