Group focusing resources on what is important to members

The head of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions recently unveiled that his association is trimming the fat to create a leaner organization focusing on three key areas of importance to members: advocacy, education and compliance.

NAFCU is one of two national associations serving the credit union industry, the other being the Credit Union National Association. In an interview with Credit Union Times, NAFCU CEO Dan Berger said the new strategic direction followed efforts to realign the group's limited resources with what members said they wanted.

"Our members have said to us over and over in our surveys that they want more in the realm of advocacy," he told the publication. "They want more education and they want more in compliance assistance. But in order to do that, something else has to go away."

One of the first activities cut was NAFCU's Marketing Awards program, which recognized credit unions and individuals for industry excellence. Berger said the program was eating up staff and volunteer time that could be better spent elsewhere.

Also possibly on the chopping block are the association's webinars.

"We are really focusing on getting rid of the fluff and stopping the webinars that are nice and may interest certain people, but don't fit into one of the three buckets of advocacy, education and compliance," Berger told Credit Union Times.

NAFCU is not alone in rethinking its mission. CUNA also is taking a hard look at its organizational structure, including a possible name change. http://bit.ly/1AIHt0u

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