A Direct Line Blog

By Donya Parrish, MCU VP Risk Management

Tomorrow is a special day — it’s International Credit Union Day! We celebrate credit unions around the world the third Thursday of every October. This year, how about a challenge to take your celebration up a notch? This is based around the 2024 theme of One World Through Cooperative Finance.

Educate: Who can you educate about credit unions, or even about your own role in the credit union? It might be a stranger (soon to be friend, no doubt) in the grocery store line, or even a family member. You might tell them how special credit unions are or you could even write a note or social media post about a special time when your credit union helped you. We have to tell our story and encourage others to take advantage of all that credit unions offer consumers daily!

Participate: We have an incredible network of co-ops in Montana. Is there one in your community that you can join or support in some way as a gesture toward the cooperative movement? Do you have credit union swag you can wear or use on that day to amplify the credit union brand? Personally, I am planning a contribution to The National Credit Union Foundation CUAid program. It directly benefits credit union employees. As you have seen in the news, there are many communities and families impacted by the recent hurricanes, and several of them are also credit union employees who need help with their personal lives so they can get back to serving their members.

Celebrate: A special day is better if you celebrate it! We know there are a few credit unions planning cookies in the lobby or other events for their members. We have a special announcement coming that day to add to the excitement for credit unions in Montana — stay tuned for more details! Let us know what you are planning or end up doing to celebrate. Just taking a minute to thank your CEO, credit union team, board members, and others could go a long way toward making this day memorable.