Strategic, focused league system enters 2026
As we enter a new year, Carolinas Credit Union League Chair Bob Donley wrote in CUInsight this week to highlight how credit union leaders are intentional, focused, and guided by a sense of urgency to support and protect the credit union system. Donley, also the president/CEO of Members Credit Union in Winston-Salem, N.C., took part in the recent American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) Winter Conference and said he witnessed more than just another meeting.
“The most striking revelation? The sheer scale of the advocacy machine. AACUL’s committee structure is not window dressing — it is a disciplined apparatus where input from credit unions in every state bubbles up, and leagues discuss legislative strategies, regulatory challenges, and opportunities to build political muscle,” he wrote.
The system “is stacked with deep benches of subject-matter experts,” resulting in conversations that were strategic, laser-focused, and aimed at delivering results for credit unions and their members. This included the 2026 Advocacy Priorities: priorities forged from direct credit union feedback, sharpened by league input, and elevated through AACUL and America’s Credit Unions’ policy committees.
“As credit unions, we cannot afford complacency. The stakes are too high; the opposition too entrenched. We know banks will outspend us, and we know the attacks will not relent,” he wrote. “What I saw at the AACUL Winter Conference was a system prepared to fight — and win — for the future of our movement.