Keeping you connected to key credit union news, events, and trends: September 16, 2020
In This Issue
Headline News

Disaster Grants Available for Credit Union Employees Following Hurricane Laura
The Louisiana CU Foundation has opened a second round of grants for credit union employees that have experienced extensive damage or are still displaced following Hurricane Laura.

Employees are asked to complete the grant application and submit to [email protected]. All applications will be reviewed by the foundation. 

All employees that experienced financial hardship due to the storm are eligible to submit an application. Receipt of a quick cash grant does not determine grant eligibility for second round.

In the first round, the Louisiana CU Foundation issued 296 grants to Louisiana credit union employees totaling $153,500. Help the Louisiana CU Foundation continue their relief efforts by making a tax deductible donation today!
Sign Up Today to Participate in CU Lunch Local!
CU Lunch Local is a chance for credit unions to not only give back, but it provides an opportunity to share the credit union story with members of the community and increase awareness. Now, more than ever, local businesses need our support! 

LCUL provides everything you need to get in on the action and make this initiative successful at your credit union. Sign up today to be a team leader at your credit union to be sent the packet of information! 

Questions? Contact [email protected].
Save the Date: Virtual Hike the Hill
Meeting with our lawmakers remains one of the most important visual representations of credit union grassroots advocacy. With that in mind LCUL is planning to virtually hike the hill, September 29, for us to engage our lawmakers during these unprecedented times. 

It is vital that Louisiana credit unions continue to voice their concerns and issues to our elected officials even as we navigate operations during a pandemic. This virtual gathering will provide credit union
professionals the opportunity to meet with our federal elected
officials as well as hear from Jeff Brooks with Adams & Reese for a federal advocacy update.  

Be on the lookout for more details coming soon!
Professional Development

FREE Webinar: Using CUAnalyzer to Make Better Data Driven Decisions

The experts from Callahan and Associates invite you to attend a FREE webinar October 5th at 1pm to learn key trends you should be watching. Strategically prepare for 2021 by using recently released second quarter data to discover which ratios and trends are most relevant to Louisiana credit unions. You will also be shown step by step how to create customized analysis reports to share with your board of directors and your staff to make well informed decisions for your credit unions immediate future.  

Registration is free for LCUL members but advance registration is required. Click here for more information and to register!
Learn All Things IRA from Premier Provider, Ascensus

Ascensus is the nation's premier provider of IRA services and this year, the training you need is being delivered right to your desk!  Whether you are new to IRAs or just need an update on new rules and changes, Ascensus has you covered.  

LCUL has joined with MSCUA to provide you this updated virtual training opportunity, which includes an archive so you can re-watch anytime to ensure full understanding and retention of the course content. Attendees have the option to sign up for IRA Essentials on October 20 and IRA Advanced on October 21 or both days!  

Save the Date: New Laws & Regulatory Compliance Hybrid Conference
LCUL is working hard to host our first hybrid event. A hybrid format will allow registrants the opportunity to choose to attend virtually or in person - with capacity controls and social distancing rules enforced. 

This popular annual conference was originally planned to be held as a hybrid conference in Lake Charles. Due to the devastation caused by hurricane Laura, those plans have been altered and we are finalizing details to move it to Baton Rouge. Our presenters include, David Reed, Susan Looney and Jonathan Kudulis presenting on site and Ed Reisinger and Jeff Brooks joining us virtually. 

We appreciate your patience and ask you to be on the lookout for full details and registration being announced by early next week!  
Business Solutions

Learn how Planning Pro Helps Support Credit Union Leaders with Project Management
Back to Basics! There are fundamentals involved in leading a team to success and projects to completion. Join us to get a refresher on key leadership and project management concepts and see how Planning Pro helps support credit union leaders in those two critical areas.

Planning Pro is hosting a webinar on Thursday, September 17 at 1:00 pm central. Click here to register.
Condolences

NOFFCU Board Member Donald Bock Passes
Donald Bock  was elected to the NOFFCU Board of Directors in 1977, and then Board Chair in 1981. Among his many accomplishments,
Bock served as a Board member for Louisiana Corporate Credit Union and the Louisiana Credit Union League. Over his years of service, his leadership helped mold NOFFCU into the member focused
Community Development Financial Institution it is today. Bock served as a NOFFCU Board and Advisory Council member until his passing.

Throughout his time on the Board, Donald Bock embodied the credit union cooperative philosophy of "people helping people." He helped NOFFCU grow from a $1.5 Million credit union into the $200 Million full-service institution it is today, serving over 26,000 members
across seven geographic markets. In 2010, Bock was inducted into the Louisiana Credit Union Hall of Fame. This year, the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) named Bock their 2020 Volunteer of the Year. 
Have You Heard

UNOFCU Passes it Forward to Credit Union Friends in the Wake of Hurricane Laura
UNO Federal Credit Union (UNOFCU) is no stranger to hurricanes. CEO Chris Maurer has done his share of making preparations over and over again in his 27 years at the Credit Union. However, nothing could prepare him or any of the staff and volunteers for what 2005 brought. In the wake of Katrina, donations poured in from around Louisiana and all over the country.  The generosity shown to UNOFCU and its staff was incredible.  "Had it not been for the grant funding that some of our employees received from the National Credit Union Foundation, I don't know how they would have managed."  Half of the Credit Union's staff lost their homes that year and in the wake of Laura, it was time to give back.  
 
