WEEKLY UPDATE FROM MONTANA'S CREDIT UNIONS | August 22, 2025 | | Happy Friday! We're continuing our "back to school" theme with a special feature. We've rounded up our staff's senior pics and had quite the chuckle over hairstyles and fashion choices. Can you pick out who's who? (There's an answer key at the bottom of this newsletter.) | | | NCUA AI Resource Hub: The NCUA has launched a new webpage offering resources to help credit unions navigate the opportunities and challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The page provides insights on implementation, risk management, data security, and cybersecurity considerations to support credit unions at every stage of AI adoption. Whether you’re just exploring AI or enhancing existing practices, these tools can help guide informed decisions. Click here to explore the AI resources. | | | |
As Montana's only Children's Miracle Network Hospital, Shodair Children's Hospital is the recipient of 100% of our CU4Kids fundraising efforts. We wanted to share a little about this unique hospital we love supporting every year.
Shodair Children’s Hospital — Bringing Hope and Healing to Montana’s Kids: At Shodair Children’s Hospital, every gift through CU4Kids helps create a life-changing impact for Montana’s youth. Serving kids from all 56 counties, Shodair is Montana’s only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and the only psychiatric-only CMN children’s hospital in its entire network. Ayliana, Shodair’s current Champion Child, is 17 years old and has had three stays since the age of 10, showing what is possible when a child struggling with mental health issues finds the care and confidence to thrive again. Luke, Shodair’s upcoming CMN champion, has been connected with its genetics program for more than a decade, and by finally pinpointing his rare diagnosis and connecting him to Baylor’s research study, he is now able to get the services he needs while also helping others as the medical community learns more about his condition.
Stories like theirs remind us why support matters, because with CU4Kids, credit unions help ensure that every child in Montana has access to healing, hope, and a brighter future when they need it most. Read more about what hope means at Shodair.
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Navigating Payments Turns 40! UMACHA’s premier educational event is September 16-17, at Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, MN, and features 35+ expert-led sessions and draws 350+ attendees annually. Connect with industry leaders, explore electronic payment solutions, and have fun while learning! Click to secure your seat.
| | | Discovery 2025 On Demand: Our partners at TruStage hosted a fantastic event this month, and now you can see it too, with on-demand access at your fingertips. Whether it was the opening keynote "The Next Great Company" with Zack Kass, the economic outlook and its impact on credit unions with Steven Rick, or the closing session "The Human Advantage" with Seth Mattison, or any of them in between, the sessions were timely, engaging, and relevant. Explore forward-looking insights, dive back into breakout sessions, and reenergize your thinking with the best moments from the day. | | | Your Last Chance! Burnout: It’s Real and You Can Help will be on Thursday, August 28, at 10:00 a.m. Presented by Bethany Williamson of Associated Employers, this session offers practical takeaways on recognizing burnout, understanding its root causes, and supporting your team’s well-being. | | | Cooperation Among Cooperatives: Last week, Gerry joined the executive directors of NCBA CLUSA and Montana Cooperatives for Community Development for a discussion about cooperatives. The three go through the seven cooperative principles — drawing on current examples from the current cooperative landscape — with Gerry bringing the credit union perspective. It’s a great way to catch up on our sector and get ready for Co-op Month in October. | | | A Direct Line: Fall is right around the corner, which means it's time for pumpkin spice lattes, college football games, and BSA training. If you need tools to help maintain compliance, start with this week's blog. | |  | Personal Finance Blog: In this week's personal finance blog, you'll find some of the best tips, tricks, and tools for teaching kids about money. It's a great blog to share with your friends, family, and members. | | | |
Save the Dates for Future Important Events
We've compiled a list of events happening next week so you don't have to. All events are mountain time unless noted otherwise. (MCU events are in blue.)
| | | Looking (A Bit Farther) Ahead | | | |
Can Hiring a Marketing Agency Save You Money?
Bringing on full-time marketing staff can be significantly more expensive than partnering with a marketing agency. A detailed cost comparison can help you evaluate the benefits and trade-offs between hiring in-house versus outsourcing to a team of experts. Explore the breakdown — and connect with PRIME to start the conversation.
| | | Webinars for Everyone on your Team: Learn from the comfort of your own office from these webinar partners. Click on each to view a list of upcoming webinars. | | | THE CREDIT UNION DIFFERENCE | | |
Each year, employees at Horizon CU receive 24 hours of paid volunteer time, demonstrating the cooperative principle of "care for community." Additionally, the credit union offers a milestone incentive: when an employee reaches 100 hours of volunteer service, they are awarded the opportunity to donate $500 to a nonprofit organization of their choice.
In July, Financial Services Representative Tia reached the 100-hour milestone and selected Family Promise of Gallatin Valley as the recipient of her $500 donation. (Pictured above.) Her contribution supports the organization’s work in providing shelter, resources, and stability to families experiencing homelessness. That's the #CUDifference!
| | | How many staff members did you guess right? | | | | | |
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