What it takes

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The election process for the new volunteers to the Credit Union’s Credit Committee and Board of Directors is underway. As I explained before on this blog, OAS FCU, like all credit unions, is run with the input and guidance of volunteers.

Some of them, the members of the Board and Credit Committee, are democratically elected

officials that will be chosen by us, the members, via electronic voting later on this year. This is why the nomination process starts a few months ahead of time; it gives people the time to think if they believe they would be a good addition to one of these volunteer bodies, and to step forward to submit their candidacies. These are the duties of these two bodies. If you believe that you, or anyone you know, would make a good addition to one of these groups, OAS FCU is always looking for qualified leaderships to join the volunteer ranks:

• The credit committee examines, evaluates and approves members loan applications weekly, and makes recommendations to seek professional financial counseling when its belief is that a member might be having financial difficulties; they inform the board of directors when they believe that loan parameters should be altered or could be improved, often suggesting new types of credits based on their experiences of studying members’ needs week after week (however, they never, ever use information about any member when communicating with the board; member confidentiality is strictly maintained within this committee).
• The board of directors is the group that directs the Credit Union. They instruct the
  
  creation and amendment of policies, and they approve any new or changed ones. They delegate Credit Union operations to management, but they supervise that work; they decide on the future direction of the Credit Union and promote membership through delegates; they oversee the process of hiring of management and supervise the proper inner workings of the Credit Union via multiple additional functions.

To sign up as candidate for the elections, keep in mind that the deadline to do so is March 30, 2017. After that date if someone still wants be a candidate, he or she must obtain between 20 and 500 member signatures to gain entry into the ballots.

There are, additionally, a number of Committees in the Credit Union that are always on the lookout for talented new hands to help them in a variety of aspects in the direction of the Credit Union. These are:

• The governance committee: they are responsible for confirming that the board of directors maintains strong ethics in their workings and in directing the Credit Union, through (among other) the approval of good policies and the training of both personnel and volunteers. 
• The nominations committee: they obtain and evaluate candidates for the credit
  
  committee, the board of directors, all other committees, and they observe the election process to ensure that it follows all applicable laws. 
• The supervisory committee: they tackle making sure that the Credit Union follows all the rules and regulations to which it must abide. They oversee the writing, revision and edits of our policies so that they are up to date and correct at all times. Additionally, they manage member complaints. Finally, they perform internal audits and address the external ones, making sure that the Credit Union performs any actions requested by the external auditors. 
• The technology committee: maintains the Credit Union ahead and abreast of technologies that both Credit Union and members need to manage their money.
• The asset and liability committee: it’s one of the most specialized groups. They examine the quality of investments and loans of the Credit Union to ensure that the internal accounts are in the best possible shape, for the benefit of the organization (and by default, us members, too). They review the income and expenses to make sure that we have strong finances. 
• The community relations and membership committee: this group works as liaison with members and the community that surrounds the Credit Union, helping it tighten the bonds between members, the community and the Credit Union.

Do you think you have what it takes to help? If so, our Nominations Committee would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact Margaret Palmer to get started.