NEW YORK-As part of a five-year strategic plan, the New York State Credit Union League (NYSCUL) is looking at revamping its organizational structure, including how dues are charged to members, how its district governance operates and what it considers to be its core operational aspects. Changes were discussed during the 85th Annual Meeting and Convention held May 18-21. "All parts of the League's structure are dependent on each other," said Mike Lanotte, Senior Vice President of Association Services and General Counsel for the League and Affiliates. "A lot of areas have overlap because of how we go about doing our job." One of the key changes is to redefine services to members into four areas: advocacy, education and training, compliance and communications. Any increase in the level of service provided, however, requires greater financial considerations and, thus, a look at the League's dues structure. According to Lanotte, total annual dues have remained fairly stagnant-increasing by only about 1.2% per year. Nor has the League had a significant dues increase in more than 12 years. Regarding district governance, Lanotte said that the League is not looking to change boundaries or the number of districts. Rather, it hopes to refocus district responsibilities on spreading the credit union philosophy, as well as networking and fundraising. "Our districts play a vital role in the credit union movement," Lanotte said. "But, one of the areas we don't have a lot of information about [at the state level] is which credit unions are involved in what local initiatives, such as the chambers of commerce or by sponsoring Special Olympics or Junior Achievement. It's the people in the districts who are out there volunteering their time and effort-not just their money. And, the more information we have about what credit unions are doing will help us better define the CU difference and get the good news out." The League also hopes to increase active participation among a wider variety of members at the district level, either through a term as a district representative or by volunteering for a specific project. One change under consideration is the introduction of mail-in ballots for elections rather than only having in-person votes. "Through less structure, we hope to make it easier for districts to get the job done and for those who want to volunteer their time [to get involved]," Lanotte said. No changes to the League structure have been finalized as of yet. The League is seeking input from its membership by hosting a series of 13 meetings, either in person or as Webinars, which began in March and will run through June. Once that feedback is compiled, League staff will share responses with the board of directors before any final plans are adopted. [email protected]