INDIANAPOLIS -- 'I've got an idea' is a phrase you're likely to hear often around Indiana credit unions if the Indiana Credit Union League's ignite program works as expected.
ignite is the first state-level spin off from the Filene Research Institute's i3 group of credit union professionals who are considered up-and-coming young executives. During their three-year terms they work to identify and implement innovative ideas. Three of the i3 members are from Indiana -- Doug True, an i3 alumnus from Forum Credit Union; Bob Falk, Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union; and Nan Morrow, Centra Credit Union.
They are serving as the ignite leadership team, working to bring the i3 concept to the state level. In addition to selecting participants and assigning them to working groups, the leadership team is expected to monitor progress and act as a liaison between Indiana and the Filene Institute's i3 efforts.
Twenty Indiana "igniters" from 17 credit unions have been named to the group. The 20, in turn, have formed four teams of five participants "which should be ideal for innovation," True said.
"We had a desire for ignite to be balanced and to represent as many Indiana credit unions as possible, and I think we have achieved that," he added.
Participants were selected based on their credit union background as well as their answers to essay questions and the references they provided. ICUL President John McKenzie noted the participants come from credit unions of varying charter types, membership scope and geographic make-up.
The Indiana Credit Union League will be involved hosting sessions for ignite working groups and also hosting a portal that will be used for ignite communications and idea exchange.
"It is much more than a blog," Falk said. "The portal is a central repository that is being used to store ideas, documents and information to enhance communication within and among the teams.
"ignite goes beyond networking to be a cross-credit union collaborative effort, where the groups will be solving issues we all face," he added. "The best thing would be if these teams come up with solutions we've never dreamed of."
--ecour58516@aol.com
