DES MOINES, Iowa-Saying Iowa is one-million credit union members strong, this state's league has launched a website it hopes will get a lot more of that million talking to legislators about credit unions.
"1 Million Strong" is a microsite located within iowacreditunions.com that encourages Iowans to become an active participant in this large community, said Emily Caropreso, director of communications and marketing.
Caropreso told Credit Union Journal that the tough fight Iowa bankers put up against CUs in this state made the league realize that stronger grassroots support is needed.
"We said at the end of last year that we had to do something else to get our members more engaged; get them to understand what's facing credit unions and members on the legislative side and motivate them to take action," said Caropreso. "The bankers have their high-powered lobbyists, but we have credit union members and their voices, and their stories make an impact."
The website emphasizes that "You don't have to be a high-power lobbyist to influence how lawmakers vote. Just someone who knows that the action we take today will lead to a better financial future tomorrow."
To get more CU members to make their voices heard, the league realized it first must educate members on the legislative issues facing credit unions and how the issues can affect members' personal finances. To that end, the website has three main areas: Elected Offices, Issues & Legislation, and CU Advocate Toolkit.
The areas explain who the elected officials are in respective districts and how to get in touch with them, cover key legislative issues facing credit unions, such as the cap on member business lending, and finally provide tools help members to become more active by sharing their stories about why they love their credit union on the league's Facebook page. There is also an opportunity sign up for e-alerts.
Throughout the site members are encouraged to sign up and be part of the 1 Million Strong. Caropreso said the league hopes to have 6,000 e-mail addresses in its database by year's end, and a larger number of educated CU members it can contact to take action quickly if an issue affecting credit unions comes up for vote. The league is complementing the website with monthly communications being pushed out to members via the state's credit unions.
