The Credit Union Executives Society has created what it considers a "functional" and "considerate" gift for volunteers-a Director Tool Kit.
Six months in the making, the latest CUES product was introduced last month and already has received a positive response, said George Hofheimer, VP of Professional Development at CUES.
It was created to provide general information for directors about the CU philosophy, board responsibilities and practices, succession planning, mergers and CEO performance assessment, for starters. It also includes a section on common CU terminology.
Hofheimer, who oversees the content of all CUES education programming and products, said research with member credit unions showed a need for better education and orientation materials for new and seasoned directors about CU processes, roles and responsibilities and the overall industry.
It's not that the information isn't already available, Hofheimer said, it's that it's not available in one neat package. "What we found was that you can find the internal stuff within the credit union itself," Hofheimer said. "As for the CU industry stuff, there is tons of information on the web that you can read."
With the help of writer Karen Bankston, CUES officials decided to put it all together in one cohesive package. The result is a leather-bound portfolio (embossed if purchased by the dozen) that holds 10 chapters and about 200 pages of information that Hofheimer said "can be digested in a few sittings."
The goal, he said, was not to overwhelm readers with details, but to familiarize new directors with the processes and rules to help them get started as well as to refresh the memories of experienced directors.
Because volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds, the development team decided to keep the information general.
"CU directors come from all across the board," Hofheimer said. "Some have legal backgrounds, others are business owners and teachers. It would be hard to focus on a specific need because all of their needs are different."
