U.S. Capitol Steps
Monday's CUNA/League Advocacy update at CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference focused on the advocacy agenda and best practices for ensuring success when doing advocacy work with members of Congress.
Ryan Donovan, chief advocacy officer for CUNA said that the organization has chosen a 360-degree approach to advocacy. The advocacy agenda includes four main areas:
- Reduce regulatory burden so credit unions can better serve members
- Enhance payment security so that member data is protected
- Preserve the credit union tax status
- Expand credit union powers so that credit unions can remain relevant in quickly changing financial system
Richard Gose, chief political officer at CUNA said the CUNA Member Activation Program is a way to push the credit union agenda and educate members to get them involved in credit union advocacy. "The more we do to educate our credit unions, the easier it is to activate our credit unions. CUNA and the league system work well, but when we are working hand in hand with CUNA, the leagues and credit unions, there's nothing we can't do," said Gose.
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CUNA is also in the process of developing an advocacy-training program. CUNA is working with the Congressional Management Foundation to help develop the training program, said Richard Gose, chief political officer at CUNA.
Brad Fitch, president/CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation discussed how to best influence members of Congress. He said, "Part of the power is building relationships. In order to influence others you have to have a relationship first."
He said all the research that's been done at the Congressional Management Foundation indicates that your voice does matter. But, when it comes to influencing members of Congress, you have to have the right approach, Fitch emphasized. Here are some key takeaways for how to have the most impact when visiting members of Congress on Capital Hill:
- Indicate how the bill impacts the member's district/state
- Indicate how the bill will impact the credit union
- Tell a personal story that relates to the bill
- Have relevant information about your credit union – asset size, number of members, etc.
- Do your research. Know the member's relevant committee assignments and their background
- Understand the consequence of their support. Will it be political suicide if they support the bill?
- Don't have too many talking points
- Don't have too many people in meetings, officers are small and space is limited
- Build a relationship with staff members
- Send thank you notes on a Saturday or Sunday
- Advocacy is a process, not an event and it's all about relationship building
Ultimately, Fitch said, one voice matters, and if one voice can make a difference, what can a chorus do?
J. Mark McWatters, board chair at NCUA closed out the session with updates on the NCUA. He said the NCUA closed the Temporary Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Fund four years ahead of schedule, consolidated five regional offices into three, eliminated 80% of lease space, and they've initiated an agenda built on regulatory relief built on existing practice of periodic reviews of regulations to identify outdated rules and regulations.
McWatters closed with challenging staff to break down silos and remain open to problem solving.
He went on to say that "Working together reflects strength, not weakness. This has been a year of significant growth and progress in terms of regulatory relief and other change through a transparent process."
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