Director Onboarding Tool Kit

Welcome to your credit union’s board of directors! Thank you for taking on the responsibilities of representing your fellow credit union members as you help in leading your credit union. Governance by members and for members is a fundamental tenet of the credit union movement, and your service as a director continues in that fine tradition.

We developed this Director Onboarding Tool Kit to help you get off on the right foot with your board leadership. Available to CUES Unlimited and Unlimited+ members, this guide brings you nine best practices for complete director onboarding—the process of helping new directors with the “what, why and how” of being part of a credit union board. Designed to support and supplement your credit union’s onboarding program, this tool kit provides a grounding overview of the fundamental roles and responsibilities of the credit union board and individual directors.

Section 1 offers a brief history of financial cooperatives in the United States and Canada, and highlighting challenges and opportunities that will likely arise in strategic conversations with your board and executive team. Subsequent sections cover board committees and the board’s role in strategic planning and financial oversight, along with practical guidelines on optimizing your contributions in those areas. The guide also includes links to a glossary of key credit union governance terms and several other useful documents, including a sample director job description, examples of key committee charters and a list of useful references, including from CUES.