A Direct Line Blog

By Beth Satre, MCU Membership Data Manager

In late June, we asked those of you who read this blog to take 10 minutes (or so) to complete our 2026 Engagement Survey.

Why We Conducted a Survey

We use the data from the survey to gauge how credit union staff and volunteers feel about and engage with the people and programs here at Montana’s Credit Unions (MCU). Are the things we’re focusing on important? What are we doing well? What can we do better? How engaged are staff and volunteers? How can we encourage more involvement?

Our Engagement Survey grouped MCU’s work into eight major categories: Advocacy, Communication of Important Info, Compliance/Regulation, Education & Training, Promoting the #CUDifference, Connecting to Peers, Leadership Development, and Connection to Business Partners.

It’s a lot! No wonder it took 10+ minutes to complete.

Some Key Takeaways

Overall, the credit union professionals and volunteers who responded were very positive.

• Everyone recognized the importance of MCU’s services and was satisfied with the job we are doing. That means that we’re directing our energy and resources into areas that our credit unions deem important.
• The survey results also show that we’re doing a good job of serving our members, and it’s clear that people continue to respond to our focused efforts.
• The volunteers who completed the survey said they especially valued our compliance services, events and trainings, and our weekly and monthly eNewsletters and blogs.
• We need to work on ways to make it easier for people to discover and engage with the services we provide. Engagement has increased from last year to this year, but there is still much room for growth. We need to continue to spread the word about our services and explore ways to make them more accessible.

In Conclusion

A big THANKS to those of you who took the time to complete the survey. It makes a difference.

This is the third year we’ve surveyed credit union staff and the second year we’ve asked volunteers to participate. The results from prior years have led us to deepen our advocacy champion program, enhance leadership programs, and add peer communities and connections. This year’s feedback will help us as we evaluate our current programs, set strategic priorities, and allocate resources for future years.

If you’d like more detailed information about the survey, reach out to me at beth@mcun.coop.