BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -
Similar to other "Who's Who" directories on other industries, the "Who's Who In America's Credit Unions" (WWACU) is designed to recognize the many unsung heroes of the credit union movement, according to Dennis Dollar, principal partner in CU consultancy Dollar Associates and former NCUA Board chairman.
"The purpose is to provide a comprehensive recognition program," Dollar explained. "There are plenty of groups out there who already recognize a CEO of the Year or a Director of the Year, but for every CEO of the year, there are another 8,000 deserving of some recognition. For every volunteer of the year there are literally thousands more who are toiling away largely unrecognized. We want to recognize the true heroes of the movement."
The nomination forms seek only the most basic information, essentially just the name of the person and his or her credit union (only people with at least five years of credit union service are eligible). WWACU then contacts the nominees to see if they are interested and send them a much more detailed form for listing their biographical data and their accomplishments in their communities and their CUs.
Those are then reviewed by WWACU's editorial advisory board. The WWACU yearbook, plaques, certificates, lapel pins and mugs will be available to the honorees. "It's an opportunity to present a plaque or other award at the annual meeting, for example, or the strategic planning retreat," Dollar suggested.
Before launching WWACU, Dollar Associates did some research to see if any of the traditional, larger "Who's Who" organizations might be interested in undertaking such a program for credit unions, but they were put off by the relatively small number of potential honorees, which would limit the amount of money that could be made off of it. Determining that it didn't need to make a big profit, Dollar Associates decided to take on the program itself. "We're not going to sell advertising, which would have been another way to turn more profit," Dollar related. "We want this to be a class act."
Nomination forms are available online at www.wwacu.org and are due by Nov. 1. "Our hope is to have the biographical data back from nominees by end the end of November and then have honorees selected by the end of the year," he said. "That would put us on track to have the first book out in April."
Dollar said he hopes to make this an annual program. "We don't have to have a book that's six inches thick. We want it to be inclusive enough to include a large number of unrecognized contributors to the movement, but exclusive enough to make it worthwhile," he offered. "Credit unions have a large volunteer element, and so many of them go unrecognized. For both professionals and volunteers, this is an opportunity to recognize the many, many unsung heroes of the movement."
