The Boardcast

Celebrating One Year of the Boardcast

January 1st marks the first anniversary of the launching of the Boardcast. In honor of our first year of service I'd like to use this post to review our progress and what I've learned from blogging over the last year.

This has been an exciting new adventure for UFirst FCU and the Boardcast. I'm proud to say that we've posted over 100 times and had more than 40 comments in 2007. We've also had over 4200 visits from UFirst members and those who are interested in our efforts. Personally, I've found that the commitment and creativity required to maintain the Boardcast is worth the effort. I've had the opportunity to delve into the philosophy and principals of the credit union movement. This education has made me even more dedicated to the underlying purpose of the Boardcast. Credit Union membership provides a trusted financial institution for saving, borrowing and investing. But, at the heart of credit union membership, we have a unique opportunity to have concrete control over the structure and policies of a financial institution as well as having an impact on the economic success and well-being of our fellow members. The Boardcast contributes to this mission by encouraging members to enter into a dialog with the board of directors for the benefit of our credit union. During 2008, I will be looking for new ways to engage more of our members in this dialog.

The Boardcast was in its infancy when it began being noticed by credit union professionals throughout the country. A month after our launch Diane Franklin from Credit Union Management Magazine interviewed me for an article entitled "Social Climbers". In March, I was contacted by Paris Ward of Callahan and Associates, a Washington based credit union marketing firm, who asked me to speak about the Boardcast as part of a Webinar on Blogging Basics. Jean Garascia of Javelin Strategy & Research contacted me to discuss our progress with the Boardcast for a study they conducted and published on blogging and financial services. In early June, I received an invitation from Nancy Pullen of the Washington Credit Union League to travel to Spokane, Washington to be part of a panel on Using Web 2.0 in building better relationships with customers. It was an honor to meet credit union professionals on the other side of the country who were as excited about communicating with members in this new way as I am. The year ended with the Boardcast being featured in an article written by Nancy Feig in Bank Systems and Technology, Creating a New Kind of Customer Intimacy with Web 2.0 and Social Networking. It has been exciting and gratifying to have UFirst FCU be at the forefront of the Web 2.0 revolution and its use in the credit union world.

I began the Boardcast with the support of the UFirst management and board of directors. I'm happy to say that I now also have the support and feedback of credit union professionals throughout the US and Canada who are harnessing the power of social networking in member services. I was lucky enough to meet Morriss Partee of Everything.CU in Spokane. His counsel and advice are invaluable. Ufirst and the Adirondack and Capitol Region Chapters of the NY Credit Union League have also benefited from his expertise and knowledge in Web 2.0 and social networking. Through the Washington Credit Union League, I met Shari Storm, whose innovative credit union employee blog, Verity Voices, has received national attention;  Trey Reeme of Texas Dow Employees Credit Union and Brent Dixon of Open Source CU who assist credit unions throughout the country in Web 2.0 strategies and William Azaroff who launched Changeeverything.ca for Vancity, in Vancouver BC.  My association with these wonderful credit union advocates has introduced me to others whose enthusiasm for the credit union movement is infectious. In particular, Tim McAlpine whose young adult marketing campaign, Young and Free in Alberta for Common Wealth Credit Union, has received media attention far beyond the Alberta market.

This has indeed been an exciting year for me and the Boardcast and the future looks even brighter in 2008. Members will see announcements for future Boardcast features on the new Boardcast digital bulletin board in the UFirst Lobby. Watch for initiatives to encourage more dialog with members as well as a new look for the Boardcast in the early months of 2008. I will also be blogging live from the Credit Union National Association Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, DC in March. This national conference gives credit union staff and volunteers an opportunity to meet and talk with our legislators about the policies and issues import to credit union members. I'm sure this conference will have even more significance during this election year.

Thank you for helping to make the Boardcast such a success in 2007 and I look forward to our continued conversation in 2008.

                                                                                    

Saranac Seniors - The Newest UFirst Members

UFirst staff welcomed students from Karen Delutis' business class to UFirst FCU on Thursday, December 20th.  These students are learning how to budget, save, invest and manage their money through the High School Financial Planning Program being implemented through funds donated by the Credit Union National Association.  Membership in UFirst FCU is an integral part of this program.

