Getting your members engaged in grassroots advocacy has never been easier
The primary goal of any grassroots effort is to motivate as many individuals to act as possible. Grassroots advocacy is a fundamental path to engage people in lawmaking. For credit unions, it means your members are engaging in the process and speaking up to their elected officials. The panel of credit union advocates shares their strategies and tips for engaging members in this month's episode of A CU Seat at the Table.
It's important to remember that members are the voters and constituents of elected officials. Oftentimes, your members are ready and willing to speak up when it matters to them. "Asking them to bring their voices to protect their credit union is really not a big lift," says Amy Broderson, president/CEO of Family Focus Federal Credit Union.
How can credit unions make this happen?
Mike Wilson, president and CEO of Members 1st Federal Credit Union, commented that the best engagement they receive is from grassroots advocacy requests to members.
The panel discussed the first step in engaging members is to educate and organize your staff and board. Don't wait for an issue to come up; have a plan in place for how staff will engage and what their roles are.
Scott Simpson, president and CEO of California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues & Utah Credit Union Association, also underscored the ease of the process and the valuable resources available to credit unions through their Leagues and the Grassroots Action Center.
The first step is to get started
It takes time to cultivate a culture of grassroots advocacy. But continually educating and engaging your staff, board, and members in the process will develop grassroots advocacy into a muscle. Soon, members will expect to hear about issues and will be ready to send messages to elected officials on behalf of credit unions. It's important to just get started.