Advocate for the Credit Union Advantage for GREAT Month

The Minnesota Credit Union Network is celebrating GREAT Month and encourages credit union advocates and supporters to sign up to become a member of the Grassroots Education and Action Team (GREAT).

GREAT provides credit union supporters a way to help preserve, protect and promote Minnesota credit unions. By participating in this program, credit union staff and members join other supporters from across the state in sharing the credit union difference with elected officials. By participating in GREAT, you join thousands of advocates in ensuring credit unions have a strong, unified voice when legislative and regulatory decisions are being made.

​Earlier this year, when some in Congress proposed radical changes to credit card payments that would dramatically hurt credit unions, thousands of Minnesota credit union advocates sent emails to their elected representatives to tell them to keep their hands off the current interchange system.

Consumers and merchants alike benefit from the current interchange system but some lawmakers in Washington, DC are looking to make changes that could impact credit card security for consumers, make it harder for people to access credit, and increase costs to small businesses. Tell your lawmakers to keep the current interchange system that protects cards keeps the economy flowing.

There are also opportunities to advance the credit union movement with the introduction of Veterans Members Business Loan Act and the Credit Union Board Modernization Act. These bills would modernize the Federal Credit Union Act to help credit unions operate more efficiently to meet their members' needs.

​Now is the time to remind members and credit union employees why being engaged in advocacy is essential to protecting our industry. ​We’re challenging all our member credit unions to increase the number of advocates during the GREAT Month. To help, please use the resources in the GREAT toolkit to help engage new staff and members in the effort.

---