Millennials. We hear the “M” word all the time; a quick Googlesearch returns a whopping 48 million hits. Despite the chatter, thereports conflict wildly: Millennials are lazy, although millennialsnever take vacation; millennials are the problem, millennials arethe victims, millennials are the solution. In the face of millionsof contradictory opinions, it's easy to favor colorful stereotypesand anecdotes.

As the leader of the Cooperative Trust, the young professionalcommunity that first “crashed” onto the credit union scene in 2010,I can tell you firsthand that millennial stereotypes are alive andwell.

Our flagship event, Crash the GAC, is just weeks away. This yearwe're bringing with us a record high number of Crashers, 78 youngprofessionals who'll participate in the program designed with adual purpose: To engage and develop the next generations of creditunion leaders, and perhaps even more importantly, to respectfullybut unapologetically spur the industry to embrace young people.

At the conferences we Crash, T-shirts and selfies seem toprovoke the most remarks, and they're not all complimentary – butto let the conversation die there is to miss the heart of theissue. Without young people (who admittedly look different than thebaby boomer executive), the credit union industry will notsurvive.

The Bigger Problem

Credit unions are marvelous organizations for consumers. Despitetheir inherent potential, these not-for-profit, member-ownedfinancial institutions are at real risk of irrelevance as the worldchanges at a furious pace around them.

Data show 38% of baby boomers, 33% of Gen X and only 26% ofmillennials are members of a credit union, according to Fileneresearch. You may have seen similar numbers before. In fact, manyof us become numb because we hear the same facts over and over. Wecan't lose our sense of urgency here, because behind the data aresobering implications for the future of an industry with so muchpossibility.

Millennials will soon have the most purchasing power of anygeneration, according to Forbes – and yet, they are thegeneration we have engaged the least. To compound the problem,millennials are underrepresented in board rooms and leadershipteams, though many current credit union leaders started theirtenure when they were the same age millennials are now. Too often,those at the top are not representative of the communities andgenerations they serve and hope to serve. If we don't invite youngdiverse leaders into these homogenous boards and teams across theindustry, it will be virtually impossible to catch (much lesskeep!) the attention of our generation. Crashers Are Sparking Change

In 2010, amidst this landscape, a group of youngsters who workedfor credit unions decided to Crash (meaning colloquially to show upsomewhere uninvited or unexpectedly) one of the biggest creditunion events of the year – CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference.They “crashed” because historically young people were not invitedor expected to attend such conferences – and the Cooperative Trustwas born.

Fast forward eight years and the Trust has become anaward-winning credit union young professional community of morethan 1,700 members with demonstrable impact on the lives ofcountless young people and the industry at large. The Crash programis still a big part of the Cooperative Trust, but it has evolvedinto much more. Today the Trust includes a growing mentorshipprogram, a robust online community and Crash opportunities forhundreds of young professionals each year.

At first glance, it's easy to see the disruption – young peopledon't look like typical credit union executives (though afterCrashing, some now are!) Crashers act unapologetically their age,bringing fresh perspective into a traditional industry. Lookingpast the stereotypes, you might realize that those Crasher selfiespromote credit unions to countless social networks and thoseCrasher t-shirts serve as neon reminders of the need forindustry-wide transformation. The changes might not lookconventional – but that's exactly the point.When Crashers returnhome, they're brimming with enthusiasm and new ideas; many go on tostart young professional networks, pitch new ideas to theirleadership and change career goals to stay within the uniqueindustry that marries a social mission with businesslogic. (Don't take it from me – Crashers reading, shareyour Crash stories in the comments below! #CrasherFam xoxo).

But while they're passionate credit union advocates, Crashersare not always in the position to be decision-makers. No one groupis enough to effect change – it takes an army of us all. It's soimportant that industry leaders who helped to get us here havepowerful and consistent dialogue with next generation leaders whowill take us into the future. We must invite young professionals tohave a stronger and louder voice (even when that makes usuncomfortable). Young or less-young, invited or crashing, we allmust work together to create a sense of urgency, bound together aswe are with the mutual responsibility to safeguard “bankingdemocracy,” these unicorn organizations that truly improve thelives of consumers.

The Time Is Now

Each and every one of us with a voice who has experiencedfirsthand the benefits of a credit union – we are the ones who mustensure the legacy grows stronger for millennia to come. Let's meetchange head on as credit union lovers and leaders who recognizethat inaction is a deadly mistake.

Are you a credit union lover and leader? Here's what you cando:

• Stop negative conversations about the next generations, andinstead invite those ever-passionate Crashers and youngprofessionals to join the conversation – and take actiontogether.
• Shake up your leadership team and boardroom by exposing yourbright young people to opportunities for growth and development,and encourage their passionate ideas. After all, they're leaderstoday and will be leaders tomorrow – and their insights into theirown generation are invaluable.
• Take action today, big or small, and don't wait to initiatechange. The world is transforming around us more quickly than everbefore, and it's our job to make sure credit unions not onlysurvive but flourish.

If you'll be joining colleagues at CUNA's GAC this February,you'll have 78 opportunities to converse with young credit unionadvocates, 78 choices to invite and embrace young leaders, and 78chances to work together with young people to inspire change in anindustry with one common but lofty mission: Changing the lives ofconsumers for the better.

This isn't business as usual anymore, because “usual” isn't goodenough. Passionate and energetic with ideas and the commitment tomanifest positive change, we Crashers are here to join the creditunion advocate army. We're proud to stand out in our T-shirts; ifyou see us, connect with us – we'll be thrilled. If you love theindustry and want to see it succeed, hop on board with the missionof Crashers everywhere (maybe even join us for a selfie!) Call usthe “M” word all you want – we might just surprise you.

Lauren Culp is Manager at The CooperativeTrust, Filene Research Institute. She can be contactedat [email protected].