BELOIT, Wis. -- A push at the Wisconsin Credit Union League's2007 state league convention to draw young leaders into the creditunion movement inspired First American Credit Union to develop itsown future leaders.

"It really opened our eyes. At the convention they had us standup by those who graduated in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and by the timewe got to the 2000 graduates, no one was standing and it drove homethe question of who would carry our industry forward when we're allgone," said FACU CEO Tracy Blaske. "We came back and got a grouptogether to brainstorm how we can develop our own futureleaders."

The result is the "Initiatives for Tomorrow," more commonlyreferred to as the i4t program. This leadership development programfocuses on four initiatives--the self, the credit union, thecommunity and the movement. The four initiatives encourage personalgrowth, provide a means for exposure to the industry, supportfuture succession at the credit union, support the credit unionmovement nationwide and add another component to strengthen thecredit union's recruiting and retention efforts.

The move is designed to build a value-add program that holdsenough prestige that employees want to participate because thereward is a well-planned career path and serves as the foundationfor a long-term mentor program.

The program runs for three consecutive years with a maximum offive applicants allowed in at one time. Participants had to writeessays and have peer and management sponsors to be accepted intothe program. Participants chose from essay topics ranging from thehistory of the credit union movement and best customer serviceexperience and expectations of commitment or challenges facing thefinancial services industry.

According to Blaske, every initiative project means lengthywritten assignments, public speaking, presentations and personalsweat equity. Thus far, feedback has been excellent and the firstyear roll out represents a diversified group from all areas of thecredit union, including one teller, one loan officer, oneaccountant and a marketing assistant.

During the three-year term, participants will complete projectscentered around each initiative.

For the self initiative, year-one participants are required toattend a business communication course through a local college andwill be provided a time management course and tools throughFranklin Covey.

To support the CU movement initiative, i4t participants attendedthe WCUL Convention, will attend the State Governmental AffairsConference to become activists and must attend three credit unionchapter meetings. Year two will advance them to the state's Hikethe Hill in Washington.

For the credit union initiative, participants will attend ateam-building event through a local college, must attend andsponsor the credit union's booth at welcome back registration dayat a local university and will attend a strategic planning sessionwith the board of directors.

As part of the community initiative the credit union recentlyhosted a Big Give, where each participant had to give away $2,000to a member or local organization in need.

Modeled after "Oprah's Big Give" reality show, participants werechallenged to use creativity and leadership to make the biggestimpact possible, while mandatory presentations and written reportsto a panel of judges ensured proper accountability of thefunds.

Blaske said the goal of the project was to raise awareness atthe staff level of how important it is to "give back to thecommunities we live in. First American has been a long-timesupporter and partner to numerous charitable organizations, andproudly, its staff at every level is involved in communityorganizations."

"We get hundreds of requests for donations every year," saidBlaske. "This program provided an effective avenue for employees totake ownership of how we disburse our donation funds. Because oftheir personal involvement and commitment we feel these donationsproved to be more genuine than just handing over a check."

Participants had to research and select a recipient they feltworthy of the donation. They went into the project without a clearunderstanding of the challenges they faced. According to theparticipants, the toughest part of the challenge was deciding whoto give to as there is so much need within our communities,especially considering the flooding that has touched so many.

Big Give recipients included the Voluntary Action Center, theBeloit Domestic Violence Center, the Merrill Community Center and alocal flood victim from Janesville. The donations varied fromfilling up food pantries, purchasing new beds for a shelter,providing air conditioning units to the elderly, installing a newphone system for an organization and even soliciting the help oflocal businesses such as Horizon Waste, Mulrooney Moving andStorage and ServiceMaster, which jumped on the bandwagon to helpthe flood victim.

Blaske said the community initiative was an invaluable andeye-opening experience for the whole staff, not just the four i4tparticipants.

"It was so successful I can assure you the FACU Big Give will beeven bigger in 2009," said Blaske. "While the program requires amonetary investment and a strong commitment to follow-through, thebenefits and loyalty gained outweigh the price by ensuring thecredit union's future success in the communities served."

Blaske added that the i4t program becomes more valuable withevery step.

"As managers, it makes us proud to see the personal growth inthese individuals," said Blaske. "This program gives new employeessomething to aspire to and motivates anyone who wasn't sure thecredit union was a place to make a career."

[email protected]