The Boardcast - 100th Post

Board of Directors Meeting - 12/17/2007

The UFirst Board of Directors met for their last meeting of 2007 at the Rugar St. operations center on Monday, 12/17/2007. UFirst continues to attract new members. We had strong membership growth in November and the board approved a substantial list of new members.

UFirst FCU joined other area credit unions in making contributions to the Christmas Bureau by wrapping gifts at Champlain Center Mall and collecting toys to be distributed to needy children in Clinton County. Jody Carpenter, Marketing Director, and member of the Board of Directors at Champlain Valley Family Center organized the collection of scarves, hats, gloves and mittens to be distributed to CVFC clients and their families. We're proud of the way that UFirst joins with other civic organizations, businesses and groups to assist those in our community who are in need.

Jody Carpenter reported that she has distributed 5 applications for the UFirst FCU scholarship program. To be eligible, students must be a member of UFirst FCU and a high school senior attending college for the first time in the fall of 2008. Student/applicants will be competing against other credit union members from across the state. Applicants will be judged on their academic achievements, extra-curricular and community activities and the quality of a written essay. It's not too late, applicants can contact Jody at the credit union for applications.

The board gave their approval to a number of new youth programs which will become part of our array of services in 2008. The board has made education and financial literacy a priority for UFirst.

Members who would like to propose items for board discussion are welcome to contact Linda Bourgeois, a member of the Board of Directors or email The Boardcast.

Carnival of Personal Finance

Get Rich Slowly published its Carnival of Personal Finance today and a post from the Boardcast is featured under the "Christmas Carol" category. The Carnival of Personal Finance highlights articles from 89 personal finance blogs. These articles represent a rich offering of tips and information from blog authors throughout the world - A Get Rich Slowly holiday gift for its readers.

Smart Online Shopping

Most of us will use our credit cards multiple times over the next three weeks. A recent Wall Street Journal podcast, The Tech News Briefing, featured the host of consumerismcommentary.com who gave some excellent tips on how to use credit cards safely.

The Wall Street Journal has a variety of excellent podcasts. This link will take you to the podcast home page where you can subscribe to any of them.

Here is the segment on keeping your credit cards safe this holiday season:

A Boardcast Milestone

The Boardcast has reached 4000 visits since our launching in January thanks to all of our readers. Look for an even better Boardcast in 2008.

UFirst FCU Offers Scholarships

UFirst is offering local high school seniors entering college a chance to win a scholarship to help finance their education. UFirst is participating in the New York State Credit Union League's statewide credit union scholarship program. This program offers UFirst members the chance to win scholarships to either a two-year or four-year accredited educational institution.

To be eligible, students must be a member of UFirst FCU and a high school senior attending college for the first time in the fall of 2008. Student/applicants will be competing against other credit union members from across the state. Applicants will be judged on their academic achievements, extra-curricular and community activities and the quality of a written essay.

Last year the NYS Credit Union League awarded $13,500 in scholarships through this program. UFirst FCU awarded $1500 to three members in 2007.

For more information, contact Jody Carpenter by phone 518-324-5700 or email jodyc@ufirst.net.

Ufirst in the News

Gift Ideas for Children

This summer I visited my cousin who has two young children. During the visit, she had the kids count the cash in their "Cash Cow". There were 3 slots in the cow: save, spend and donate. My cousin mentioned that the kids had been making deposits in their "Cash Cow" for a little over a year and that they each had an account in a local bank where they deposited their savings. I was reminded of this recently when I saw a post on bloggingawaydebt.com. The post described gift ideas to help teach children money management skills. These six banks all have multiple slots for depositing coins or bills into saving, spending and donating and some of the banks include an investing category. The banks range in price from $13.59 - $29.95. Those who like making gifts instead of buying them can find instructions on how to make a piggy bank here.

The holiday season might be a good time to bring your child to UFirst to open their first account. UFirst also has special share certificates for members 18 years and under starting at $100.