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Advocacy may not be the first thing that comes to mind when
working at a credit union, but if you ask Michigan’s credit union
leaders, it may be one of the most important jobs there is.
“We have to protect our future,” said Drema Isaac, CEO of
Macomb County Community Credit Union (MCCCU). “We are
the leaders and we have to make sure that we’re going to be
around for years to come. To do that, you have to go to your
lawmakers and explain how [legislation] may positively or
negatively impact our credit union.”
Sara Cottle, operations manager at Chippewa County Credit Mike Loucks and Lindsay Walters from LAFCU with Congressman Walberg at an
Union (CCCU), explained that today’s compliance burden MCUL Hike the Hill event
demands that the industry engage with policymakers.
All Politics Is Local
“It’s important for us to come together in numbers and raise One of Cottle’s biggest advocacy efforts has been encouraging
PAC funds in order to make our voices heard,” she said. Upper Peninsula credit unions to participate in the U.P. lapel
“There are so many other industries that put so much money pin program that MCUL launched in 2015. Cottle worked
into their PAC contributions, and their voices are the loudest, exhaustively last year to boost participation, challenging
so we have to really band together.” CEOs to take part and increase their donation level from
previous years. That effort led to a significant increase in
It’s easy for longtime staffers to get fired up about advocacy donation rates chapter-wide. As a result, this chapter more
efforts and to understand the important role that those actions than doubled its lapel pin participation.
play in the credit union movement. But how can those same
individuals help cultivate the next generation of advocates? “We’re proud of where we come from—it’s definitely a different
place than anyplace south of the Mackinac Bridge,” she said.
“It starts at the beginning when you onboard someone,” “I think the U.P. lapel pin program was so successful last year
suggested Linda Williams, chief development officer at Kellogg in part because it helps us identify something that’s our own.”
Community Credit Union (KCCU). She said it is important to
emphasize to all new employees the difference between credit
unions and banks, including the cooperative business model.
“If we plant the seeds at onboarding and continue through Similarly, KCCU’s Williams was able to boost involvement in
emails and different notifications, we send out—that [for local advocacy events by launching a “Pints and Politics”
example] jeans day helps our PAC and the Michigan Credit event last year, which drew a younger crowd than chapter
Union League—then it starts to make more sense,” she said. legislative breakfasts tend to.
“It starts with education and making sure new employees
understand our structure.” “We made it less formal, so it’s just ‘Stop by and have a drink
and meet your lawmakers,’” she explained. “The lawmakers
For Isaac, that process is about leading by example. loved it—they stayed until after we were done, just sitting
and informally chatting with people. I think it broke the fear
“When you’re passionate about something, it’s easy for people factor down. It was a much more relaxed environment.”
to follow that action,” she said, noting that she was mentored
by several credit union executives who helped her learn the But once that apprehension is removed, the next generation
importance of advocacy. of credit union advocates still needs to be empowered.
Macomb County’s Isaac—who also serves as chair of the
“I really believe that as a CEO, you have a fiduciary responsi- Metro East chapter—turned to Jennifer Martines, her vice
bility not only to your team and your members, but for the president of lending. Isaac worked with her to create a Metro
movement as a whole, because we are a cooperative,” she East governmental affairs committee that could also work to
added. “What the credit union does next door is going to recruit young professionals to the chapter.
affect me ultimately. When I go [to advocacy events] it’s not
just Central Macomb that I’m there to represent; I’m there to “When we created that committee, we paid for all of the members
represent the credit union movement. I want to retire from to go to the [MCUL] Government Affairs Conference in Lansing so
the credit union movement eventually, and it’s all of our that they could understand what was involved,” said Isaac.
responsibility to make sure that it’s still around.”
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