When credit union leaders and board members resist change in favor of the comfort of the familiar past, all in the name of love of the credit union, I ask one question:
“What is your credit union story from when you first joined?”
I tend to hear emotional and moving stories about the many firsts that the credit union helped with, and the tough times that the credit union helped them navigate through the years.
My follow up question: “Why are you so against the next generation having that same opportunity?”
The board is so protective of what was, there is no way to serve the next generation. We must embrace Louise Herring’s words: “We must remember what we started out to do and find the modern tools to do it.”
I don’t know why, but as I was having this conversation with a board several weeks ago, an old folk song came to mind that I remember singing in elementary school:
Love is something if you give it away,
You end up having more.
It’s just like a magic penny,
Hold it tight and you won’t have any.
We must remember why we exist, and the true benefits experienced by previous generations of members and work hard through your credit union strategic planning to not hold on tight to what was, but to look forward to the needs of the next generation of credit union members and change for the sake of staying relevant.
At Your Marketing Co., “We exist to avoid the unnecessary merger of credit unions by helping to educate, engage and retain the next generation of credit union members.” We would be honored to do that for you. Reach out when you’re ready!
