Now is time to show policymakers what the credit union difference means for their communities, and what they can do to help their constituents even more, CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle wrote this week in CUToday. Nussle, who announced CUNA’s Financial Well-Being for All initiative during last week’s Governmental Affairs Conference, says the stories credit unions can tell will make a difference.

“I can tell you from firsthand experience: nationwide data on the good work that credit unions are doing for individuals and to advance their communities is helpful for policymakers,” he wrote. “But what truly makes a difference are stories that illustrate how specific policies have led to life-changing moments for individual credit union members.”

Nussle wrote that the Financial Health Network estimates that 167 million Americans are financially unhealthy. Low-income communities, people of colors, and rural populations are more likely to struggle with their financial health than the total populations.

“Those are also communities credit unions are positioned to help. It’s why as a credit union movement we’ve dedicated ourselves to financial well-being for all. Financial well-being for all is the lens through which we must tell the credit union story. It’s how we turn that “credit union difference” into something tangible for our members,” he wrote. “And it’s how we get policymakers at every level and from every political persuasion to help us fulfil our mission. By showing policymakers the undeniable credit union difference and show them what policies will help advance financial well-being for all, it makes it that much harder to turn us down.”