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We Don't Need More Trade Groups!


This is a op-ed reference: New National Trade Group Forms To Champion Credit Unions Under $500M

Grant Sheehan, CEO, NCOFCU

Let’s be clear—representation for small credit unions is not something new that suddenly needs to be invented.

For more than 150 years in Europe and 115 years in the US, many of us—along with numerous trade groups representing postal workers, schools, hospitals, the military, first responders, electricians, welders, auto workers, and many other sponsor employee groups—have been actively representing and supporting small credit unions. The mission has always been the same: protect these institutions and ensure they have a voice.

The real challenge facing small credit unions has never been a lack of organizations claiming to represent them. The challenge has been engagement and education.

Many small credit unions operate with extremely limited resources. Their boards are made up of volunteers who already have full-time careers. Even when scholarships, training opportunities, and conferences are offered, the realities of travel costs, staffing shortages, operational pressures, and just a lack of interest often prevent participation.

But the most serious issue is governance.

Too many small credit union boards simply do not receive the education they need to properly oversee their institutions. In many cases, long-tenured CEOs become the sole source of direction, and boards follow along without the governance training necessary to challenge decisions, identify risks, or recognize when the organization is heading in the wrong direction.

That is exactly why NCOFCU  began offering the First Responder Credit Union Academy, with certifications, and our Certified Credit Union Professional (CCUP) conference participation program this past year, to give directors the governance education they need to lead responsibly and recognize problems before they become crises.

New groups forming to advocate for small credit unions are not inherently a bad thing. Fresh perspectives are always welcome. But the narrative that small credit unions have somehow gone unrepresented until now ignores decades of work by organizations and volunteers who have been fighting to support these institutions for generations.

If we truly want to strengthen small credit unions, the focus should not just be on creating another trade group. The focus must be on educating and empowering the boards that ultimately govern them.

Grant Sheehan, CCUE | CEO, NCOFCU

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