You’re invited to join some of the best and brightest young minds in credit unions for a free webinar.  Rehash The Crash: They came, they saw, they crashed the GAC, will detail the recent Crash The GAC experience of a group of under 30 credit union professionals .

Due to tight travel budgets and registration fees, most credit union employees under 30 have limited access to amazing learning and networking opportunity like GAC. Crash The GAC was created as a low-cost solution to solve this problem.  Crash participants were a diverse cross-segment of Gen Y, ranging in age from 22 to 30 and holding a variety of industry skills from marketing, lending, branch management and community outreach.

The webinar will take an in-depth look into how the crash came about, the “crashers” experiences and their unique perspectives and opinions on the future of the credit union movement.

Rehash The Crash will feature the following crash participants: Brent Dixon, Robbie Wright, Matt Vance, Kelli Martin, Ken Worthy, BradenYoung, Mackenzie Snyder & Kelsey Balcaitis.

Webinar Details:

Date: Tuesday, March 30th.
Time: 1:30pm PST
Cost: FREE
Register: http://rehashthecrash.eventbrite.com/

Cara Aronson

Age: 22
Organization: The Filene Research Institute
My name is Cara and I am a 22 year old University of Wisconsin Madison senior. I will be graduating in May 2011 with a Bachelor’s in Consumer Affairs. I am currently one of the two interns at Filene Research Institute, I can honestly say it is the best job I have had in my 22 years of life! After I graduate I hope to continue working in the credit union field and later down the road I plan on attending law school. Outside of school and work I enjoy doing community service, hanging out with friends and family and doing origami.

Kelsey Balcaitis

Age: 23
Organization: A+ Federal Credit Union

My name is Kelsey, I’m 23 years old, and I’m currently the Community Education Specialist with A+ Federal Credit Union in Austin, Texas. I recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in personal finance. I have interned with Filene Research Institute and with CUNA working on Googolplex and MoneyMix. I am very fortunate with my work because I get to do what I love on a daily basis—I get to educate young people about personal finance issues relevant to our generation. I have also become very passionate about social media and manage the social media efforts for A+. When I’m not working, I enjoy reading, catching up with friends, and hanging out with my dogs, Ted and Oz.

Kristina Benson

Age: 26
Organization:
Bio: (Send us a bio, Kristina!)

Matt Davis

Age: 30
Organization: The Filene Research Institute

Matt is an advisor specializing in implementation. The Filene Research Institute has partnered with Matt to present, advise, and complete project work with credit unions based on our i3 ideas and innovative processes.

Prior to this engagement, Matt was a member of the Filene Research Institute’s inaugural 30 Under 30 group and author of “The Credit Union Warrior” blog. Matt has been at the center of credit union innovation since 2004. Projects such as What are you saving for? and Football Pick’em have earned Matt international recognition, including features in Fast Company, Yahoo! Finance, Bankrate.com, and credit union trade press. He is an accomplished public speaker, frequently presenting to credit union professionals across the country. In February 2009, Matt was named one of the Triad Business Journal’s 40 Business Leaders Under 40 (N.C.).

Matt earned a degree in marketing from the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA), and completed Basic Cadet Training at the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO). Matt earned his CUDE designation from the National Credit Union Foundation in 2009.

Dan Emery

Age: 27
Organization: Maine State Credit Union

After graduating from Erskine Academy in South China, Maine I attended college at The Golf Academy of the Carolinas in Myrtle Beach, SC. I received my Associates Degree in Business with a focus on Golf Complex Operations.

My professional career began at The Augusta Country Club in Manchester, ME where I worked as the Assistant Golf Professional for 4 years.

I left the country club in 2006 to work for Maine State CU. After 3 years as a teller, I was promoted to Marketing Specialist.

I have a strong passion for the credit union movement, education and community improvement and was awarded the 2008 and 2009 Outstanding Service Award for my commitment to “People Helping People”.

I am involved with:

CUNA as a certified financial counselor; the MSCU Social Responsibility Committee, which focuses on raising money for Ending Hunger in Maine; the Junior Achievement financial literacy program as a board member and Chair of the Fundraising Committee; Colonial Theater, INC, a non-profit organization, working on renovating and restoring the historic Colonial Theater in Downtown Augusta, as Treasurer; I am also a member of the Maine CU League’s Ending Hunger Committee, Marketing Steering Committee and the Maine CU Financial Literacy Council.

This isn’t industry related, but I also enjoy playing music, singing karaoke, playing any type of sport, snowboarding, camping, sky diving, rock climbing, reading, hanging out with my friends and cake (but only with certain frosting). I’ll try just about anything once. Except bungee jumping; I won’t try that. Carpe Diem, Baby!

Dapper Model Credit: CU Swag and PTP New Media Founder James Robert Lay.

