CUNA Compliance Community: 3 Years In

The CUNA Compliance Community launched three years ago.

What started as a new platform to provide compliance resources and allow members to connect has evolved. The community grew and changed to fit members’ needs.

We’ve learned some important lessons on how you can get the most out of the community.

What can it do for you?

CUNA Compliance Community is home base for all of CUNA’s compliance resources. You’ll find:

• CompBlog.
• Tools, charts, and checklists.
• Announcements on upcoming schools and conferences.
• Links to the e-Guide to Federal Laws and Regulations, and InfoSight.
• Access to RegTraC.
• Mentor Match program for subscribers.
• Military Annual Percentage Rate calculator.
• Military Lending Act Credit Card Fee Comparison Spreadsheet.

Users also find networking and discussion threads on the platform. These online conversations allow users to share creative solutions and everyday struggles, and make meaningful connections with peers across the country.

This concept of shared information and cooperation fits perfectly within the cooperative model credit unions already follow. In fact, this ability to connect with peers is one of the highlights of the community.

The support and connections members find is invaluable.

The reviews from members have been overwhelmingly positive.

“CUNA has been so helpful to me, and the communities are truly communities in the most family oriented sense of the word. We are all here to help each other, and I always find the information I need,” one user notes.

Another user comments, “CUNA Compliance Community is where I am able to connect with other compliance professionals and discuss regulations or best practices. I would not be as successful in my current position without the community.”

Some look at the community as an extension of the added benefits members receive while attending our schools and conferences.

“When I go to conferences, I feel that networking is an important piece to a successful event. CUNA Compliance Community is an extension of that networking opportunity. We share valuable information here,” a user notes.

Making these connections can be as simple as asking a quick question or seeking out peers through the community’s robust search capabilities.

To date, the community includes more than 5,200 members from all 50 states and more than 2,000 credit unions. New members join daily.

CUNA Compliance Community members have shared more than 740 files with one another, including sample policies, checklists, staff training materials, and presentations.

About 1,600 individuals log in each day to create and add new content.

Since the community’s launch in October 2015, members have started more than 5,500 discussion threads and written more than 19,000 posts.

CUNA’s compliance attorneys are active users as well. They’ve contributed more than 650 blog posts on everything from recent NCUA webinars to breaking down complexities in regulations such as the Military Lending Act.

NEXT: Get the most from the community

Get the most from the community

Joining the community can seem overwhelming at first—there’s so much going on every day.

However, you can manage the volume of information available in the community with these tips:

Consume effectively. Use the Daily Consolidated Group Digest setting. This is the default and recommended setting (especially for new users). It allows you to get an email every morning that breaks down the discussion activity from the previous day.

Users can respond directly to the thread from the daily email by clicking on the “reply to discussion” button on the right side of the email.

Stay current. Follow the latest blog posts from CUNA’s compliance attorneys throughout the week for the latest updates and changes to federal regulations that affect your members.

If you want to ensure you never miss a blog post, you can opt in to receive compliance communication emails through your account on cuna.org.

Engage. Post a question, introduce yourself on the discussion threads, or answer a question.

The more involved members are on the discussion threads, the more valuable the community is for everyone.

Open up. Fill out your profile and upload a photo. The more detail you provide on your profile, the better chance you’ll have to connect with other compliance officers in similar situations.

Having a profile photo adds to a greater sense of community and connection on the online platform.

Search effectively. Refine your keyword searches by community, author, and content type. You’ll find what you’re looking for faster.

Compile. Designate certain blog posts, discussion threads, or shared files as favorites to keep them top of mind.

On the right side of the page, click “Favorite” so you can find these items on your profile, and clicking on “Summary” under the “My Contributions” drop down.

Here you’ll see a pie chart breaking down your participation on the community.

You’ll also be able to select the “Favorites” piece of the pie chart to see content you’ve marked this way.

Connect. If you’re a new compliance officer looking to fill knowledge gaps, make meaningful professional connections, and gain professional recognition among your peers, participate in the Compliance Mentor Match program.

You’ll be paired with an experienced compliance mentor to get you started as a compliance officer and provide training and tools to support your success.

State-level compliance resources

While CUNA Compliance Community focuses on federal rules and regulations, the new state-level League Compliance Communities, run by our league partners, focus on regional compliance content.

The first three communities launched in March 2018 with the Mountain West Credit Union Association, the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas, and the Northwest Credit Union Association.

The Minnesota Credit Union Network and the Montana Credit Union Network soon followed.

The Louisiana Credit Union League also plans to launch a compliance community, and CUNA will continue to coordinate with other interested leagues.

You can access these communities through the “Community” drop-down menu along the top of the Compliance Community page. We’ll update the list as more leagues join.

These additional communities are free and open to all members when their credit unions are members of both CUNA and a league.

CUNA Compliance Community’s first three years are just a beginning. Join your peers as the platform continues to evolve to suit your needs as compliance professional.

JACKIE EKDAHL is a compliance project specialist for CUNA.