Month: July 2023

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Here They Go Again!

Two years ago I described Frontwave Credit Union’s call for members to serve as elected directors.  The result was ten candidates running for three open board spots.

The members had a 30-day window to vote online or to turn in written ballots at a branch. When voting the members were able to post comments about the election procedures. Here is one:

“The voting process is great reading all candidates listed in the process I didn’t know them, but by reading their bio gave me an idea of what they are all about. love it.”

The entire nomination and voting experience was an eyeopener for the credit union’s leadership, especially the backgrounds and motivation of members wanting to serve.

The Year’s Update

This week I received the credit union’s third quarter Briefing newsletter.   In  CEO Bill Birnie’s Notes column was the following paragraph.

If you’re interested in making an impact on Frontwave’s future, consider applying for nomination to our Board of Directors. You know that feeling when you’ve got a great idea that could make something better? Here’s your chance to bring your ideas to life and make a real difference in the future of our credit union.

There was a special “call out” link in the newsletter with a similar invitation  headlined Calling All Fighters:

Are you ready to make an impact on our credit union? Here’s your chance! We’re on the lookout for active Members who are eager to play a role in shaping the future of our credit union. If this sounds like you, why not apply for a nomination to join our Board of Directors?

When you check the learn more link this comes up:

Our members make great leaders

Our Board isn’t made up of a group of faceless executives in glass offices. Instead, they’re all Frontwave members, just like you. They volunteer, you elect them, and they don’t get paid a penny. Their mission is to set the overall direction of the credit union and make sure it operates in the best interest of its members. So what have these folks been up to lately? Take a look at our 2022 annual report

Want to join this amazing group of volunteers? We’re looking for a few good folks to join our crew.

Then here’s how to get involved.

Open Positions:

Board of Directors: THREE positions with 3-year terms

If you are an active member and are interested in applying for nomination, you are invited to submit an application by clicking the “Apply for Nomination” button below and completing all required documents.

Three Months for Receiving Applications

The credit union makes the process transparent, public and easy to follow.   There are four documents that anyone can read and complete on line.  One is the Statement of Responsibilities for either Board or Supervisory Committee Member.

The Member Application, Statement of Consent (to the responsibilities of the position) and Conflict of Interest (yes or no checkbox for seven potential conflicts) must be filed by September 29, 2023.

The nominee then hits the submit button to forward the completed documents to the Nomination Committee.

A Cooperative Democratic Election

I have seen no more transparent, public and accountable  election process.  The credit union:

Actively seeks member participation;

Provides clear and easy to complete forms if interested;

Allows time for interested persons to learn more to decide whether to throw their hat in the ring.

This is an example of cooperative democracy in action.  Members are the foundation of every credit union’s resilience. The elected board is the connection to ensure the members’ voice is heard.

The clarity and simplicity of the process is heartening. Seeing this leadership approach  inspires confidence in Frontwave’s and its members’ futures together.

If every credit union election were as straight forward  as this $1.4 billion and 122,000 member coop’s, the entire  system could be reenergized.

 

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Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman

Yesterday I described Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man as a staple of patriotic concerts.   Yesterday it was the opening number of the National Cathedral’s Independence Day program.

I then learned that composer Joan Tower had written a series of six short Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman as “parts” of one 25-minute composition.

She describes the work as a tribute to “women who take risks and are adventurous”, with each dedicated to an inspiring woman in music.

The first of the Fanfares was commissioned by the Houston Symphony as part of the orchestra’s Fanfare Project and was composed in 1986. It was originally inspired by Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and employs the same instrumentation while adding the glockenspiel, marimba, chimes, and drums. The piece is about 2 minutes and 41 seconds long and is dedicated to the conductor Marin Alsop. (source: Wikipedia)

Equal Time

Here is the St. Louis Symphony’s recording of the first of the six fanfares.

 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa7yiLOp4DA&list=RDaa7yiLOp4DA&start_radio=1&t=42)

 

 

 

 

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Fanfares for the Common Man on July 4

One of the most frequently played musical tributes in July 4th concerts is Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. 

He wrote Fanfare in response to a 1942 request from  the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as the US became became fully involved in World War II.

As a musical form, a fanfare is usually a brief, musical introduction to some  noteworthy person, ceremony or event.  Fanfares announce the appearance of Royalty in Europe, open the  Olympic games, precede important national or military occasions and celebrate events such as the dedication of a memorial or new public space.

By this time Copland had  composed a wide variety of scores for orchestra, dance, film and drama that portrayed uniquely American sounds. Compositions such as Rodeo, Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring evoke scenes of our country from the expansive West to the modern city.

