CUNA Volunteer Institute - Cancun, Mexico
Topics & Objectives

Please note that the Topics/Objectives listed below are subject to change.

Are You Fun to Be With?

Stress is rising in the American workplace and in American families. The most productive and creative workplaces are having fun. And the people who flourish in their personal lives have given themselves permission to lighten up and have fun. In this upbeat and energetic session, you will gain answers to two questions: Are you fun to work with? And are you fun to live with?

Creating a Dynamic, Pro-active Credit Union

There are three hallmarks of a dynamic credit union: committed to providing world-class service, committed to being professional problem solvers, and committed to leadership development and talent retention. Get ready to take lots of notes on how to bring your credit union to a higher level.

Today's Economy and the Risks for Your Credit Union

Hear from one of CUNA’s senior economists about the state of the economy and trends that will affect your credit union. How are rates changing? Is the mortgage market recovering? More importantly, how will these changes and forecasts affect your credit union’s risk assessment and management strategies?

The Mortgage Market: Where Do We Go From Here?

The subprime mortgage issues of the past couple of years have taken their toll on the economy as a whole, not to mention the mortgage market. But where does the market stand now, and how do credit unions fit into that picture? In this session, find out more about what your credit union can do to serve its members, and potentially find some opportunities to benefit from the mistakes of banks and other financial services industries.

Post Election Roundup: What Does the Election Mean for Credit Unions?

Significant things will change—what do these changes mean for the credit union movement? In this session, you will look at the election results and the potential implications for credit unions at a national level, including posts that will have new appointees, offices that have been traditionally friendly or unfriendly to the movement, and others.

Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of the Nonprofit Board

Starting with a fresh diagnosis of perennial board problems, reconsider the very nature of governance in today’s nonprofit organization. In place of the ‘micro-governing’ that increasingly confines boards to routine, sometimes marginal work, reframe your governance as a form of leadership.

Win-Win Scenarios: CU Growth & Serving Low-Wealth Households

This session will focus on evidence that credit unions can serve low-wealth and modest income households and generate membership growth equal to or greater than those who do not focus on this marketplace. Explore examples of how credit unions can reach out to low-wealth families by providing mutually beneficial products and services.

Political Advocacy 101

A significant responsibility for volunteers is to be an advocate of the credit union movement. You are a major part of the grassroots voice of the membership. With a major election cycle afoot, you can take advantage of the changes to keep the credit union voice heard and relevant. In this session, you will learn the basics of advocacy and how to make the most impact at the local, regional, and national level.

Sustainable Loan Products: Used-Car Lending and Low-Wealth Borrowers

Each year millions of low and moderate income families access loans for the purchase of used vehicles. This session will explore the results of a recent research study conducted by the National Credit Union Foundation in collaboration with the Annie E. Casy Foundation and the Aspen Institute. Learn business strategies used by credit unions in the development of used car loans created specifically to serve modest income and low-wealth families and determine if one of these strategies will work for your credit union.

Due Diligence for Third Party Vendors — Managing the Relationship

Due diligence is the key to a vendor relationship that meets the requirements of your credit union and your members. In this session, learn how to deliver quality products and services to your members, while protecting your credit union’s brand, image, and intellectual property.

Governance as Leadership: Practice Applications and Implications

Challenge yourself to think about governance differently—by exploring how you can practice it differently. Through diagnostic and interactive exercises, participants will learn how governance as leadership can help them improve board performance in three situations: in the work of routine board meetings, at intervals when the board pauses to reflect on mission or strategy, and in the sensitive work of untangling board/staff conflicts.

Due Diligence for Third Party Vendors — Case Studies

You’ve heard about the idea of managing a relationship with a third party vendor and it makes sense as a policy, but what are you really looking for that’s going to help? In this session, explore case studies and see real world examples of the things you should be focusing on.

The Perfect Board Packet & Understanding the Information In It

The monthly board packet is a critical piece in operating a credit union. It is most board members’ only connection to the credit union. If the board packet contains the right information and the counters understand it, they will make more informed, sound decisions. This course gives suggestion on what information should be in a monthly board packet and guidance on what that means to the credit union.

An Inconvenient Truth: Be Relevant to the Market Place or Disappear

Having trouble growing? The market place is becoming less and less forgiving of businesses that are not meeting market needs. No matter how well you serve members with something they don’t need, they will bring their business somewhere else. This course will look at the enormous shifts shaping today’s banking market.