HELENA, Mont. -- For the sake of economy and messaging, Montana credit unions moved last week to begin serious coordination of resources, products and services among trade groups, CUSOs and Treasure State Corporate.
The event was the formation of a new "Montana Credit Union System Conference" that brought together representatives from 53 CUs and leadership of the Montana Credit Union Network for a weeklong conference at a Helena hotel.
The four-day conference, said a Network press release, is a product of "a relatively new partnership involving the state's two CUSOs, CUsource LLC and UniPro Systems LTD, Treasure State Corporate, the Montana Credit Union League and its League Service Group."
The partnership, said the Network, "includes all of the statewide organizations that are owned by and serve Montana's credit unions" with the new align-
ment aimed at reducing costs and duplication for member CUs.
Too often, management of the various entities has wound up participating in conferences across the state in which agendas and products are repeated, officials said.
The "System Conference", which included a keynote talk by Stan Hollen, president/CEO of Co-Op Financial Services, Ontario, Calif., replaces the past CUsource Client conference, the TSCCU Members Conference, and the Montana Credit Union Network's Fall Institute and Forum.
The "System Conference" also keyed into honing a strong "credit union philosophy" mission statement in advertising and media campaigns which have included the "Bob the Credit Union Guy" project.
Separately, the Montana Network said it was using the "Philosophy in Action" theme at the conference as part of its "certification" program and the distribution of manuals and tests taken by volunteers, employees and CU staffers on the CU mission.
The Idaho Credit Union League, joining up with the Montana Network and the Credit Union Association of Oregon, said it counts 600 in Idaho that have taken the "Credit Union Philosophy" test on the Internet or by mail.
"We've been getting great response from volunteers and others who say the manual has been helpful to really understand the business and prepare for questions from the public," said a spokeswoman for the Idaho League in Boise.
--jrubenscut@aol.com
