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Berger talks CU difference, NAFCU providing the industry’s best ACE on new podcast
On the latest episode of the “Associations Thrive” podcast, NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger joined host Joanna Pineda to discuss the NAFCU difference and what the association is doing to set credit unions apart.
Berger spent time emphasizing that credit unions provide most if not all of the same products and services that banks do, and that listeners should join the 135 million other American consumers who are credit union members. When asked about the recent bank failures, Berger explained that credit union deposits are safe, secure, and reliable, and unlike banks, over 91 percent of credit union deposits are insured by the National Credit Union Administration.
“Trade associations in Washington have a tendency to be all things to everyone,” Berger told Pineda when referencing his approach to reshaping NAFCU as he stepped into his role as President and CEO 10 years ago. Focusing on what was core to NAFCU’s mission, Berger highlighted, “If it didn’t fall under our top three buckets of Advocacy, Compliance, and Education, we don’t do it anymore.”
Shifting gears to discuss NAFCU’s prioritization of a strong staff, Berger told Pineda, “I believe 100 percent staff is everything…If you take care of staff, in turn they do a wonderful job of taking care of your members.” Berger explained, “We focus heavily on our core values, if you want passion, excellence, and people who are member-driven, which are our core values, we want staff who have a teammate mentality.”
Concluding the conversation, Berger and Pineda spent time talking about NAFCU’s priorities for 2023 and 2024. “Advocacy is job one… we’re going to continue to advocate and provide the education and training and compliance assistance that the membership requires,” concluded Berger. The association accomplishes big wins yearly by focusing on providing the industry's best ACE: Advocacy, compliance assistance, and education.