To increase the money raised by the much larger fundraising efforts by the East Orleans, Tri-Parish and West Orleans Chapters, UNOFCU's Board challenged their staff and volunteers to raise money for Louisiana credit union staff members statewide affected by Hurricane Laura. The Credit Union will match up to the first $2,500.00 in donations made and send the proceeds to the National Credit Union Foundation for Laura relief in Louisiana.
 
The response to the internal email that went out September 15 was incredible. "I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone here at UNOFCU," says Maurer.  In less than 24 hours, $3,400.00 had already been raised!
 
He added how proud he is to be part of such a thoughtful group who remembers how difficult these times are in the wake of a natural disaster.
Meritus CU Offers Area Schools Free Hand Sanitizer & Cleaning Baskets Giveaway
Meritus Credit Union held a special PPE item giveaway available to schools in Lafayette, Iberia, St. Martin, Acadia and Vermilion parishes at the beginning of the month.

"Now more than ever, schools need every resource available to them in order to create safe conditions for education," said Brian Leger, Meritus Credit Union CEO/President. "Everyone is trying to buy PPE-not just schools-and it is making it harder for teachers to have all the supplies they need. Credit unions were made for times like these. As a local financial cooperative, we use our funds to invest directly into the communities we serve, which are these five school districts in Acadiana. We truly hope to alleviate hardship to our educators in these circumstances."

Meritus Credit Union previously offered schools one complimentary gallon size hand sanitizer as well as personal hand sanitizer for school employees.

Meritus CU's Facebook hosted the special social media giveaway which entailed giving away 30 "Sanitation Swag" bundles. Each bundle contained a gallon of hand sanitizier, two boxes of 50 disposable masks and three alcohol wipe cannisters. Anyone could participate by commenting on the post with the name of the school they would like to win and tagging their favorite employee at that school. A portion of the bundles were reserved specifically for low-income schools in the five parishes partnered with Meritus CU. Winners wore randomly drawn and each parish had six school winners, for a total of thirty schools. 
Campus Federal Donates Office Chairs to McKinley Alumni Community Center
Campus Federal recently partnered with the McKinley Alumni Community Center to donate office chairs to be used throughout the center in various offices. The McKinley Alumni Center is located just outside the LSU gate in Old South Baton Rouge, and serves as the community hub for meetings, houses small businesses, after school tutoring, faith-based worships and much more. A total of 12 small businesses are housed at the McKinley Alumni Center.
Neighbors FCU Launches Virtual Mascot Madness Tournament for Area Schools
Neighbors FCU is hosting an online tournament with its 15 Mascot schools! The winning school will receive $1,500 and the runner-up will receive $500.

The tournament is hosted on Neighbors' social media channels through live voting. Links to the voting went live Tuesday, September 8th on NFCU's Twitter and Facebook pages. The school with the most votes wins and advances to the next round.

Jordy Culotta and T-Bob Hebert of 104.5 ESPN unveiled the bracket Monday through NFCU's social media pages.

The tournament is schedule to run September 8 through October 1.
During that time, the school students, faculty, parents and alumni are all encouraged to vote and share with friends. In addition to the prize money, NFCU will purchase a Go-Pro camera for the school the produces the best promotional content.

The schools in this tournament participate in Neighbors' Mascot Checking Program. The Mascot Checking Program gives money back to the school for each debit card swipe. In 2019, that program provided $68,340 back to area schools and the program has provided $163,556 since its inception. Additionally as part of the program, the Neighbors Capital Area Foundation will provided $50,000 in scholarships to graduating students at these schools last May..
Quote of the Week:
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

Educational Calendar

Upcoming Conferences & Seminars from your League:
Upcoming Webinars: 

September 17: Building the Best Possible Board Meeting: From Agenda to Action
September 21: Mortgage Collection & Foreclosure: Best Practices & Tenants' Rights
September 22: Avoiding Costly Mistakes in Calculating Debt Service Coverage
September 23: UCC-1 & UCC-3 Financing Statements Line-by-Line: Filing, Amending & Renewing
September 24: Ag Lending Compliance, Including Industrial Hemp
September 28: CDD Update: New FinCEN FAQs & COVID's Daily Practical Challenges
September 29: Mastering Escrow: Analysis, Rules, Forms & Compliance
September 30: FFIEC Requirements for a Remote Deposit Capture Risk Assessment


For a complete listing of educational opportunities available from LCUL, visit the League website.
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