13 THE NAFCU JOURNAL March–April 2023 Advocacy for the credit union industry is a critical service NAFCU provides to its members, but effective advocacy requires the involvement of members as well as NAFCU’s award-winning staff. In fact, NAFCU members provide the insight into how specific issues affect their credit union operations and members—knowledge that enhances the association’s overall legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts. “Our members provide a unique, front-line perspective that enhances our ability to make sure legislators and regulators understand how proposed rules or laws impact local credit unions and their members,” said Brad Thaler, vice president of legislative affairs at NAFCU. “As professional staff, we understand policy and how Washington, D.C. works, but we are not running a credit union on a day-to-day basis; so we, along with legislative and regulatory staffs on the Hill, may not know what issues will arise when a new law is put into practice.” Direct input from credit unions—through member involvement in calls, committees, surveys and meetings with legislators and their staff members, as well as regulators—is critical because each credit union and their member composition is unique—no one “profile” works for all. “Credit union business models and fields of membership vary widely, so it is important that we are always hearing from and working with members to give staff on the Hill a thorough overview of how new laws and rules impact credit unions,” said Thaler. “We offer NAFCU members a variety of ways to get involved with our legislative affairs and regulatory affairs efforts.”
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