By Ray Birch
WASHINGTON—Following President Trump signing H.R. 1, credit unions’ long-standing tax exemption remains intact—but the effort to preserve it looked very different this time around, according to America’s Credit Unions.
ACU launched a new advocacy strategy that it said broke from tradition and leaned into data and deeper political investment. According to ACU President and CEO Jim Nussle, the trade group began reshaping its approach even before the current Administration officially took office—recognizing the evolving political environment and looming expiration of the 2017 tax cuts would demand more than business as usual.
Jim Nussle
“This was a credit union system effort—no doubt about it,” Nussle remarked. “But it took a whole new playbook to meet the moment. We challenged ourselves to be more targeted, more data-driven, and more proactive than ever before.”
While ACU highlighted its extensive efforts in the tax fight, some credit union CEOs and board members this year have questioned whether the trade group recognized the magnitude of the threat soon enough.
The expiration of the 2017 Trump tax cuts meant all tax expenditures—credit unions’ among them—were suddenly on the table, Nussle reminded.
“We met with our partners early last year, and there was surprise—even disbelief—that our tax status could be in danger,” Nussle recalled.
Some were slow to engage. At a winter meeting with league leaders, Nussle said he laid out the threat.
“There were stunned faces in the room,” he said. “I think some thought the credit union tax fight was over forever. It wasn’t.”
A Revamped Strategy
Recognizing the political landscape had shifted, ACU overhauled its traditional advocacy model, Nussle explained.
“This wasn’t just business as usual. The politics are more confrontational and more divided now,” Nussle said. “That required us to change our tactics.”
ACU said it went beyond its traditional grassroots approach to introduce a more targeted strategy. Instead of the usual broad, “shotgun” mobilization, the group zeroed in on key influencers—especially committee members and party leaders—at every level of government.
“We reached them in D.C., in their states, and in their backyards,” said Nussle. “They were hearing about credit unions’ value before a word of the bill was even written. That early engagement was critical.”
Data And Storytelling
Another important change in ACU’s campaign was the embrace of data to support its message, Nussle said.
“Data, data, data—we invested in it heavily,” he said. “We didn’t just tell feel-good stories. We showed the economic impact of credit unions on members, communities, and the broader economy.”
That included punchier, more impactful storytelling—still grounded in the member-centric credit union difference—but now backed by metrics that mattered on Capitol Hill, Nussle said. One especially compelling figure: removing the tax exemption would cost the U.S. economy an estimated $23 billion a year.
This mix of storytelling and hard numbers, delivered through a revamped communications strategy—including paid ads and a social media influencer campaign—gave ACU a persuasive voice in the legislative process, Nussle asserted.
Political Investment And Staying In The Top Tier
Nussle also emphasized the importance of ACU’s renewed investment in political engagement.
“We started during the campaign season last year—long before the bill came together. We gave to our supporters, and we made sure opponents knew they’d hear footsteps,” he said.
According to Nussle, ACU now ranks among the top three to five most influential trade associations in Washington—an achievement that came through strategic influence, not just volume, he said.
‘“A lot of groups make noise,” he said. “We made a difference.”
Addressing Critics
Nussle addressed critics who claimed the trade association didn’t fully grasp the seriousness of the tax threat—or become fully engaged in the fight—until early March of this year.
“Advocacy battles aren’t won overnight,” Nussle said. “While people can have differing opinions on whether we did enough or engaged at the right time, this fight and our success has been years in the making. We were strategic in our approach. We laid the groundwork with lawmakers and with our advocates who we needed to mobilize. This was a robust, aggressive advocacy campaign. We were successful because of the tactics and effort the entire industry committed to.”
What’s Next: Fire Prevention, Not Firefighting
Now that the immediate danger has passed, Nussle is already focused on the future. “This can’t be a one-off,” he said. “We’ve got to continue to invest in people influencing people, not just people helping people.”
That means staying proactive, not reactive. “I used to be a fireman,” he added. “And the best time to put out a fire is before it starts.”
For ACU, the lessons of this fight will shape its strategy for years to come, Nussle said.
“We’ve learned how to do this smarter, faster, better,” said Nussle. “And we’re going to need that. Because the fight to protect the credit union difference? It’s never really over.”
ACU outlined the key points from its tax fight campaign:
- Social media impact of the Don’t Tax My Credit Union (DTMCU) campaign (Jan. 1 – July 1):
- Posted over 570 messages in the DTMCU campaign, which resulted in 304,729 impressions and 21,835 engagements and a 7% engagement rate
- LinkedIn was the top performing platform. “This was the top post of the campaign, followed by this action alert and this resource post,” ACU said
- Throughout the campaign, ACU developed three different social media kits – copy and graphics—for leagues and credit unions to use on their social media
- Since the beginning of the year, ACU has seen over 600 incoming messages using #DontTaxMyCreditUnion resulting in 164,119 impressions and 10,318 engagements
- The biggest messaging spike occurred in May when the bill was active in the House
- This SchoolsFirst Instagram post had over 800 likes, one of the most engaged external posts
- Posted over 570 messages in the DTMCU campaign, which resulted in 304,729 impressions and 21,835 engagements and a 7% engagement rate
- Relentless outreach to offices and committees
- Contacted all 535 Congressional offices with key data on the credit union difference
- Dozens of letters to Congress
- Independent research on value of tax status
- 20+ op-eds and letters to editors placed in national, local, and trade publications by ACU, leagues, and credit unions (leaders and members)
- Launched nation-wide campaigns targeting key lawmakers
- Influencer campaign mobilized 10 creators, reached an audience of more than 28 million, achieved 751,155 post views
- Partnership with Politico touting credit union difference and impact of tax status saw 17,311 page views and 6,738,262 impressions (far exceeding goals)
- To date, the Don’t Tax My Credit Union campaign has generated more than 861,000 grassroots letters directly to lawmakers
- Digital ad campaign targeting key tax writers and congressional leaders has generated over 139 million ad impressions and engaged over 191,000 activists