By Frank J. Diekmann
If you had a buck for each time someone said “It’s great to be back in person” during CUNA’s recent GAC—whether from the stage or in the hallways–your credit union is so flush with cash right now you’re probably paying out a special dividend.
But it was also true. While CUNA and other trade groups have done commendable and increasingly professional jobs presenting their cancelled conferences virtually during the pandemic, there is something simultaneously tangible and intangible that can be felt when people—especially credit union people—are together and in-person.
It's a lesson, too, in that for all there is to be gained in the new reality of the virtual workplace, and even though many now prefer and expect it, employees must come together on some regular basis in order to create the kinds of bonds and camaraderie and culture any successful organization must have.
It just feels more human, which seems even more appropriate in line of work in which everyone talks about people helping people (a phrase CUNA CEO Jim Nussle said needs to be more than a “campfire song” at Camp Kumbaya Credit Union).
So, credit unions came once again in droves, about 4,000 or so, to fill the Washington Convention Center even though in the lead-up to the meeting the District of Columbia had protocols in place requiring attendees prove their vaccination status (the requirement was cancelled shortly before GAC began but it may also be the reason why it seemed there were fewer board members in attendance) and that everyone wear masks indoors—another requirement that officially expired during the meeting, which was good, since most GAC attendees had unofficially stopped wearing masks several days earlier.
What Was Said
They came to hear the big stories of how everyday folks overcome the impossible and to listen to an earnest appeal from the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States for help as Russia invaded her country (you can find more information on how to make a donation here). They badge-wearing masses heard from a parade of members of Congress who dutifully appeared and shared by now tired remarks about how “Washington doesn’t work” but also some new views on crypto and pot banking and more.
There were remarks from all three members of the NCUA board, including Chairman Todd Harper talking about pending reviews of CU overdraft practices, updates on old and new litigation threats, a standing room only crowd that flowed into a hallway to hear and learn more about crypto, a “real real” discussion of DEI in which panelists were asked if it isn’t just a tool of the “radical left,” and advice that in order to truly be empathetic, you need to take off your shoes.
And that was just during the day. The nights, of course, are always reserved for taking advantage of vendors’ expense accounts and pretending that yes, you are considering a new core.
But mostly what people came for was one another.
What Was Not Said
What wasn’t heard or discussed or even mentioned really, which is so often that case at rah-rah CU meetings, are some tough issues facing the movement, such as the fact that during 2021 every credit union asset category $500 million and below posted negative loan growth and had fewer members.
I suppose that doesn’t make for such a great campfire song at the end of the day, but someone better start singing it before the fire burns out. Just sayin’.
Found in a Bag
Here are a few other odds and ends dug out of the bottom of the conference bag:
No ID, But…
During the always inspirational Wegner Awards dinner, stories were told and examples shared of exemplary contributions to the CU community and of accomplished careers.
But as is so often the case, it isn’t any one big mountain climb for which the winners are recognized, it’s for all the pebbles dropped in the jar that helped raise the water level.
During a video tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award winner Roger Heacock, the retired CEO of Black Hills FCU in South Dakota, for example, it was shared that his credit union once made a $100 loan to a member who needed to hire a locksmith to let him back into his house. The member wasn’t able to produce any ID because his wallet was—well, you know.
Meanwhile, in one South Dakota town of 450 people, 400 signed a petition to have the CU bring an ATM to town. It did. And later Black Hills FCU filmed a commercial in the Lakota language even though there are only about 2,000 people who speak it.
“It was our way of saying we have our arms wide open, welcoming all of you to our credit union,” Heacock said.
Find Your Puka
Also during the Wegners, Lucy Ito, the now retired president of NASCUS who also held positions with the World Council and with the California and Nevada leagues, shared this:
“My first advice is to find your puka,” she said. “When I started working at WOCCU in my late 20s I wanted to position myself for career advancement. My father in law told me to find my puka. Puka means ‘hole’ in Hawaiian. Find your puka means find the hole and then fill it for your organization. If you want to be successful don’t focus on yourself and your success, focus on what will make your organization succeed. That helped me throughout my entire career.”
The Paycheck May Be Missing, But…
Among the members of Congress appearing before GAC was Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), a long-time credit union supporter (in 25 years in Congress he’s appeared at 24 GACs) and for whom CUNA’s chief advocacy officer, Ryan Donovan, used to work.
Sherman said he told Donovan, “Ryan, you didn’t stop working for me. I just stopped paying you.”
As for credit unions, Sherman said, “You have a tremendous advantage. People like you. I get stopped in the grocery store and people say, ‘Hey, Sherman, thanks for helping credit unions.’ No one ever stops me and says ‘thank you for helping hedge funds’.”
‘I Never Thought of That’
The Governmental Affairs Conference closed with remarks from two former White House chiefs of staff, Reince Priebus, who served a tumultuous term as President Trump’s first chief, and Thomas “Mack” McLarty, who served three U.S presidents.
Asked by CUNA CEO Jim Nussle, who served as moderator, what were their best and worst days, McLarty drew laughs when he said, “I would be interested to hear Reince’s response.”
Responded Preibus: “Just one?”
Priebus later noted he often heard from people who told him he should get Trump to stop tweeting. “I love when people say that,” he said. “It’s like, Oh, I never thought of that.”
Turning a Phrase on its Head
CUNA’s new chairman, a former CFO who admits he “loves” Excel, told credit unions gathered here that while he may hate to admit it, the value of CUs can’t be found on a spreadsheet.
“There is something all of us in the credit union movement need to explore further,” said Tony Budet, president and CEO of University FCU in Austin, Texas. “If we have DNA for social impact, then what is yours? What is mine? Perhaps like other CEOs here I see myself first as a community leader who happens to be the CEO of University Federal.”
Budet told CUNA’s GAC in his first remarks as chairman that his credit union has gone back and redefined itself by becoming externally focused around its vision, “A financially healthy community.”
“We are trying by year 2030 to impact one-million lives. We are now up to about 300,000 people, and I am confident we will hit that one million by 2030,” said Budet. “This is not a Democratic issue. It’s not a Republican issue. I know we have a tendency to politicize every issue around us. Let’s not do that. This is what credit unions do. This is people helping people. We can do it, but I don’t think we are tracking what we do.”
Most importantly, said Budet, the issue isn’t about data points.
“I am a former CFO. I know the numbers and I love Excel. But with all due respect to accounting and finance, which are critical, we are in the people business,” he said. “We are not in the numbers business. We have to focus on the human impact we are having through these not-for-profit platforms we are leading. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, ‘No margin no mission.’ I suggest we reverse that: ‘No mission, no margin.’”
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Frank J. Diekmann is Cooperator in Chief of CUToday.info and can be reached at Frank@CUToday.info. Mr. Diekmann is also author of several new book, including the brand new “The Last Lyric,” a humorous satire about a murder investigation at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in which every line of dialogue is either a classic pop/rock song title or lyric. Available on Amazon, Apple iBook, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Mr. Diekmann is also author of a non-fiction compilation of the very best & worst he has seen and heard in covering more than 500 CU meetings and conferences, “501 Name Tags: How Everything You Need to Know About Business Can Be Learned at a Conference & Forgotten in the Trade Show.” It is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Lulu, and Smashwords.