Here is an example of Copland conducting Hoedown from the ballet Rodeo.  Get ready to dance along with him on the podium!

Copland considered multiple names for his new composition including “Fanfare for the Day of Victory,” “Fanfare for Our Heroes,” “Fanfare for the Spirit of Democracy,” “Fanfare for the Paratroops” before Fanfare for the Common Man.   The phrase had been used by Vice President Henry Wallace who called the 20th century the Century for the Common Man.

The music is martial, dramatic, easy to follow and heroic in feeling.  He wanted to honor the ordinary people who were doing the fighting and dying in the war.   It is still the most popular piece in patriotic concerts.

One person upon hearing the music wrote:  I would love this as the anthem of humanity, the song of farmers, cobblers, men who were raised from the land, staring into the night sky at the fat moon and saying, “I am going there,” and never once doubting his words.

The version which follows is the one that you will hear across the country today.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_V-rqckzFg&t=10s)

Another Salute to the Common Man

Few of us will compose music to communicate a vision.  Most will use the spoken or written word.   What follows is from a life dedicated to Copland’s Common Man:

“My life has been centered around my family, my wife Jean, and credit unions. Why credit unions? Because I could never accept that in America those who had the least and knew the least should always pay the most for financial services.

“I believe that credit unions were created to correct that injustice. In the words of Thomas Paine – a true revolutionary in all respects –“I have always objected to wealth achieved through the misery and misfortune of others”.

“That economic injustice continues to thrive in our financial system today. Credit unions remain the alternative, the best hope, the answer.

“We all confront an uncertain future, and many folks would like to rewrite the past. You and I know we cannot change the past. But if we have credit union leaders with integrity, courage and character; we most certainly can reshape the future…but changing the future is very hard work.

“Arthur Ashe, the great American tennis player, described the credit union leaders we need. Ashe said: “ True leadership is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, true leadership is the urge to serve all others at whatever cost.”. . .

(The words by Jim Blaine, former CEO of State Employees NC,  to the African American Credit Union Coalition upon his induction to its Hall of Fame)

Two tributes on July 4th  to celebrate liberty for all and especially the contributions of the Common Man.

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What Does America Mean to You?

The 4th of July is every person’s chance to celebrate the nation’s birthday.  The occasion is a fun day for most, often marked with words about the special country which we share together.  And once again to honor our collective vision.

The Declaration of Independence is the focus of many speeches. Its opening words remind us of our founding ideals: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Since 1776 we must acknowledge that the words are still aspirational, never fully realized.  America’s freedom is an unfinished project.  The fundamental challenge is ever present:  Are ordinary people capable of governing themselves?

The Commercial Appropriation

This spirit of the pursuit of happiness has also become entwined with  America’s commerce. In the post WWII federal highway infrastructure project, the car became a symbol of this open ended personal possibility.

In 1976, Chevrolet was the most popular car in the USA. General Motors crafted a slogan with video declaring that Chevy and the USA were one and the same: “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.”  The company even tried to appropriate baseball’s 7th inning stretch to celebrate its brand leadership.

Today, crowds stand to sing God Bless America. Perhaps a triumph of ideals over markets?

The Declaration and Credit Unions

I believe credit unions are themselves an expression of America’s founding document.  They also represent what makes American enterprise so powerful.

Credit unions embody more than the Declaration’s opening words about life and liberty.  Cooperatives exemplify how the document’s intent is to be realized.  The very last sentence reads:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

This mutual pledge of lives, fortune and sacred honor is every credit union’s founding ethos. Moreover, like America’s political democracy, the cooperative system depends on individuals committed to the principle of citizen self-rule.

The first generation of credit union pioneers. like the founding fathers. understood both the ideals and challenges of self-government.   Credit unions are started and sustained by volunteers.   They shared funds and a commitment to address common needs.

The initial dimes and quarters may have been small, but their impact on lives was real.   Like the political colonies, these economic revolutionaries knew each other.  They joined to spread their vision of financial self-help across America.

The Challenge

While the Declaration’s truths may seem self-evident, the democratic process is an ongoing experiment.  Today almost all credit union founders have passed on—will their basic principles be sustained?

The phrase of people helping people is repeated. But the practice of cooperative democracy is often missing.   Voting is the most important lever of a free people.

As Americans progress through each life’s varied experiences, we add to our understanding of what American means-individually and collectively.

In my mind, credit unions show how the Declaration became a reality.    While America’s political and economic justice are ever-present challenges, America would be much the poorer without the power of the cooperative example.

Have a fun and grateful 4th with family, friends, and colleagues to honor America, the greatest cooperative enterprise on earth.