Orlando, Florida, is seen by many as a totally magical place. Perhaps it’s the beautiful weather, perhaps it’s the golf, or perhaps it’s the world-famous theme park down the road…? For many, the answer is “all of the above”, and members of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates (LSCU) might add “and then some”!
The 2022 LSCU Council Conference at SCUCE is underway! We are so excited to see our credit unions this week! pic.twitter.com/InaifIXBRU
— LSCU & Affiliates (@LeagueofSECUs) June 14, 2022
This year, the League’s Southeast Credit Union Conference & Expo (SCUCE) was held in Orlando, just following the day-long LSCU Council Conference. While many guests simply enjoyed the chance to get together after a long span of virtual-only connections, the event offered a wide range of social, learning, and charitable opportunities.
A few notes…
Beyond the Casino Royale welcome party, the SECU Foundation Charity Golf Tournament, the Advocacy Luncheon, the Silent Auctions, and other engaging activities, plenty of learning took place, too! A wide range of great speakers, valuable breakout sessions, and roundtables on various topics meant that this event offered something for everyone. Here are a few key takeaways from our team.
1. Many credit unions are seeing a significant drop in loan growth over the past year with some reporting up to a 40% drop. As a result, Board members are asking CEOs some tough questions about if and how this trend can be reversed. Even in tough economic times, loan growth is a critical goal for the financial well-being of most credit unions. (Unsurprisingly, we’ve been hearing a lot about this topic in events and conversations across the country.)
2. Employee engagement is being taken very seriously as a part of member engagement. Front line staff training to engage members is being recognized as critical by credit unions of all sizes. The experiences of front line staff members throughout the pandemic, especially in early days as organizations struggled to understand the meaning of “essential services”, have been changing quite a bit, and many are burnt out. The efforts to support their communitities during challenging times have left these critical team members low on reserves, and employee engagement efforts must prioritize their mental health and support.
3. Member experience to drive loan growth is now a serious topic. (We’ve also been talking about this for some time, and our CRO Haris Azmi presented on this topic at the Carolinas Credit Union League annual conference last week, too!)
4. Many credit unions are really starting to think seriously about experience management software, but they’ve often only met with a few potential providers. Those who see the benefits of prioritizing member experience recognize the value, and they’re willing to invest to bring to life a genuine member experience program — and an employee experience program, too, in many cases! (Interestingly, many believe that they can’t afford a solution because they’re only exposed to a few providers. (If you’re looking for a partner, we might be able to help! ;))
And more fun, too!
We hear a lot about the credit union difference (#CUdifference!), and that can mean a lot of things. Very often it’s the outstanding service credit unions provide to their members, the great rates they’re able to offer, and their dedication to their communities (#PeopleHelpingPeople, if you want another hashtag!). Still, one key #CUdifference we’ve seen time and again at industry events is the great time the credit union community has when they get together. With that said, there’s no better way to wrap up this post than with a quick clip showcasing the credit union difference, Orlando style. 😉
This is the Credit Union Difference! #SCUCE22 pic.twitter.com/padMmUMYgp
— LSCU & Affiliates (@LeagueofSECUs) June 17, 2022
