Though the CUNA Board is moving forward with some of the proposals made by the restructuring task force, it rejected several key recommendations related to requiring dual membership in both CUNA and a CU's respective state league and the dues implications of that requirement, as well as the call to streamline the board from 24 members down to 17.
"The board believes that by working together, CUNA and the Leagues are best able to serve credit unions, whether it's through advocacy or member services," Streifel said, explaining the board's decision not to adopt recommendations about dropping the dual membership requirement. "CUNA is dedicated to changing and evolving. At this juncture the board believes that the current membership structure is optimal."
Indeed, if anything, CUNA will be seeking to strengthen the ties between itself and the state leagues.
"The leagues and CUNA have a long track record of working together and achieving great success for credit unions," said Tracie Kenyon, chairwoman of the American Association of Credit Union Leagues (ACCUL) and president/CEO of the Montana Credit Union Network. "Further unifying the credit union system and strengthening the Leagues' partnership with CUNA is paramount. CUNA and the Leagues look forward to continuing to enhance our unparalleled network in serving the needs of credit unions."
The board also voted to keep its current board structure of 24 members, but is appointing an ad hoc committee to do further work on the nomination process.
CUNA's statement was short on details about some of the actual changes it will be making, but referred to such changes as being aimed at making advocacy the group's primary focus — something that already has been a top priority for the trade group.
"In response to the Task Force's conclusion on advocacy being CUNA's top priority, the board has taken steps to ensure that its Advocacy Committee — formerly called the Government Affairs Committee — is best positioned to serve the unique and vital advocacy needs of member credit unions," CUNA said. "This realignment reflects changes already put in place in CUNA's Advocacy Department. The Advocacy Committee will have expanded reach and scope beyond its predecessor committee, including an enhanced subcommittee structure designed to optimize CUNA's advocacy effectiveness."
The System Structure and Governance Task Force was appointed by the board in September 2014 to study how CUNA is organized and run to determine if changes were needed to improve the trade association's efforts to serve the credit union industry. The task force included representatives from credit unions of a variety of sizes, as well as at least one executive whose credit union is not currently affiliated with CUNA.
"The Task Force report is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication from its members. We are grateful to the task force for evaluating the value of the CUNA/League system and challenging us to work together to build an even stronger future for credit unions," Streifel said. "While the board did not adopt all of the task force's specific recommendations, we embrace what we consider to be the central conclusion of the report: Advocacy must be at the heart of CUNA's purpose. In order to be the most effective national advocacy organization, CUNA and League interdependence is essential."
