In my roles over the years at Credit Union Times, I'veattended 11 of the last 12 Governmental Affairs Conferences held byCUNA–forgive me a maternity leave. The event always attractshigh-caliber members of Congress who are key connections for creditunions to develop. It also attracts the largest credit union crowdof any conference around, and Washington, D.C., isn't normally aspleasant in February and March as it has been this year.

Sitting down to write this column, I was thinking, as you may,“What good does it do to have congressmen and senators, who oftenknow relatively little about credit unions specifically, come speakto the group?” How is it beneficial to credit unions to listen tomembers of Congress, particularly in an election year, spout offabout their pet political projects or sometimes make campaign stumpspeeches?

Now CUNA's PR team and GAC organizers can breathe a sigh of relief because here's whyit's crucial: Credit union executives are in Washington to buildrelationships. Many travel hundreds to thousands of miles to helpdemonstrate a strong front for the credit union community. You'reputting your face in front of the Washington elite so they know youexist because, aside from putting thousands of voting constituentsin front of them, you want something from them.

Sit through their political diatribes, applaud when theyannounce they're a proud member of a credit union because youexpect them to at least listen politely to what's at the top ofyour mind and may be of lesser importance to them. Issues likesupplemental capital can be great fun for some former accountantmembers of Congress, but many won't get it. They have staffers whoget it for them, so don't be offended if you end up in a CapitolHill office with a legislative assistant. They study the issues andadvise the member on the issues.

CUNA CEO Bill Cheney has been rolling out the trade group's535-seat strategy, essentially to have contacts in every office inthe U.S. House and Senate. CUNA members pay dues for political andlegislative strategizing and the day-to-day boots on the ground,but the real strength lies in the credit unions. Every credit unionshould have someone designated to make regular contact with theappropriate politicians at a bare minimum.

The credit union should decide how often the designee shouldvisit. Many credit unions also participate in campaigns, which is agreat way to get noticed. If a credit union isn't comfortable withthat, nonpartisan Get Out the Vote efforts are also good tools.Given credit unions' one-member, one-vote mantra, supportingdemocracy is obvious.

Credit unions need to up their own games. If you'revolunteering, great. Keep it up and do more. If you're donating,keep it up and do more. If you're working on a nonpartisan GOTVcampaign, how can you expand that using social media? Even ifyou're not comfortable with supporting one candidate over another,you can make members aware of certain issues that are important toyour credit union, such as a sustainable energy bill that might beheading up for a vote.

The credit union community will need to have this foundation ofpolitical involvement, not only internally, but with credit unionmembers should a life threatening issue, like Treasury's proposalto combine the federal banking regulators, arise. Hosting debatesbetween candidates at your headquarters or inviting politicians tocut the ribbon on your new branch are great ways to grab attentionthat don't necessarily have to be partisan. These types of eventsalso build credibility among your members on political issues andas a pillar of the community.

For the 2012 GAC, the issues may seem somewhat like a belatedGroundhog Day. Supplemental capital and member business lendingwill be the issues on tap. Business loans in particular have gottenmore attention of late as the jobs bill winds its way toward a votein the Senate.

CUNA wrote the Democrat and Republican heads of the SenateBanking Committee, “We estimate that if this bill became law,credit unions could lend an additional $13 billion to smallbusinesses, helping them create 140,000 new jobs in the first yearafter enactment, at no cost to taxpayers.”

Likewise, NAFCU wrote the majority and minority leaders that itis withholding support for the bill unless a provision is includedto expanding credit union's business lending authorities.

The efforts of CUNA and NAFCU can only go so far. The creditunion community needs you to be the muscle.