One Member One Vote

Spring is just around the corner.

I know it’s true because I woke up one morning late last week to the unmistakable sound of mourning doves making whoopee outside my bedroom window.

I know it because no matter how late I stay at the office, it’s still light outside when I finally leave.

I know it because the acres of Essex County farmers’ fields I drive by to and from work are flooded from the record rainfall we’ve been pummeled with over the past few weeks.

But even more than that, I know it’s Spring because staff in our Marketing Department have been feverishly working on the upcoming Annual General Meeting, the Annual Report and the Spring Member Newsletter – a triumvirate of annual Spring to-do’s that keep us all multi-tasking like mad.

This year a lot of us think it’s pretty exciting that our Credit Union has a number of candidates vying for a position on our volunteer Board of Directors. Yes, remember people, we’re a Credit Union, not a bank, and we have an annual election where our Members (not customers!) get to choose their Board from among the committed and community-minded people who bravely put themselves out there to stand for election. These people will get to help determine the direction of our community giving and involvement and ensure that we maintain solid and accountable business practices. Different, huh?

Without further ado, I’m really excited to announce that we’ve launched our second annual One Member One Vote site (thank you David!). That’s where you’ll find candidate videos along with all of the important how-to-vote stuff.

We think it’s pretty cool, and we think it says a lot about the difference between a Credit Union and a bank.

Oh, and if you want to find out more about Credit Unions, check out this funny video by Larissa, former spokester for Young & Free Alberta. And don’t forget to vote!

Why Twitter?

I love Twitter. My friends and colleagues laugh and make jokes about my tweets, twirps, peeps and chirps (their words) but once the laughter subsides they usually want to know what it’s all about. Rarely do I succeed in explaining it well enough to elicit more than a quizzical look and a shrug of the shoulders. But the fact is that it’s hard to “get” until you dive into the conversation.

There are lots of great resources out there that explain Twitter far better than I ever could. One of my favourites is Twitip, a blog all about tweeting edited by Darren Rowse, an Aussie who also authors a great blog site called Problogger. A recent article in Computer World explains the ins and outs of tweeting for business and offers sound advice to those contemplating diving in.

You join conversations on Twitter by following others. I make a point of seeking out and following not only others in credit union land, but anyone who is asking compelling questions and providing insightful answers. It takes time initially to figure out just what’s going on and who you want to follow, but once you start following and listening to the conversations it’s not a big commitment. And the payoffs are huge.

So what’s in it for me? I get to listen in on the conversations of some of the best minds in the world of finance, marketing, communications, politics and social media. I follow some terrific credit union people like Gene Blishen who reached out across the country to help me out with my Mac questions, and Morriss Partee who welcomed me to Twitter and invited me to participate at Everything CU. I’m a journalism junkie so I follow CBC and NPR to keep up with the news headlines, and I’ve discovered great music and emerging musicians through Blip.fm and last.fm. And, I even found an elusive Wii Fit through a tweet sent out by Matt Davis, also known as the CU Warrior, who had just ordered one himself. That was a very big moment!

What’s not to love about that? Sign up for a free account and find someone to follow. (You can start with me @lorinewton!). It’s important to take the time to upload an image that represents you or your brand, and be sure to fill in your bio so others can learn a bit about you. Then, spend lots of time listening and make sure you share stuff you think others will value.

Standing Up For What You Truly Believe In

I’m a communications professional, but also a mum and a Rotarian, and quite frankly a bleeding heart for an infinite line up of eminently worthy (or possibly unworthy) causes that battle for my attention-deficit brain on a daily basis, never more so than when the holidays loom near. I believe in universal access to healthcare, educational opportunities for all, and a solid, committed and unified Canada. I try to make choices that honour the things I believe in, the things that I stand for.

I also believe that my credit union stands for something important that goes beyond the bottom line. Yesterday I watched (and helped a bit) as truckloads of fresh food were distributed to area Food Banks in the parking lot of our Clinton branch. My credit union’s Farms to Food Banks program will continue to help people in need put healthy food on their tables throughout the winter. And that’s because my credit union stands for something that helps build stronger communities; that engenders trust among our members and our staff; and that helps everyone in the organization make decisions that are right for us, our communities, and our world.

I believe our staff recognizes that our credit union stands for something important, and that means we’re all working together to do something that matters. But it’s not always easy. How do you offer a broad selection of high quality products and services, extended hours to serve your members better, and support innovation and earth-friendly solutions and all at a low price?

Whether in business or in our private lives it’s sometimes really hard to stand up for what you truly believe in. It’s hard to stick to your principles whatever the consequences may be. But if we stay true to our beliefs and we stand for something that really matters, our staff, our members and our communities will sit up and take notice.

Falling back

Well, this isn’t my first foray into the blogosphere nor, I suspect, will it be my last. Today is as auspicious a day to begin a new blog as any, particularly as the clocks went back to give me an extra hour to have my way with–hurray!

It’s been a busy day online and off. Typical of my Sunday mornings, it was off to the gym to strengthen my wibbledy bones, and then reap the reward, a misto enjoyed on the Starbucks patio in the late morning sunshine. Then good walk with Forrest and back to my laptop.

Downloaded Skype at long last and then chatted with Oliver for possibly hours, lost track of the time. Spent much time in busy silence as we each worked away at whatever task we had at hand, but it was oddly comforting to watch him, almost as if he were here. Strange that. I was finally inspired to tackle twitter again. Who will I follow? Will anyone follow me? Do I really have anything of interest or value to twit about? Time will tell.

My 10:26 alarm has just alerted me to the late hour with “When Your Mind’s Made Up” from the fabulous film Once by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. If you haven’t seen the film or heard the soundtrack, get on it! The Windsor International Film Festival is arriving on Friday, and I can’t wait. As always, the line up of great films will beckon irresistably.