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When our community faces hardship, we come together. The five Cowlitz County credit unions, alongside the GoWest Credit Union Association, have donated $27,000 to the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum CLC Family Support Fund and continue to support this effort by accepting donations for impacted families. We are grateful for the incredible generosity shown by our community as we rally around those affected by the Nippon tragedy.

💙Lower Columbia Longshoremen's Federal Credit Union Mint Valley Federal Credit Union Red Canoe Credit Union PUD Federal Credit Union GoWest Credit Union Association

Thanks to Cuinsight.com for opportunities to share our thoughts and observations in your community format!

The hidden growth strategy small credit unions are missing Find out how credit unions can overcome stagnation and foster growth by focusing on their unique strengths and community needs.

Demography is destiny.

The communities surrounding many credit unions today look very different than they did 20 years ago. Population shifts, economic changes, immigration trends, and the growth of ALICE households are reshaping financial services demand across America.

Yet many credit unions are still operating within field of membership structures designed for a very different era.

Strategic field of membership expansion is not about abandoning your identity. In many cases, it is about preserving relevance and ensuring your mission can continue serving future generations.

Some of the fastest-growing communities in America are also among the most underserved.

That creates both responsibility and opportunity.

We explored this concept further in our CUInsight article:
“Credit Unions: Demography is Destiny”

Read here:
https://www.cuinsight.com/credit-unions-demography-is-destiny/

Learn more about how YCUP helps small and mid-sized credit
unions evaluate growth opportunities: yourcupartner.org

Credit unions: Demography is destiny Credit unions need people—understand how demographic changes can shape the future of CUs and community engagement.

What if your next growth strategy could strengthen both mission and margin?

Many credit unions are overlooking opportunities to deepen their impact, expand their reach, and position themselves for programs such as CDFI certification and Technical Assistance funding.

My latest CUInsight article explores why community development may be the hidden growth strategy small credit unions are missing.

The hidden growth strategy small credit unions are missing Find out how credit unions can overcome stagnation and foster growth by focusing on their unique strengths and community needs.

Field of membership expansion is no longer just a regulatory exercise. For many small and mid-sized credit unions, it has become a strategic growth conversation.
Across the country, we continue to see credit unions facing:
• Aging sponsor groups
• Slowing membership growth
• Increasing competition for deposits and loans
• Changing community demographics

At YCUP, we believe the field of membership expansion can be one of the highest-leverage growth strategies available to mission-driven credit unions, especially those looking to grow organically while remaining true to their purpose.
The most successful expansions are not simply about adding geography. They are about aligning strategy, demographics, mission, and long-term sustainability.

We recently shared some of our thoughts on this topic in CUInsight:
“Field of Membership Expansion: A High-Leverage Growth Strategy for Small and Mid-Sized Credit Unions”

Read the article here:
https://www.cuinsight.com/field-of-membership-expansion-a-high%E2%80%90leverage-growth-strategy-for-small-and-mid-sized-credit-unions/

Learn more about YCUP’s strategic growth and field of membership services:
https://yourcupartner.org

Your Credit Union Partner – Strategic Planning | Community Development | Grant Writing YCUP helps small and mid-sized credit unions grow with purpose. We provide strategic planning, grant and CDFI support, community development, and field of membership expansion.

Happy Birthday Tom Sakash! Im grateful for you. You are a vital part of our team and its a joy to collaborate with you each day! You're are very best!

I'm really going to miss Kathy Chartier.

Some people leave behind accomplishments.
Some leave titles, awards, and professional success.
And then there are the rare people who leave behind something far more meaningful: beloved community.

That was Kathy Chartier.

What I will miss most about Kathy was not simply what she did, but who she was. Her humanity. Her deep care for others. Her unwavering belief that people mattered and that communities become stronger when we truly see, support, and stand up for one another.

Kathy built community everywhere she went. She built it at home with family and friends. She built it through her service in the local community. She built it within the credit union movement locally, nationally, and even globally. And she built it quietly, consistently, person by person, relationship by relationship.

She had a way of making people feel valued and heard. She believed in people, especially during moments when they struggled to believe in themselves. Kathy understood that leadership was never about position or recognition. It was about lifting others up, creating opportunity, and leaving people better than you found them.

Over the last ten years, I had the privilege of working closely with Kathy, and I can honestly say they were the best years of my 41-year credit union career. Not because the work was always easy, but because Kathy helped remind all of us why the work mattered.

I learned so much from her.

I learned perseverance during difficult times.
I learned hope and optimism when circumstances felt uncertain.
I learned the importance of standing up for others, especially those without a voice.
And I learned that real leaders never stop learning, growing, and challenging themselves to become better human beings.

Kathy carried herself with courage and grace, including through her battle with cancer. Even in difficult moments, her focus so often remained on others rather than herself. That was simply who she was.

The credit union movement talks often about “people helping people,” but Kathy truly lived it. Not as a slogan, but as a daily commitment.

I feel incredibly blessed that our paths crossed and that I had the opportunity to call Kathy my friend. Her influence on my life, and on so many others, will continue long after her passing.

The communities Kathy built will continue because of the seeds she planted in others. Her kindness, compassion, courage, and conviction live on in the people she inspired.

And for that, I will always be grateful.

Grateful to be featured as the #1 trending article on this week's CUInsight Trendline, and to join John Pettit, CUDE, on the show to discuss the ideas and conversations shaping the credit union community right now.

This episode is a strong one. Greg Michlig, CUDE, and my friend Barbara Mojica of NLCUP explore leadership development and supporting the next generation of credit union professionals. Alyssa Horwitz, MBA, CUDE, highlights Volt Credit Union's partnership with Hillcrest High School to open Missouri's first student-run branch, an inspiring example of mission in action.

Thank you, IronworkersUSA FCU, for always providing best-practice examples for me to share, and thank you to the entire CUInsight team for the platform and for consistently elevating voices and ideas, moving our movement forward.

Full episode: https://lnkd.in/eqfYaNbk

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What an amazing Inclusiv Conference site visit at Unitus CU! It was a celebration of inclusion and commitment to community and credit union ideals. Steven, Megan and thier team shared hundreds of touch points as reminders of what is possible for credit unions, thier people and the communities they serve! Thank you!

Wow, what an amazing Inclusiv site visit yesterday at Ironworkers USA Credit Union! Best practice of leadership, board and staff coming together to uniquely serve thier membership in big, bold and meaningful ways. They really know thier members and fight like hell to serve them! Teri Robinson is an inspiration for us all!