President Message

There I was: Standing in the darkness of an unfamiliar neighborhood, shivering cold, separated from my family, and enveloped by what could only be described as a “Jumble” of young children.   

Fueled by hot cocoa and candy canes, the Jumble loosely toured the neighborhood stopping in front of houses and singing holiday classics. Not surprisingly, the kids knew all the words to the first verses. But a Jumble of kids is disorganized and notoriously difficult to wrangle.  So, while each of them knew the words, they did not know which song to sing, when to start singing, or even which house to approach.  

Some kids blissfully ignored the cacophony and sang any song at full volume. Others shoved their way to the front door, so they would be the ones to be heard and seen the most. Still others kept their mouths shut because they couldn’t figure out who to follow. In the middle of a rousing version of Deck the Jingle Bells of Holly, I envisioned all the people currently messaging on credit union issues as if they were in one gigantic zoom meeting—and they were all speaking at the same time. They were a Jumble! Everyone knew the lyrics, but they were either singing different songs or singing out of rhythm and harmony.  

As our industry emerges from a pandemic that should have ushered in a credit union renaissance, we face headwinds from the banking industry that has continued turning up the volume of its anti-credit union rhetoric. We brace for the impact of recent negative media attention placed on our largest credit union. We struggle to capture the hearts and minds of the largest living adult population (Millennial and Gen Z). Now, more than ever, our communications on matters of national and regional importance should sound more like a chorus and less like a Jumble. We can each sing different parts, but they should be locked in both rhythm and harmony. 

This is where a unified and collaborative League System can shine. This is why a League System exists. Supporting the League System is how we can achieve that renaissance. Through a multiyear process of discernment, the American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) has harnessed the power of the cooperative spirit to embrace a more current and decentralized understanding of advocacy. Everything we say or do as credit unions impacts our advocacy efforts. We no longer need to reach policymakers in their offices when we know that we reach them more effectively in our local and social media channels. But if we are to grab hearts and minds (and market share) we need to sing from the same songbook. AACUL has helped credit union leagues reaffirm their commitment to one another and, to working together, to secure growth for our industry. Now it is showtime. Let us endeavor to harmonize our messaging in 2024 and beyond. Our League System has never been more ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with America’s Credit Unions in service of bringing Financial Well-Being for All. 

As always,  

Bruce