PORTLAND, Ore.–The Northwest CU Association’s CEO, Troy Stang, exhorted credit unions in Washington and Oregon to leverage the full power of the record five-million-plus CU members in both states in their advocacy efforts.
In remarks to the association’s Amplify meeting here, Stang said “I believe we need to come together like we never have before. We don’t just need to defend our charter, we need to advance our charter. We are going to need everyone’s participation, the full army.”
That army, he said, must also include the CEOs of the 160 CUs in the Northwest, all their board members, and all 15,000-plus employees.
“When we rally as one movement in the Northwest we have the power to make systemic change,” said Stang. “We have a great story to tell.”
Referring to what is sometimes called the 535-seat challenge, for the number of members of Congress, Stang called for a “five-million seat” challenge for each of the members in the two states.
“It’s up to us to engage those 15,000 employees to tell the credit union story to those five million members,” he added.
Pointing to NWCUA research showing the benefits of credit unions are $120 per household, resulting in $6.8-billion in total economic impact in Oregon and Washington, Stang said, “We have to get sharper and sharper in telling our credit union story. The messaging must talk about the real member value, the community impact, the economic value.”
The association has created an online resource center that includes videos, op-eds and other materials that can be built into CU’s individual brand message. “Make it your own, deliver it through your network, and make sure it shows up in every transaction with the 5.2 million members,” urged Stang. “It’s our responsibility to make sure these not-for-profit cooperatives, these credit unions, exist well into tomorrow, for the members to achieve their dreams.
- It was announced that during the Amplify meeting the Children’s Miracle Network auction and Roaring 20’s fundraiser raised $248,721 in one night. One person in the audience donated funds to round that up to $250,000.