PORTLAND, Ore.–Unitus Community Credit Union won the Credit Union Commitment to Board Excellence award at the Northwest Credit Union Association’s Directors’ Conference. The credit union’s governance model is “one to follow,” according to the awards committee.
When Unitus Community Credit Union issued a call for board candidates in the 2014-2015 election cycle, 57 people answered. Even after reading up on the financial acumen, commitment and time required of the volunteer board, 20 members went through with the application process.
“Our board encourages active board recruitment all year and we also treat nominations as a campaign in the fall,” said Patricia Smith, President/CEO. “We use a variety of ways to get the message out that we are recruiting for new board members. The board also supports open board seats so that a member does not always face running against an incumbent.”
Smith also cited the credit union’s rich community involvement and admired local brand as reasons for successful member engagement.
Among the reasons the Unitus CU won the award:
- Creation of a Director Emeritus program in 2008, ensuring continuity, mentoring and succession planning.
- Charters to ensure clarity in scope and performance for all committees established in 2009.
- Term limits established in 2010. Existing board members were not grandfathered in.
- Continuing education requirements and training workshops so board members understand Unitus’ shared values, aspirational culture and team dynamics.
“Their governance model is one for other credit unions to follow,” according to one of the NWCUA awards committee judges.
When asked what the single greatest improvement made as the Governance Model evolved, Smith readily points to the Nominating Committee process.
“We actively recruit new board members who we believe will bring good governance skill sets to our Board through a variety of touch points,” she noted. “The Nominating Committee then selects its candidates from this pool after reviewing their applications, active use of credit union services, and conducting in-person interviews. The Committee uses a set of questions to rank each candidate’s answers during the interview process. Our Nominating Committee does a great job of selecting future leaders for our organization.”