BELOIT, Wis. -- A push at the Wisconsin Credit Union League's 2007 state league convention to draw young leaders into the credit union movement inspired First American Credit Union to develop its own future leaders.

"It really opened our eyes. At the convention they had us stand up by those who graduated in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and by the time we got to the 2000 graduates, no one was standing and it drove home the question of who would carry our industry forward when we're all gone," said FACU CEO Tracy Blaske. "We came back and got a group together to brainstorm how we can develop our own future leaders."

The result is the "Initiatives for Tomorrow," more commonly referred to as the i4t program. This leadership development program focuses on four initiatives--the self, the credit union, the community and the movement. The four initiatives encourage personal growth, provide a means for exposure to the industry, support future succession at the credit union, support the credit union movement nationwide and add another component to strengthen the credit union's recruiting and retention efforts.

The move is designed to build a value-add program that holds enough prestige that employees want to participate because the reward is a well-planned career path and serves as the foundation for a long-term mentor program.

The program runs for three consecutive years with a maximum of five applicants allowed in at one time. Participants had to write essays and have peer and management sponsors to be accepted into the program. Participants chose from essay topics ranging from the history of the credit union movement and best customer service experience and expectations of commitment or challenges facing the financial services industry.

According to Blaske, every initiative project means lengthy written assignments, public speaking, presentations and personal sweat equity. Thus far, feedback has been excellent and the first year roll out represents a diversified group from all areas of the credit union, including one teller, one loan officer, one accountant and a marketing assistant.

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

For the self initiative, year-one participants are required to attend a business communication course through a local college and will be provided a time management course and tools through Franklin Covey.

To support the CU movement initiative, i4t participants attended the WCUL Convention, will attend the State Governmental Affairs Conference to become activists and must attend three credit union chapter meetings. Year two will advance them to the state's Hike the Hill in Washington.

For the credit union initiative, participants will attend a team-building event through a local college, must attend and sponsor the credit union's booth at welcome back registration day at a local university and will attend a strategic planning session with the board of directors.

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

Modeled after "Oprah's Big Give" reality show, participants were challenged to use creativity and leadership to make the biggest impact possible, while mandatory presentations and written reports to a panel of judges ensured proper accountability of the funds.

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

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

Participants had to research and select a recipient they felt worthy of the donation. They went into the project without a clear understanding of the challenges they faced. According to the participants, the toughest part of the challenge was deciding who to 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, the Beloit Domestic Violence Center, the Merrill Community Center and a local flood victim from Janesville. The donations varied from filling up food pantries, purchasing new beds for a shelter, providing air conditioning units to the elderly, installing a new phone system for an organization and even soliciting the help of local businesses such as Horizon Waste, Mulrooney Moving and Storage and ServiceMaster, which jumped on the bandwagon to help the flood victim.

Blaske said the community initiative was an invaluable and eye-opening experience for the whole staff, not just the four i4t participants.

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

Blaske added that the i4t program becomes more valuable with every step.

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

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