Great Idea: The Boardcast

So, what really happens during Board meetings at your financial institution? The Board of Directors is responsible for making decisions that not only affect the institution, but also those that affect the customer. Yet, as customers, we are rarely exposed to topics of discussion in these meetings, and even more rarely given the opportunity to bring up issues directly to Board members. Well, this has changed at UFirst Federal Credit Union (Plattsburgh, NY), where the Board of Directors has created an open forum with its very own blog.

The blog, called The Boardcast, looks to have been established on January 1, 2007 and is giving UFirst members the opportunity to not only learn what topics are discussed during meetings, but to also learn how the Credit Union is addressing problems and changing to meet member needs. In addition, and perhaps the most impressive feature of doing this through a blog, is that members have the opportunity to post comments and ask questions directly of the Board members – for everyone to see; individual Board members can also be contacted directly from the blog.

In today’s financial services industry, where many people have no idea what a blog is, institutions with blogs are defiantly amongst the more progressive. UFirst Federal Credit Union is taking innovative thinking a step further by creating an open forum between members, management, and the Board which offers a real opportunity for connection and could be leveraged to create a more loyal following.