The year was 1991 and US financial markets were reeling from the continuing Savings & Loan crisis. Taxpayers were forced to accept a huge government bailout of the offending institutions, while healthy banks and credit unions were subjected to several onerous new regulations. The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) had become law. Among other things, FIRREA consolidated regulatory oversight of S&Ls into the Office of Thrift Supervision. It also set new minimum capital requirements for banks and thrifts and expanded the scope of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) reporting.

While credit unions had pretty much been left out of these new regulations, the banking lobby was working overtime to ensure that credit unions be punished for their prosperity and general good deeds. They insisted that the NCUA was too soft on credit unions and couldn’t be counted on to effectively supervise. The only way to ensure that credit unions maintained appropriate levels of safety and soundness, they argued, was to put them under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. In addition, they pleaded that credit unions were not living up to their mission of serving people of modest means and therefore, needed to be subject to CRA rules. And by the way, the credit union tax exemption just had to be abolished, in order to “level the playing field.”

Up to this point in history, credit unions had very limited lobbying power and were practically invisible when compared to the well oiled banking machine. While credit unions represented the interests of millions of consumers, they had never mobilized these members into an effective lobbying force.

That was all about to change. In February of 1991, in conjunction with that year’s CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference, Operation Grassroots was unleashed. Operation Grassroots, as the name implies, leveraged the power of the people. No longer would credit unions and their members be silent on Capitol Hill. Credit union professionals, volunteers and members were invited to a rally on the grounds of the US Capitol and at hundreds of local rallies in cities and towns across the country. In addition, more than 6 million individual member signatures on petitions would be presented to Congress. Each member of Congress would be given the petitions from credit unions in their district.

As a young credit union executive, I was very interested in attending the rally in Washington, but didn’t have much opportunity. Only the CEO and a few board members were budgeted to attend the GAC each year. At the time, I was also beginning to grow in my career. I was finishing up my 3rd year at the Southeastern Regional Credit Union Management School (SRCUS), where my classmates had elected me President of the Class of 1991. In addition, I was just a few credits short of my Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE) designation. I was active at the Chapter level, attending each monthly meeting and assisting with program development and fundraising activities.

While our Chapter was organizing a local rally in Charlotte, NC, we also decided that we should charter a bus and carry up to 45 interested people to Washington for the rally at the US Capitol. This would be for people like me who wanted to attend, but didn’t have the time or money to spend several days in DC. I immediately purchased a bus ticket and contacted family friends who lived in Washington, to see if I could crash with them for one night. Once they agreed to put me up, I submitted a vacation request to the credit union. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going, only that I wouldn’t be at work for a few days.

Early on the morning of February 27, 1991, dozens of Charlotte area credit union folks gathered at the designated spot and took our seats on the bus. After a brief stop at a local grocery store to stock up on refreshments, we headed out on the eight hour ride to Washington, DC. Upon arrival, while everyone else was checking into a hotel, I hailed a cab and took the 5 mile trip to see my friends. They provided a wonderful dinner, lively conversation and a comfortable bed. The next morning, I took another cab to the US Capitol, where thousands of credit union people were beginning to gather.

Each state’s delegation had a sign identifying where they were from, just like you see at political party conventions. I wandered through the crowd for about an hour, greeting several friends from SRCUS who were also there. Eventually, I made my way to the North Carolina delegation. There were hundreds of NC credit union folks present, many of whom I didn’t know – yet. One of the first people I made contact with was my CEO. He was surprised to see me, but supportive. He seemed impressed that I was willing to spend my own time and money to support credit union issues.

All told, there were more than 15,000 enthusiastic credit union supporters on the grounds of the US Capitol that day. There were speeches by CUNA executives and board members. Several politicians also addressed the crowd, pledging support for credit unions. They were clearly impressed by the sheer number of people who had descended on Washington to plead the case for credit unions. From that day on, the relationship between credit unions and Congress has been improved. For the most part, they understand that we strive to improve the financial well-being of our members and that we represent the only thing more important to them than money: Voters. Lots of voters who are willing take a stand to make their voices heard on behalf of their credit unions. Credit union professionals and volunteers also began to realize the importance of political involvement. No longer could the fate of the movement be left to chance. We needed to take our lobbying efforts seriously and not allow bankers to speak for us on important issues.

As we look at the issues facing credit unions in 2010, we’ve got many of the same pressures that we had in 1991. Financial institution failures and taxpayer bailouts create anxiety among our elected officials. In order to appease their angry constituents, Congress proposes and passes lots of new laws. Regulators enact new regulations to show that they’re being tough. Bankers never miss an opportunity to tell Congress how unfair our tax “subsidy” is. It’s up to us to keep the pressure on Congress and the NCUA to hear our voices.

