In this issue ...

• 2008 Annual Conference & AGM
• 2007 Annual Conference report
• subscribe to the mailing list
• "First Steps in CU Management" course report
• Training and Consultancy Unit
• Money Advice Projects
• The Proposed CBAccount
• Action Learning Project

From the Chair

Welcome to this edition of the NACUW Newsletter. We have been working to improve our services to members and you will find details in this issue of our extensive training programme and other projects we are currently involved in.

We are concerned to help all credit unions, large or small to access as wide a range of services as possible for their members which is why we have developed the CBAccount and hope to launch it in the near future.

We also offer a wide range of training at reasonable cost so do enquire about what we are able to offer.

Brian Geary, Chair of NACUW

Special New Year Membership Offer!!

Although the standard annual membership rate of £20 represents excellent value when you consider the range of services offered but to encourage more people to join us we have as special offer have 15 months membership for the price of 12 if you join or renew in February.

NACUW membership normally runs from April to March.

We also have corporate membership for organisations involved in the development of credit unions, at £100 per year it is again excellent value.

The two day taster course was run over a weekend in September with sixteen participants from as far afield as Cornwall, Norfolk and Darlington.

The course is designed for first-time managers and others who are more experienced and who want to refresh their knowledge and link up with people in similar situations. It is an introduction to the essential basic skills and knowledge for effective credit union management and the topics are presented in the form of "tasters" with the idea that people can progress to other, more in-depth courses once they know what they are most interested in and where the gaps are.

That the course was residential proved popular and productive. It gave us the chance to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short space of time, the get to know one another, to relax and have some fun, to see the delights of Coventry (you'd be surprised...) and to do some of that invaluable networking and picking each other's brains, which so often gets too little space in our busy schedules.

Typical comments included:

   "Excellent course"

   "The interactive participation was highly informative and beneficial"

   "Very enjoyable, upbeat and informative"

   "Gave me food for thought and ideas to implement"

   "Very constructive"

There's already a waiting list for the next course so it's clear the demand is there. We've revised some of the course content in response to feedback and we're sure the course has a central role in our future training programme. For more information, contact Jane on 01709 836500 who will be pleased to chat and/or put your name down for the next course.

2007 Conference Report

This year's conference, held in Chester, had as its theme "Including the Excluded" and focussed on recent political and commercial developments that are influencing Credit Unions and third sector lending.

The programme was designed to enable people to answer the following questions:

• How are these issues influencing our delivery of services and products?

• How do we address them and use them to our advantage?

• What are the essential ingredients required within our organisations for effective delivery?

The conference go off to a good start with opening speaker, Kate Judge. Titled "The Dark Side of Debt", Kate gave a personal account of the implications of being financially excluded due to debt. Packed with thought-provoking anecdotes and tales of great hardship, this opening session was applauded by the conference.

Guest speakers from Debt on our Doorstep, the Financial Inclusion Taskforce, Birmingham Illegal Money Unit and the Department of Work and Pensions were able to bring conference up to date with the financial inclusion agenda. Giving examples of various current initiatives, the speakers shared what was happening strategically within the sector, and plans for future funding.

The first day concluded with practical examples of credit unions and community development finance institutions working together, given by Sheffield Moneyline, Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust and Robert Owen Credit Union.

On the final day the opening session was given over the NACUW AGM, with an opportunity to participate in a number of discussion groups. These discussions were intended to influence overall policy and the immediate NACUW agenda. The groups were Now Lets Talk Money campaign, Community Banking Partnership and proposals for legislative change.

Mid-morning sessions comprised workshops including Money Advice, Technology and Appropriate Software and Staff Training and Education.

The final session saw representatives from Sheffield Credit union giving a "warts and all" presentation of the reality of delivering products and services to the financially excluded.

The 2007 conference was felt to be highly successful and feedback from delegates was highly encouraging. We will take on board comments we received to make the 2008 conference even better. We look forward to seeing you there.

Money Advice Projects

NACUW has been helping members to develop some interesting new approaches towards money advice. Many credit unions have now developed partnerships with their local CABs, but these referral services are often aimed more towards debt advice rather than targeting the real needs of credit union members. NACUW has helped set up a new type of service in Mid Wales with support from British Gas that offers budgeting and energy advice. NACUW member Rina Clarke of Robert Owen Credit Union who co-ordinates the project reports that this is aimed particularly at households on lower incomes and those who are experiencing fuel poverty. For more information you can contact Rina on 01686 623741.

CBAccount

A number of NACUW members in England and Wales have been developing a Community Bank Account (CBAccount). This links a credit union savings account to a basic bank account and a bill payment service. This new system has emerged from the extensive work that has been undertaken over the past two years to establish community banking partnerships with the capacity for the delivery of holistic services to financially excluded households.

Recent market research with credit union and money advice projects has identified a number of essential functions that are required by low income and financially excluded households. The key requirement is an effective bill payment and debt repayment service linked with budgeting advice to facilitate regular priority payments to be paid automatically, much like standing orders from a current account. Access to cash withdrawals through an ATM machine is also a key function to reduce front office demand.

The CBAccount has been developed to offer these core banking and money management functions with the following key benefits:

• The account will be affordable for credit unions under 3,500 members and no large on-going costs

• There will be minimal ongoing transaction costs

• It will out-source much of the complexity to a secondary provider

• It offers only those functions needed for a core money management service

• It will be upgradeable and allows for more sophisticated functions as an additional option.

Disappointingly, this practical new approach was not considered by the DWP for support under its Transaction Banking Services Fund. However a meeting in early December with John Cray suggested that it could be considered within any Growth Fund 2 proposals. For more information contact Mick Brown on 0845 456 9437.

Action Learning Project

Would you like to be part of a small Team of other professionals working on cutting edge innovation in the credit union sector? And what's more, get all your expenses paid for? NACUW is launching a new "Action Learning Programme" aimed at managers and other credit union staff. This exciting way of gaining new skills is often more appropriate to many professionals who are not attracted to conventional training.

Through small peer groups, or "sets", new ideas are shared, discussed and adapted in a structured way. It is a brilliant way of networking and using collective expertise to find common solutions. The new programme has been funded by the Esmeé Fairbairn foundation and runs throughout 2008. There are a number of free places available in various groups, and signing up for these has just started so get in touch immediately to discuss how you can get included into the programme. At the end of the year a series of Seminars and Briefing Reports will disseminate the work of these groups. For more information contact Ann Steel, the ALS coordinator - .

The Training and Consultancy Unit has been running since 2002 providing independent, quality training and consultancy services at competitive prices. We have a great team of Associates from across the country who have experience in a wide variety of research, practice and innovation.

Most of the team work for credit unions and consequently have experience at the "coal face". Others come with academic, commercial or financial backgrounds. We also have good connections with other partners such as the new economics foundation, University of Salford, Advice UK and others, so can field specialist advisers where necessary.

If you need training, feasibility work, professional help with funding, or any assistance in growing your business, then get in touch.

Our fees are very competitive, we have a local procurement policy which can financially benefit our clients, and of course all our surpluses go back into the credit union movement again through our voluntary work. Make Sure NACUW is your first choice for training and support! Contact .

Stay informed: the NACUW newslist

Subscribe to the NACUW newslist to be kept informed of training opportunities and news of general interest to the credit union community. You can joint the list either by using the contact form (just send a blank message using the default recipient) or send an empty message to .

The 2008 Training Programme is available now. Please remember to check this regularly because the programme will be revised from time to time when new courses are added or dates/venues are amended.