In creating your own Project Differentiation project, you will need to take six steps to complete your Statement of Commitment to Members. The six steps are:

1. Familiarize yourself with the sample statement.
2. Write the opening statement.
3. List your current and planned activities.
4. Get Board approval.
5. Share the results of your efforts.
6. Review and update your statement.

Step 1: Familiarize yourself with the sample statement.

Read through the sample statement. While this is an outstanding example of a statement, it is certainly not the definitive one--in fact, there's no such thing. Every credit union will be unique. Use the sample as a guide or tool for jogging your memory about programs and activities you've undertaken. (Click here for sample statement.)

Step 2: Write the opening statement.

The opening statement is critical. It lays the groundwork for the sections with supporting detail that follow. Rather than detailing what you are actually doing, the opening statement is a place to express your credit union's special view of credit union philosophy. Think of this section as a combination mission/vision statement, more about where you want to be and less about how you are getting there.

Three ways to go about writing your opening statement:

• If it adequately reflects your credit union's view of Philosophy, simply adopt the language as provided in the template. OR:
• Use the template as a starting place, delete those references that do not apply to your credit union and add new ones that do. OR:
• Using the template and the sample Statement as guides, create your own, unique opening statement. Depending on the nature of your credit union, the opening statement may be as short as one paragraph or as long as one page.

Step 3: List your current and planned activities.

The remainder of the Statement is essentially the detail in support of your opening statement--the proof you are doing more than just "talking the talk" when it comes to people helping people. This information in this part, which will make up the bulk of your Statement, will be organized in six sections.

Each section begins with an overall statement of intention that sums up the credit union's position on that particular topic. Again, you have the choice of simply adopting the language provided in the template or writing something of your own that better reflects your credit union's unique position.

Next, you will list the activities and programs your credit union is currently undertaking in that area. Again, referring to the sample Statement will give you an idea of the types of programs and activities to list. You are encouraged to solicit feedback from your staff and from your Board members as you complete this section. You may be pleasantly surprised by things that you were unaware of, particularly if yours is a larger credit union with multiple branches.

Note: While the template allows for 10 examples, don't feel tied to that number; you may only have one or two examples in a given section, but 15 or 20 in another. The beauty of this format is its flexibility in reflecting different credit unions' differing levels of activity.

Finally, list any programs or activities that you are planning for the future. If you don't have any planned in a given category, go ahead and say "No programs planned at this time." Since this document is to be revisited annually and used as a strategic planning tool, seeing those words in print may get you and your board thinking about new ways to meet your strategic objectives.

SIX SECTIONS OF COMMITMENT

Here are six sections, with brief descriptions of each and examples of programs/tools for carrying out the respective goals.

Section I: Service to Members. This section is about services above and beyond the standard savings and checking accounts, credit card and auto loans offered by most financial institutions. This is where you will list the "special" things like life-line checking or lending policies that allow you to better serve all economic ranges of your membership. Do you have youth programs? Special programs to incent savings? What are you doing by way of service to members that you are particularly proud of (and that is not covered in the remaining five sections). For specific examples of service to members programs and activities, click here.

Section II: . Member Education. A little more self-explanatory, this is where you list educational activities, be they after-hours classes at the credit union, financial articles in your newsletter, or other consumer education programs undertaken or sponsored by the credit union. For specific examples of member education programs and activities, click here.

Section III: Involvement/Governance. What are you doing to ensure fair representation of the membership on your Board of Directors? What kinds of volunteer opportunities exist at the credit union? For specific examples of involvement/governance programs and activities, click here.

Section IV: Diversity. This section may be a little tougher to complete, but it will be worth your while to do so. What policies or procedures do you have for promoting diversity on your staff, board, or other volunteer positions? What are you doing to see that the diversity of your membership is adequately reflected at the credit union. Note: For purposes of this exercise, "diversity" means many things--age, sex, income, race, and any other factors that reflect the variety found in your membership. For specific examples of diversity programs and activities, click here.

Section V: Commitment to the credit union movement and other cooperative activities. Most credit unions belong to their leagues, and in turn to CUNA. Many are also active in their chapter. Do you, members of your staff, or board members volunteer at the local, state, or national level of the credit union movement? Do you support the activities of the World Council of Credit Unions, the National Credit Union Foundation, or other credit union organizations? Do you help other credit unions in your area when the call for assistance goes out? Have you gone to Washington, D.C., or to your own state capital to promote credit unions to your elected leaders? These are the kinds of activities you would list in this section.

