Your Weekly Update from Montana's Credit Unions

WEEKLY UPDATE FROM MONTANA'S CREDIT UNIONS | March 14, 2025

Happy Friday! It's also National Learn about Butterflies Day. 🦋 We love learning, and we'll definitely be doing more research on the best insect. If you love learning, too — about butterflies or anything else — you'll love all the education opportunities in this newsletter.

NEWS FOR YOU

Protecting the Credit Union Tax Exemption: On April 2, join TruStage for a discussion on the fight in DC to preserve our tax status, potential impacts of any associated legislation, and the importance of showcasing the credit union difference. Register for the webinar today to learn about advocacy efforts you can employ to protect our tax status.

Remembering Herb Walberg: We are saddened to hear of the passing of Herb Walberg, who dedicated 28 years of service as the President and CEO of the Montana Credit Union Network until his retirement in 2001. Herb was a steadfast leader and advocate for Montana’s credit unions, leaving a lasting impact on the movement and the communities we serve. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this time. To read his obituary and celebrate his life, please visit: Herbert Walberg Jr. Obituary.

FOR YOUR DUES

Gnome Better Place to Save than a Credit Union: April is Credit Union Youth Month, and we're encouraging kids to grow their savings garden at a credit union. We've put together a toolkit to help you celebrate, too. Here's what you'll find in the toolkit:

social media sample copy, images, and videos
ideas to celebrate in your branch and in your community
logo elements to customize your own events and posts

We'll also be publishing five #KidsAndMoney blog posts for you to share. Happy Credit Union Youth Month!

Download the Toolkit

Punch your Ticket: While basketball teams across the country are punching their ticket to March Madness, you can punch your own ticket to greatness by registering for the next Personify Leadership^® Training on April 2-3 in Billings. Much like athletes always strive to be better, good leaders embrace the same philosophy. Consider this your two-day intensive leadership camp. We know you'll see improvements in your leadership skills.

Also, if you are unable to attend this session, consider sending one of your up-and-coming leaders instead. Your credit union benefiting from leadership training and empowering a staff member with a professional development opportunity — that's a win-win.

What We're Reading, Watching, and Listening To

The More you Know: Scams are a billion dollar business, but the first line of defense is education. The Perfect Scam is a weekly podcast from AARP that tells stories of people who have experienced scams firsthand and visits with experts who know how to avoid them.

Spring Resolutions: We're recently seen a few studies about setting resolutions in the spring instead of the winter. True, there is something refreshing about new beginnings and increased motivation. If this sounds good to you, too, check out this article from HerMoney on how to be a better version of yourself.

This Week's Blogs

A Direct Line: Perhaps the only thing more volatile than your March Madness bracket success is navigating the turbulent economy. Kevin Smith, TEAM Resources, has put together a pretty great blog on the topic, and this week's A Direct Line provides an overview.

Personal Finance Blog: Speaking of scams, did you know about one in three Americans fell victim to a scam last year? It can happen to anyone, so it's important to know what steps you should take if it happens to you or one of your members. Find four things you must do in this week's personal finance blog.

Advocacy Update

Advocacy Blog: The Montana Legislature has hit its halfway point, and the transmittal deadline brought a flurry of activity. Thanks to the efforts of our Advocacy Champions, we successfully stopped three key bills that could have impacted credit unions. Read our latest blog for a full update on where things stand and what’s next!

2024 Impact Report: From free communities (we have 16!) to our in-person events, we take education seriously — because we know you do, too. Here are a few stats we're celebrating from 2024:

42 thought leaders at in-person events helped attendees learn and grow
Attendees spent over 53 networking hours with colleagues and partners
78 professionals completed one of six Personify Leadership^® Trainings — PLUS 37 participated in two custom sessions

We also partnered with the Tennessee Credit Union League to provide affordable IRA Training. Look for for more in 2025!

FROM OUR PARTNERS

A First Class Experience: First Class Mortgage knows that building relationships makes for satisfied members. When you send your members to First Class Mortgage, their team represents you and focuses on your borrowers’ interests. Check out First Class Mortgage and contact them to learn how they can help.

Why Open Lending? Open Lending empowers credit unions to expand auto loan portfolios, particularly with near and non-prime borrowers, by providing loan analytics, risk-based pricing, risk modeling, and loan default insurance, all while promoting profitability. Visit our website to learn more about Open Lending.

THE CREDIT UNION DIFFERENCE

Montana Credit Union took their staff day into the community this week and embraced the #CUDifference. While they spent the morning focused on team-building and professional development, they also spent a few hours volunteering at local nonprofits. They bagged cat and dog food, tied blankets for cat kennels, and made fleece cat toys at the City of Great Falls Animal Shelter. They also built homeless outreach packets for the Great Falls Community Food Bank to distribute to local food pantries, assembled self-care kits for new parents at the Young Parents’ Education Center, and organized first apartment baskets for kids transitioning out of the foster care system at 18 through Kairos Youth Services. What a great way to showcase some of the amazing nonprofit organizations in the community while allowing staff time to give back in a meaningful way. (Click the gif for an enlarged copy)

PARTING SHOT

Impact: Your Personal Journey

As we focus on key elements of our 2024 Impact Report, highlighting ways we bring value to you, I am reminded of the personal impact we all have in the lives of those around us. In our Personify Leadership^® program, we talk about the “Feet of a Leader,” where we talk about walking the talk as leaders. I say to the group, “Who’s watching? They are — all the time.” We all have people around us at work, at home, and in our communities who watch us as we live our lives. You never know the impact you are having in big and small ways.

I have had a week where I am reminded of that impact. A dear friend passed away on Tuesday after a long battle with brain cancer. We had been getting together every week for the past 18 months to talk about the struggles and fears of living with cancer. I was with him and his family as he took his last breath, and his wife told me that her husband looked forward to our visits every week because it helped him see life (and death) in perspective. We had a lot in common from our upbringing in the Midwest to our love for travel and adventure.

Another friend reached out for guidance on a major career move. He said he valued my opinion and knew I would ask questions others wouldn’t. Another friend, a young entrepreneur reached out for advice on his business and finances. He wondered if and how a credit union could provide small business services for him as his business grows. A FinTech founder, whom I met at GAC, reached out this morning asking my opinion on a couple of thought leader sessions to see if they would resonate with credit unions and their members.

My son asked me to help him with his taxes. I asked my retired neighbor to help me move a cabinet in our garage, and during that time, we had some deep conversations about the struggles of aging. I met a young couple at church on Sunday who were married five weeks ago and moved to Bozeman from Alabama three weeks ago. They asked about services in the area, including credit unions, to help them get settled. A friend came over to ask about the struggles of finding housing in the area, and another friend asked if I would teach him how to make ceviche (I also know he’s struggling with a few issues and mainly wants to talk).

I share these stories not to brag but because I know you also have similar stories with those in your circles. You make a difference in people’s lives every day, often in profound ways, whether you know it or not. People are watching you to see how you respond to life’s circumstances and will reach out to you for counsel and advice. "Impact" is a big word. I try to live every day to make a difference. If I’m honest, sometimes I wonder if I am. Then, I reflect on the conversations from a week like this one, and I know that the impact works both ways. My life is richer, and I am blessed beyond imagination because of these relationships!

My challenge to you this weekend: Think about his past week and reflect on ways you have made a difference in the lives of those around you, both at your credit unions and in your communities. Then, reflect on those in your life who have impacted you this week and thank them for being a part of your life. In today’s challenging environment, we need one another! I am grateful for you.

Cooperatively, Gerry

This is an internal publication of Montana's Credit Unions intended for our affiliated credit unions and their official family.

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