President's Message

This week’s President’s Message is from Dave Hinchey, Director of Community Impact, where we are encouraged to take a pause to reflect. As you begin to look back on this past year, what were some of your accomplishments?

As always,
Bruce

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror and the holiday season upon us, it’s easy to get wrapped up in all the hustle and bustle with holiday parties, decorating, shopping, baking and our 9-to-5 daily grind.

The holidays are also a great opportunity to pause and be thankful for what we do have and all of life’s blessings.

Admittedly though, it’s sometimes hard to see the forest through the trees. When you have your head down and you’re just plowing through to-do lists, it’s easy to forget to take a step back and admire the accomplishments.

Recently, I had this experience with our Bite of Reality program when I was doing an app demo for a credit union in another state.

Mind you, I’ve been wrapped up in the financial reality fair program since I started in credit unions about a decade ago and have seen the magic these simulations deliver first-hand, so I’m rarely surprised when people find value in it, but the conversation was different this time.

It went something like this:

Them: This app is really amazing. How much do you charge your credit unions to use the technology?

Me: Well, actually, CUBFI underwrites the cost for the app and we provide it to affiliated credit unions at no charge.

Them: No way, are you serious? That’s a really good deal.

Their reactions probably shouldn’t have surprised me, but they did.

But because I’ve been wrapped up in the program for so long, I had forgotten the benefits the League and foundation provide with this technology. In other words, I wasn’t seeing the forest through the trees.

It felt really good having a credit union from another state “jealous” of the value that CUBFI drives to League members. Sometimes, you need others to hold up a mirror so you can reflect on the work you do.

Reflecting on this experience and conversation with a credit union from another state has given me a renewed focus to help credit unions take a step back and not overlook the treasure that’s right in front of them.

With some training and guidance*, your credit union can leverage this technology to teach financial education in the community, help students understand how to manage their money while promoting your credit union in the community.

At the League and Foundation, we work tirelessly to provide value to our members and help connect you with your community while growing your membership.

In fact, more than 35,000 CT high school students received credit union sponsored financial education through our reality fair program since the 2008-09 school year. In 2021, we served more than 2,500 students virtually—a program that didn’t exist until April 2021.

This holiday season, please take the time to reflect on the good work you’re doing in the community in service to your members.

In other words, see the forest through the trees.

*To set up an app demo, contact Dave Hinchey at dhinchey@culct.coop

Thanks,
Dave
dhinchey@culct.coop