In addition to the thousands of credit union professionals and volunteers representing our interests at the GAC this year, there will be 20 amazing young people who have signed up to “Crash the GAC.” These folks want to make a difference, but don’t have the clout to garner budget dollars from their credit unions. They’ll be staying at a local Hostel, thanks to a generous sponsor, eating modest meals and attending GAC sessions on scholarship. In many cases, they’re paying expenses out of their own pocket. They’re doing it because they believe in the mission of credit unions. They’ll be joining their state’s delegation during Hill visits, because they are learning the power of political involvement. When you see them, be sure to offer your encouragement. We’ll need their passion and commitment for many years to come.

On your mark, get set go:

The ladies and gents at CU Swag & PTP New Media are sponsoring Crash the GAC tshirts for our group.

The Predicament:

We need a caption for the tshirt. And since you’re funnier and more clever than us, we want it to come from you.

The Intense Deadline:

Because of printing requirements, the contest ends at noon CST tomorrow. Winner will be chosen Thursday, and the design will be finalized and sent to the printer on Friday. Bam!

The Prize:

Writer of the winning caption will receive a $25 gift certificate to Threadless.com.

Update! The winner will also receive 5 free shirts from CU Swag.

How to submit:

Leave a comment here, send us a reply on Twitter to @crashthegac, or send Brent an email at brentd [at] filene [dot] org.

Readysetgo.

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UPDATE: Go vote now – http://www.crashthegac.com/2010/02/vote-on-your-favorite-t-shirt-caption/

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must…

• …be registered to crash with us through the Eventbright site.
• …work for a credit union or league, be under 30 years old, and be a member of CUNA.
• …nab a testimonial from their supervisor or CEO
• ….send a personal account of their involvement in the credit union movement, and
• ….answer the question, “What do you and your credit union hope to take away from the experience?”

Down the line, we’ll share some of these stories, testimonials, hopes and other goodness.

Also: In the next week I’ll post a list of the Crashers so we can all get to know them a little better, pinch their cheeks, and so on.

It’s going to be an awesome group.

The show was on “Targeting Gen Y,” and in addition to talking about Crash, George and I talked about the work we’re doing at Filene in the Gen Y space.

If you missed the live broadcast (and Denise Wymore’s sassy NSFW comments in the chatroom), be sure to check it out. In the talk, we covered:

• Why limit it to under 30?
• Who are the session leaders?
• How’d this come about?
• And, Carla broke the big news about CUNA sponsoring our group with 20 scholarship GAC passes.

All in all: a bang up time.

Thanks again, Carla!

» Click here to listen to CU Chat Up – “Targeting Gen Y”

#1: Housing at the hostel is being completely sponsored by Palmetto Cooperative Services.

Yup! Palmetto Cooperative Services is covering the complete costs of 20 beds at Hostelling International DC, which is just a few blocks from the convention center where it’ll all happen.

You may be asking, “What does this mean for my $50 deposit that would have gone to housing?” Thanks to them, it means you’ll get it back as cashmoney when we see each other in DC.

If you’re not sure what to do with the $100 they’re saving you, here are a few ideas:

• A garbage truck full of packing peanuts. (from Stacy Dugan)
• $100 worth of Snuggies. (from Josh Jones)
• Five Shake-Weights™. (from Carlos Pasculado)
• Lots and lots and lots of socks. (from Tim McAlpine)
• A paper-mache toilet made out of 100 one dollar bills. (from Chad Gowan)
• Buying a gaggle of newts and releasing them in the halls at your former elementary school. (from Cheryl Wiens)
• Advice from Ron Shevlin on how to spend $100. (from Ron Shevlin)

…OR you can just use it toward your plane ticket and food when you come, because that’s all you’ll have to pay for now.

Special thanks to Mark Curran, who orchestrated the sponsorship.

#2: CUNA is offering full GAC passes to 20 credit union professionals from our group.

Thanks to incredible support from CUNA’s Center for Professional Development, select Crashers can have their cake and eat it too. Crashers that are awarded scholarships will have full access to all GAC events, completely gratis.

Here are the details on the scholarship passes:

• In order to qualify, you must work for a credit union or league, be under 30 years old, and be a member of CUNA.
• Scholarships will be awarded based on a testimonial from your supervisor or CEO, a personal account of your involvement in the credit union movement, and your answer to the question, “Why will attending the GAC benefit you and your credit union?”
• CUNA is still working on the application. As soon as it’s done and online, I’ll post about it here and on Twitter and it’s off to the races with you (another reason to follw us on Twitter).

It’s important to note that we’re building the Crash agenda so it will almost never conflict with the actual GAC agenda (updates to the agenda will go live tomorrow). This will keep the Crashers with GAC scholarships from having to make an either/or decision…instead it’ll be all AND.

I’ve honestly been overwhelmed by the amount of support we’ve received emotionally, monetarily, and conversationally for the event. Huge thanks again to both CUNA’s Center for Professional Development and Palmetto Cooperative Services, and also to all of the rest of you who’ve gotten behind this.

I can’t wait to get there and meet all of you.

Post updated: Jan 7th at 1:35pm EST.