Your credit union’s board members are a reflection of your institution, and your brand image. Keeping a watchful eye over what that image conveys, and using it to your advantage, can create an easy avenue to maintaining a good reputation and gaining community support, according to Les Wallace, Ph.D., president of Signature Resources, Aurora, Colo., and CUES' lead presenter in its Board Chair Development Seminar this spring. Wallace recommends the following ideas to help boards project and maintain a positive public presence.
- Stress that advocacy and public relations are every board member’s job.
- Craft a standard statement describing your credit union’s role, mission and community purpose, and have it readily available for board member use.
- Assign specific people for public relations and advocacy; they can include current and past board members, and past officers.
- Evaluate advocacy efforts often.
- As advocates and ambassadors for your credit union, board members should get to know state and federal elected officials, and promote political action fundraising and support for candidates. Wallace suggests these roles can be good assignments for past board members who still want to be involved.
- To help efforts, your credit union should have accurate information on the number of members in each legislator’s district.
- Promote any environmental efforts you are making. For ideas, follow the example of local community businesses that are branding themselves as green. Send out a press release, and if your local newspaper won’t cover it, taking an ad can be worth the investment.
- Another good way to get your name out in the community in a positive way is to link yourself with a local food bank, recycling drive, shredding drive, or other community events.
