Posted by Christopher Stevenson
When newcomers move to Madison from other places, especially the coasts, it's not unusual for them to miss their old hometown (Madison's got a small-town feel), worry about our tornadoes (they're not that bad), and feel a little alone (it's always hard to make your way around a new town). The appropriate Madisonian response to our new neighbors is, "Have you been to the farmers' market? Man, you've gotta go to the farmers' market."
The farmers' market is an integral part of Madison life. It's held around Madison's capitol square and attracts thousands of people every weekend. But it's not its size that sets it apart. It's its vibe - the farmers' market is a microcosm of Madison.
Once a new resident walks the square on a cool spring morning (always traveling counter-clock-wise), mingles among the growers of heirloom flowers and vegetables, and rubs elbows with Madisonians from every degree of the social and political spectrum—from woolen-sock-and-Birkenstock-clad activists to dyed in the wool conservatives—they begin to feel at home, a part of the greater Madison community.
Now here's the question that you knew was coming. What's it going to take for credit unions to create a farmers' market-like sense of community in their own fields of membership? How can credit unions become the place that people send new neighbors to help them establish themselves in their new hometown? It's clear that well-designed brochures and newsletters, bilingual tellers, and brown-bag lunch lectures aren't enough (although they're a start). Sponsoring local events isn't enough either. The goal is to make the credit union indispensible to the community, to become an integral part of community life, and to set it apart from other financial service providers.
Can it be done? I think so. It's where credit unions started and a few credit unions do it today. Check out VanCity's My Community or Alternatives FCU. They get it.
Who else gets it? What other CUs are making themselves the "farmers' markets" of their communities? How are they doing it?
