Evaluating The Trades... Part 1: The Interview - "Tell Me About Yourself".
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| How to decide? |
Most of us, when making a major decision, try to compare the available choices against some list of criteria - the "pros & cons" which we believe to be key to the decision. These criteria always involve some trade-off between quality and price.
Quality often involves looking at past
performance, current market reputation, and future promise. Price is our perception of relative value. Usually, it is necessary to rank or weight the decision criteria by relative importance. When doing the ranking, it is not unusual to find that factors other than quality/price also have great importance - and that's why most truly important decisions are not so easy, nor straight forward.
So, how should we go about taking a hard, honest look at the question of quality, value, and "other factors", when choosing where to invest our members' funds in trade association representation? Where do we start?
Well, one simple point of departure would be to take a look at what NAFCU and CUNA have to say about themselves...
So, here's a link to what the leader of each trade association has to say about goals and values :
Mr. Berger says this about NAFCU!
Mr. Nussle says this about CUNA!
SEE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO?
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| Vr-r-o-o-o-m! |
Which one would you CUT?
Why?
19 comments:
Name-calling isn't necessary. I think NAFCU is just really focused on what they do well and Berger is executing that strategy. CUNA and our leagues are still trying to find their way and have yet to find a strategy to implement. Having said that, Nussle's time is quickly running out.
Cut 'em both
Look at it this way, if you had a two inch length of hair growing out of both of your ears which would you cut? Based on the criteria you have presented, the most logical answer is, both.
Both of their mouths appear to be moving but nothing is coming out.
What would you chose? A toothache or a hemorrhoid?
With a tip of the hat to JFK, both seem to be more focused on what the industry can do for them, than what they can do for the industry. Perhaps if we weren't an industry loaded with banks in hiding, and merger as the only business plan, type cu's, we'd be able to act in unity. I blame NCUA for not allowing those who wish to change their charter in order to compete, the ability to fairly and honestly do that (after leaving the capital with the members... not ripped off by management and the board). Perhaps both trades could work on that. I'm disappointed more smaller shops don't look to alternatives to merger. If the board is tired, resign and find someone new. If the CEO retires, find a new one or hire a management team of retired CEO's and executives to put new life and direction into your shop. If you can't see the future; obtain help from someone who's been there and done that. You'd be amazed with the options you never knew were thee. We were a movement noted for collaboration, when did that fall out of style? With the technology available today, there is no reason cu's should fail for lack of options! Well, unless having a pity-party is what you're after! Back on point - NCUA is raising the bar of minimum requirements to operate a cu... what are the trades doing to help us stay above the bar?
boy oh boy Jim, I wouldn't want to be a trade assoc CEO with all these experts spouting their brilliance and quite frankly, meanness. Insulting people and calling them names is neither fair nor effective.
If you like CUNA, join CUNA. If you like NAFCU, join NAFCU. If you like neither, don't join either. It's not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination but commenters are adding no specific value or ideas, just bashing people. Want to change CUNA? Get more involved and help make that change with specific ideas. Want to change NAFCU? Get more involved and help make that change. It's easier from the inside working out than vice versa. And for the love of everything holy and just, stop stomping on people.
Honestly I am more interested in what members of NAFCU think about their Association. I think opinions expressed by those members will go a long way in convincing our Credit Union to participate with them in association. Most of the commentary I have listened to has been encouraging. The price is also right. It seems like NAFCU is willing to take on the regulator when they are out of bounds and we don’t necessarily see that from CUNA. The interlock between the League’s and CUNA is also of great concern and has been for some time. That handcuff should be eliminated totally. If you can’t stand on your own then you should be allowed to fail.
NAFCU’s Board and Berger have adopted a competitive stance and I can’t help but feel that in the long run it will be good for the credit union’s that survive the next couple of years. We think that stance recognizes the ever dwindling numbers and the need to expand their potential membership. No matter the reason we are happy that our opportunity to choose just got doubled. We welcome the opportunity to investigate NAFCU and determine whether or not it is an association we should belong to because it will ultimately benefit our membership.
In the end credit union’s will simply not be able to support 2 major trades as well as Leagues if they are smart they will cooperate on finding a way to unify those efforts into an effective and economical (as much as it can be) force to represent credit unions properly.
Little difference. CUNA is just a Berger with lots of cheese.
Think you missed on the fast food comparison, CUNA is the Whopper: "Where's the beef?"
I agree with Dennis. Allow the leagues to do state issues and then merge cuna into nafcu and allow nafcu to do federal issues. Tremendous savings for our credit union and the system as a whole.
A decision like this is about the same as being buried up to your neck in manure and having a bucket of snot tossed at you. You just don't know whether it is best to duck or dodge?
Great comments today. It seems the Labor day weekend rested everyone and they all came back full of pis and vinegar. Some comments on what i have read so far. Don't always blame NCUA, look to why the associations have been so ineffective in dealing with the regulator as well as those on the Hill. CUNA will never change. They are full of the good ole boy culture and rather than change, they will circle the wagons and fight. NAFCU gives the appearance of change but a closer look reveals they take a step forward then two back. They charge and then retreat. Never will there be a merger. Than would require major decisions about who survives nad the number of jobs that would be lost to the high paid staffers. Better to let the industry pay for both.
Now I understand mean-spirited people; but just out of curiosity, what is a 14 yr old "mean girl"?
[I'm guessing this anonymouse comment is from Donald Trump!]
[Nah, Mr. Trump would never be "anonymous"!]
http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/tweenculture/g/MeanGirls.htm
CUNA will change eventually, but it is likely that the Leagues will have to be the driving force. When too many large credit unions are leaving CUNA because of the dual membership requirement, it is the Leagues that will suffer the most. It is probably good that the Leagues have a strong influence on the CUNA Board, as they will eventually have to use that power to streamline CUNA and to make it more efficient and more responsive when defections reach critical mass. It will happen, but remember that it does take a while to turn an aircraft carrier, but the ship will have to turn or risk sinking. The "inflection point" is near...
The CU marketplace needs one or the other. CUNA is a bloated Cruise Ship serving its customers microwave meals. As of this very moment, I can not get CUNA to answer a simple question: How much did the baggage claim "ad" cost? That money is not really CUNA's, it belongs to the members of the CUs. When I called NAFCU to discuss the baggage claim ad I was immediately trasferred to Mr Demangone in a matter of seconds. Supporting CUNA is tantamount to agreeing to wasting your members money. And BTW, quit whining about "name calling" this is the big leagues, if you are one of those participation trophy babies who thinks we are all supposed to be sesame street characters, grow up...soon.
Don't understand the difficulty of this decision. Especially when so many of us say we want to protect the members capital and we are all suffering from the ravages of margin erosion brought on by massive commoditization and no reg relief from congress.
We pay both for results.
We have not gotten results.
Unless you are willing to admit that you are too lazy to discuss the rationale with your board, the decision is simple.
Cut both.
Nafcu can charge half for their better education and compliance stuff, then we might consider.
Otherwise, join the real big leagues. Not the one that says it's ok to whine and name call.
Relax though.
The decision is going to be made for us...probably soon.
So you can probably remain, wasteful and indecisive.
Guess one of the disadvantages of not owning a TV is I've never seen "Mean Girls".
I think I like that disadvantage...
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