Also included in this section: your cooperative activities outside the credit union movement. Since credit unions, collectively, are the largest players in the U.S. cooperative movement, it's fair to ask yourself what the credit union is doing in support of other cooperative groups (collectively or individually, nationally or locally). What, if anything, do you do to support/promote the cooperative movement? What cooperative activities are you involved in? For specific examples of "commitment to credit union movement" and other cooperative programs and activities, click here.

Section VI: Public Service/Corporate Citizenship. In this section, you will list your community outreach activities, charitable donations (financial as well as in-kind), and other activities that benefit the community at large. Again, be sure to seek input from your staff and volunteers. You'll want to include all the wonderful activities being undertaken by the credit union, including the activities of credit union individuals. In fact, you might want to break this down into three sub-sections: what the credit union is doing in/for the community, what individual board members are doing in/for the community, and what individual staff members are doing in/for the community. For specific examples of "public service/corporate responsibility" programs and activities, click here.

Step 4. Get Board approval.

If this is truly to become part of your credit union, you need to get your board's buy-in. If you have solicited input from them as you filled out the Statement, they are already aware of your efforts and will want to see the finished Statement. If you didn't, it is a good idea to share the completed document with them; not only will it help your board to better understand this critical aspect of your credit union's operations, it should give them even greater pride in their organization and help them think strategically at planning time.

Step 5. Share the results of your efforts.

Program and Activity Examples

Credit unions generally understand that to remain market competitive they must be able to show their difference from banks. Once completed, your Statement of Commitment to Members can become another way for you to demonstrate that difference and the credit union competitive advantage. Share the Statement with your membership at large. You might display it in the lobby, run excerpts in your newsletter, or if you have a Web site, put the Statement of Commitment to Members there. Using the Internet is also a way to get your Statement and the information it contains to your potential membership base.

Share the completed Statement with your staff. These are the people who have the most contact with your members. This document can help them better communicate the value of membership in their day-to-day interactions. In fact, incorporate your finished Statement into your new-employee orientation-- to demonstrate the credit union difference to someone new to the movement.

If you have a marketing department, make sure it has its own copy. Creative marketers will want to capitalize on elements of the Statement for new marketing strategies.

Another group to share your Statement with is your select employee groups (SEGs), to demonstrate the value of the credit union to their employees. It's also can promote your credit union to potential SEGs and others.

Finally, share your Statement of Commitment to Members with your elected leaders. This will be an excellent tool for advocating the credit union difference and for communicating to local, state, and national decision-makers the true value that credit unions provide.

Step 6: Review and update your Statement.

Because the Statement is intended to be a living, breathing document, there is no "final step." Using your completed Statement as a benchmark, incorporate this process into your annual strategic planning process. Are you satisfied with current levels of activity in all seven sections? Which sections should you look at improving by adding new activities? Are there areas with little or no involvement that you want to address for the first time?

OTHER NOTES

• Don't worry if one or more sections appears to lack programs or activities. First, there is no standard--credit unions have differing fields of membership, visions of what constitutes "service to members," and even constraints on how that service is carried out. This format is intended to reflect those differences. Second, this is intended not only for self-assessment, but also for future planning. If you have gaps, use this tool for finding ways to fill them.

• Make sure to involve your board members in this process. It's their credit union, and they should have a say in how you carry out their vision of social responsibility and "people helping people."

• Involve staff. Participation in the research process will give them a sense of pride and ownership. Having the completed document will help them better explain the uniqueness of your credit union and the value of membership to members and potential members.

• The Statement of Commitment to Members is a document that will evolve. The template will change in years to come to reflect credit union feedback. As you add new programs, go back and update the lists in the six special sessions of commitment. Just as you revise your mission and vision statements as necessary, so will you revise your Statement of Commitment to Members.

• If you're proud of your finished Statement and want to share it, send a copy to your league and to CUNA's Credit Union Development Department. This is not a requirement. There are no plans at this time to collect completed statements at either the state or national level. If credit unions face another battle like H.R. 1151, the call for Statements may go out. However, barring such need, your Statement need only be shared with those groups of your choosing.

Introduction to Project Differentiation
Program and Activity Examples
Credit Union Reply Form
Template of Credit Union Statement
Sample Statement

Copyright © 2008 - Credit Union National Association, Inc.