By Karen Smith, SVP, Chief Advocacy Officer

Last month, I wrote about the importance of showing up for Montana’s credit unions — why we continue making the trip to Washington, D.C., and why having Montana’s voice represented in national conversations matters.

This month, after spending the week at America’s Credit Unions’ Congressional Caucus and on Capitol Hill, I’m reminded that showing up is only part of the equation. What matters just as much is what we bring home.

Our time in Washington allowed us to hear from national policymakers and industry leaders, meet directly with Montana’s congressional delegation and their staff, and connect with credit union advocates from across the country. We also wrapped up the week hearing directly from Julie Cayse with the NCUA.

The issues may be national, but the conversations are very much local.

When we talk about regulatory burden, we can explain what another requirement actually means for a small Montana credit union and its members. When fraud and scams are part of the conversation, we can share what our credit unions are seeing firsthand and how they’re helping members recover and protect themselves. And when we discuss the cooperative model, we can point to the very real difference credit unions make in communities across our state.

Those Montana stories give context to policy discussions that can otherwise become about numbers, regulations, and acronyms.

The Value of the Conversation

One of my biggest takeaways from these trips continues to be the importance of relationships.

Not every Hill meeting results in immediate action — ­and that’s not the expectation. Sometimes success is making sure a staff member understands an issue a little better. Often, it’s answering a question or offering to be a resource. And frequently it’s simply continuing a conversation we’ve been having for years.

That’s advocacy.

It’s also why our work in Washington isn’t separate from what we do in Montana.

The relationships we build with our congressional delegation, the conversations we’re having with state lawmakers through our Lawmaker Luncheons, our work with regulators, and the engagement of our Advocacy Champions all contribute to the same goal: making sure policymakers understand who credit unions are, who we serve, and why the cooperative difference matters.

From Washington to Helena

And now, our focus begins shifting toward Helena.

The 2027 Montana Legislative Session will be here before we know it. Bill drafting is already underway, conversations with lawmakers are happening, and we’re continuing to identify and prepare for the issues that could affect Montana’s credit unions.

The venue may change from Capitol Hill to the Montana Capitol, but our approach won’t.

We’ll show up. We’ll build relationships. We’ll listen. We’ll educate. And we’ll share the stories of Montana’s credit unions and the members and communities they serve.

Because whether the conversation is happening in Washington, D.C., Helena, or a community somewhere in between, our job is the same: Make sure Montana’s credit union voice is part of it.

Listen to a podcast with Kelly Fleiner about the conversations at Hike the Hill and the importance of bringing those conversations back to Montana — just in time for the 2027 Legislative Session.