Volunteers

Daniel A. Mica The CU ‘understanding gap’ is nothing new. Last month I wrote about the parallels between now and 75 years ago—when the Federal Credit Union Act was signed into law and when, not coincidentally, the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) was founded. I beg your indulgence to continue... READ MORE

David Klavitter The approach to advancing the CU legislative agenda may never be the same. Last November's election gave Democrats control of the White House and widened the party’s margins in both chambers of Congress. This alone is enough to alter the direction and tempo of Washington, D.C. But in... READ MORE

Ann Hayes Peterson What keeps governance experts up at night? During the BoardSource Leadership Forum last fall in Washington, D.C., Dick Chait and Nell Minow discussed governance challenges facing for-profit and nonprofit boards. Chait is a research professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Mass. A consultant to... READ MORE

Daniel A. Mica FDR and the Congress took a chance on CUs, which delivered. H.W. Brands’s book, “Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” offers provocative insights into a presidency that parallels the challenges our country faces today. The book outlines how in... READ MORE

GAC provides the backdrop for CUs to write their own agenda. Kathryn Kuehn  While it obviously was building for some time, the U.S. financial industry last fall appeared to implode in an instant. Even Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve Board chairman, expressed surprise at the collapse, saying, “There’s no question... READ MORE

LEAD STORY In 2018, how will successful organizations operate and what will the work force expect? Workforce Management offers nine predictions: Businesses will focus on infrastructures—such as social networks and community Web sites—to build strong relationships and collaboration. The structure of work will be more adaptive and informal, and less... READ MORE

Lucy Harr Virtual boardroom technology improves communication and decision making. It’s good for the environment, too. Ron Whitworth is a champion of any technology that can help his credit union achieve efficiencies and increase effectiveness. So when the State Department Federal Credit Union board member learned about a product that... READ MORE

Mike Schenk There’s no silver bullet for the current economic turmoil. Even in good times, small credit unions face unique challenges. Today’s economic mess is causing big financial and operational problems for many credit unions, but particularly for the smallest ones. National Credit Union Administration data show U.S. credit unions... READ MORE

Credit unions obtained their tax exemption from Congress on June 15, 1937, in an amendment to the Federal Credit Union Act of 1934—with little difficulty or fanfare. It was enacted that December. The Bridge, forerunner of Credit Union Magazine, briefly recounts: “In its original form the Federal Act permitted the... READ MORE

Be bold. Be heard. Be there. The 2009 Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) is your time to step up, tell your story, and make a difference. This event, Feb. 22-26, at the Washington (D.C.) Convention Center, also provides opportunities to hear from influential Washington policy makers... READ MORE