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| Pam Melton is the League's Director of Political Affairs. |
Grassroots efforts should be the core of any company’s political advocacy. The League is committed to building our Grassroots Network. A new Grassroots website has officially launched to kick-off our focus on increasing these efforts.
In this era of Super PACs and large corporate PACs, it may appear that spending money is the only way to build relationships. The reality is financial contributions are only one aspect of relationship building. “Grassroots advocacy is absolutely essential in building long-term, effective relationships with legislators,” stated Pam Melton, NCCUL Director of Political Affairs. “Legislators want to hear from their constituents. These are the people who put them in office and can help keep them there!”
Whether you have a relationship with a legislator or would like to build one, please consider joining the League’s Grassroots Network and responding to state and federal action alerts. The League encourages you to read the information on our new Grassroots website, which will explain the various levels of involvement as a Credit Union Grassroots Advocate.
As part of reenergizing our advocacy efforts, the League will provide helpful tips, resources and ideas for connecting with elected officials.
An effective but occasionally overlooked way of becoming more politically involved is to become active with your local Chamber. “Your local Chamber is an important political resource,” said Melton. Attending Chamber events or being an active volunteer or member provides a convenient way to connect with elected officials and future political leaders.
Donna Beringer, President/CEO of Carolina Federal Credit Union in Cherryville, recently attended a local political event. She had strong relationships with all of the state and local officials attending the function. “When I moved to this area, I didn’t know anyone,” stated Beringer. “I thought the easiest way to get connected with political leaders in my area is to volunteer at various local Chambers. As a result of these volunteer efforts, I have very strong ties with a significant number of the elected officials.”
Whether it’s joining your local Chamber or just starting a conversation with elected officials in your area, you should never forget the power you have as a voting constituent. Please help credit unions capitalize on this power by becoming a Grassroots member. As previously mentioned, your involvement can be on different levels. Please visit the Grassroots website and learn more about how you can help.
The new site will require an initial logon-on. Once you’ve selected the link and logged on, you only need to enter your email address when visiting the site in the future. The site does have one other section that will require an initial logon. When selecting the “Federal Action Alerts” tab, you will also need to initially sign-on to this page. Your logon information for this section is the same as your CUNA logon information.
If you have any questions or want to learn more about Grassroots efforts, please contact Pam Melton of the League at 919-457-9067.