The purpose of the Carolinas CUDE Group is to work cooperatively to raise awareness of the unique structure and purpose of credit unions and help those cooperatives in North and South Carolina enhance their level of success. Membership is open to anyone who has successfully earned the Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) designation.
Become a CUDE
CUDE is a program of the National Credit Union Foundation. Through transformative education, immersive events and collaboration, DE builds awareness of the development issues that prevent people from achieving financial freedom—and how credit unions are uniquely positioned to address them. More than 3,000 people from over 35 countries have graduated from the U.S. DE program since its launch in 1982. Ready to join them?
Get Started TodayOur History
The Carolinas CUDE group first came together in 2010 – the wake of the financial crisis – with a simple task: to explore ways to increase awareness of and appreciation for The Cooperative Principles. From 20 members then to more than 90 members now, this group has made a tremendous impact on the credit union movement here and beyond.
Our Programs
To share the knowledge about The Cooperative Principles, which guide the operations of credit unions and other cooperatives, Carolinas CUDEs created the Principles & Philosophy Conference. The first year of the event was facilitated by Lois Kitsch of the National Credit Union Foundation and Larry Blanchard of CUNA Mutual Group (now TruStage) and welcomed 30 credit union professionals.
Since then, and with the support of the League and the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, the conference has grown in attendance, impact, and prominence – welcoming an average of 40 to 50 people each year. Carolinas CUDEs continue to shape and facilitate the agenda, devoting considerable time to planning the experience.
Giving Back
Annual earnings from the conference supply the DE Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship opportunities to attend CUDE Training. Click here for more information.
Bringing It Home
The success of the conference over the years has also inspired several credit unions to add principles training into their employee development and on-boarding strategy. This ensures that new employees and seasoned staff from the banking industry understand and value at the start the differences in the credit union business model.
Far-reaching Impact
Across the credit union system, leagues and other CUDE networks have organized similar conferences, including Texas and Florida among others. In a spirit of cooperation, the Carolinas CUDE Group has shared its conference agenda and curriculum to assist these efforts.
The Carolinas CUDE Group also worked collaboratively in 2012-2013 to create and launch the “Reality of Money,” an experiential learning program for high school students. Students learn, as they participate, about the impact their choices have on their budget and lifestyle, as they are “transformed” into wage-earning, bill-paying and financially independent young adults. The result is that students get a powerful lesson about the real-life choices they will soon be making.
The Reality of Money differs from other experiential learning models of this type by being free-of-charge for credit unions in North and South Carolina to use.
The Work Continues
The Carolinas CUDE Group continues to fulfill the credit union ethic of people helping people in other ways beyond their ongoing support of the above programs. The group participates in the annual International DE Day of Service. CUDEs across the Carolinas, the United States, and the world work individually or collectively to complete a project to improve the lives of others, and then tell the story.
The group also works on a variety of informal cooperative opportunities individually and collectively through the year.
Ready to Join Our Group?
Email Jeff Hardin, the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation's director of collaborative programs, or call him at 336-601-1764.
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