Participants Will Spend up to 2 Weeks in Each Other’s Credit Unions
MADISON, Wis. – In an effort to help more credit union staff and volunteers make an impact in low-income communities, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) and the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (Federation) are launching an exchange program for Credit Union Development Educators (CUDEs) and officials from Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs). The joint announcement was made by NCUF Executive Director Steve Delfin and the Federation’s Executive Director Cliff Rosenthal.
Participants in the exchange program will spend up to two weeks at each other’s credit unions to learn from each other:
CUDEs, who are graduates of intensive six-day Development Education training sponsored by NCUF, will learn to apply their training principles of social responsibility to target special services to low-income communities. CUDEs interested in participating can contact Development Education Program Director Tom Decker at cude@ncuf.coop or (608) 358-9183.
CDCU officials, who work to empower members in low-income communities every day, will learn to develop partnerships with other credit unions and channel resources from within the credit union movement. CDCU officials can contact Pamela Owens, Director of Education and Training at the Federation (powens@cdcu.coop or (212) 809-1850, ext. 215).
The Federation will use support from the Ford Foundation to fund the exchange program. NCUF and Federation staff will work together to match CUDEs with CDCUs.
Rosenthal described the exchange program as inspired by the principles of the Peace Corps, with a difference. “We see this as very much a two-way process, with Development Educators bringing to CDCUs their skills in areas such as marketing, financial management, and compliance, with CDCUs in turn bringing to other sectors of the movement their specialized market intelligence in serving low-income populations],” Rosenthal explains.
Delfin noted, “This exchange program will be a unique opportunity for CUDEs to hatch new development projects, and is a continuation of cooperative program development between the National Credit Union Foundation and the Federation.”
About CUDEs: Every year, participants from all parts of the movement become certified as Credit Union Development Educators (CUDEs). Once they earn their CUDE designation during intensive six-day training sponsored by the National Credit Union Foundation, graduates return to their jobs with a sense of personal enrichment and renewed energy to share what they have learned. All CUDEs make a commitment to complete their own credit union development projects either on the job or after hours. This growing corps of credit union advocates devotes professional and volunteer time to spreading credit union values throughout the country.
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