Working with volunteer directors to instil a more strategic vision for Welsh Credit Unions

Anne Tunnicliffe

Business Support Adviser

Working towards a more

strategic vision for Welsh

Credit Unions – AWCUSP

Summer School 2012

• List the main strategic challenges for Credit Unions• Consider where Credit Unions are on the “change curve”• Have considered barriers to change• Be able to consider skills gaps and behaviour gaps• Know some ways to fill skills and behaviour gaps• Have contributed thoughts for the newsletter to help

other Credit Unions

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Anne Tunnicliffe

Business Support Adviser

Strategic Challenges

• From the handout, how many of these challenges are priorities?

• Less than 5?• 5 to 10?• 11 to 15?• More than 15?• Please answer for your own credit union (or the one you

know best)

What are the main strategic challenges for Credit Unions? (The big “To do” list)

1. We are making enough progress

2. We need to make some more progress

3. We need to make a lot more progress

4. We need to make significant step-changes in some areas of the business

5. We need to make significant step-changes in most areas of the business

Which of these statements about Welsh Credit Unions do you agree with most?

First impressions … (1)

First impressions … (2)

There is a need to revisit / reaffirm the mission statement

There is more to do on marketing …

Business planning and governance needs improving …

September 2013 is feeling a lot closer …

Anne Tunnicliffe

Business Support Adviser

Where are Credit Unions on the

“Change Curve”?

The change curve … version 1

The change curve … version 2

Anxiety

Can I cope ?

Happiness

At Last something’s

going to change !

Fear

What impact will this have?How will it affect me?

Threat

This is bigger than I thought!

Guilt

Did I really do that

Depression

Who am I?

Gradual Acceptance

I can see myself in the future

Moving Forward

This can work and be good

Hostility

I’ll make this work if it kills me!!

Denial

Change? What Change?

DisillusionmentI’m off!! … this isn’t for me!

Anger

At othersAt s

elf

The change curve … version 3 … where are the CUs ???

Comfort Zones (1) – Are CUs affected?

Current comfort zone: sensible lower income savers & face to face contact

Outside comfort zone?

Higher income savers?Higher income borrowers ?Corporate customers?Time poor customers?Pay day loan customers ?Online customers?Working with wider voluntary sector?Chaotic families?

• Necessary for growth / change• Does not come naturally – outside the routine• Often needs a kick-start• Can sap energy until new routines and patterns are

established and automatic

Comfort Zones (2) - Working outside comfort zones

Anne Tunnicliffe

Business Support Adviser

What are the barriers to

change?

1. Lack of skills

2. Lack of resources

3. Not sure what our goals are for next 18 months

4. Not clear what actions to take to reach goals

5. We are not thinking long-term

6. We don’t have a long term vision for the organisation (say 3-5 years)

7. All of the above

8. Anything else?

What do you think is holding Credit Unions back?

Anne Tunnicliffe

Business Support Adviser

Gaps in skills and behaviours

• From the handout, how many of these are significant skills gaps?

• Less than 5?• 5 to 10?• 11 to 15?• More than 15?• Think about the CU that you know best when answering

Skills gaps

• From the handout, how many of these are significant behaviour gaps?

• Less than 5?• 5 to 10?• 11 to 15?• More than 15?• Think about the CU that you know best when answering

Behaviour gaps

Anne Tunnicliffe

Business Support Adviser

Filling gaps in skills and

behaviours

What are the main methods to bring in the skills and behaviours needed in Welsh credit unions?

• In contrast to other organisations, volunteer roles with credit unions should appeal to: • Numerate people with banking / finance backgrounds• People who want to use their skills but don’t want to do face

to face delivery roles• People who don’t want to do yet another fund-raising role• People who are attracted to challenge and changing

environments• People who like to see quick practical results eg., members

recruited, new loans issued

Selling points of CU board roles / senior volunteer roles

• Prepare a recruitment pack to sell the roles (see hand-out)• Get the word out about the roles • Change the structures so they don’t need to attend all the

routine meetings:• Sub-groups• Project groups• Task and finish teams

• Link them in with key Board Members and key staff members

Recruiting new Board members and senior (high skill) volunteers

• Decide which challenges to tackle in which order• Audit the Board and the organisation as a whole for gaps

in: skills, behaviours, motivations• Carry out succession planning (ensuring no existing

capacity / capability is lost)• Select at least 3 actions to attract in new resources to

build up additional capacity / capability• Use external help from AWCUSP team (Bill, John,

Rhidian, Annie)

Action checklist

Bill Hudson (Programme Manager)

Wendy Giblette (Programme Administrator)

The Social Investment Business

Suite 214 Temple Court

13a  Cathedral Road/13a Ffordd Y Gadierlan

Cardiff/Caerdydd

CF11 9HA

T 029 20786453

www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org

Contact details for AWCUSP team

John Chell Email: jrchell@aol.com

Rhidian Morgan Email: Rhidianmorgan@sky.com

Anne (Annie) Tunnicliffe

Email: anne.tunnicliffe@thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org

Thank you for your attention.

AWCUSP Business Advisers