Two vital components to any legislative effort are having elected leaders who know and understand what makes credit unions unique and having credit union advocates who are aware of the importance of being involved legislatively. But those two things go hand in hand – it’s about growing awareness and growing relationships.
This was seen in the last edition of Creating Influence with two credit union chapters that held advocacy night meetings/wove in the state session wrap-up; our thanks to the Augusta Chapter and the Coastal Empire Chapter for having us discuss the state session. The efforts of credit unions continue in this manner, with the most recent activity including:
- On May 7th Brian Akin-North Georgia CU joined GCUA at an in-district event for State Rep. Emory Dunahoo (R-Gainesville). Rep. Dunahoo is a member of the House Banking Committee where many of the bills important to credit unions are debated, and he was instrumental in this past session introducing and pursuing the priority savings account bill listed in the adjacent article. Our thanks to North Georgia CU for sharing their time not just at this event, but engaging Rep. Dunahoo for the past several years to grow a positive relationship!
- On May 8th BOND Community FCU held its annual meeting for members with a strong advocacy focus to grow the awareness of their membership on the importance of being involved. The meeting had a segment to highlight advocacy, why it’s important to be engaged politically, and what the credit union does to make a difference. They also utilized the event to raise funds for the PAC and teed up the entire night with an overview article in their member newsletter on being involved beforehand. Our thanks to BOND Community FCU for the warm hospitality and desire to make growing grassroots awareness a priority!
If your credit union or chapter would like to have advocacy awareness as a part of a meeting, please let us know at your convenience.
