NYIB - National Youth Involvement Board Wins Wegner Award for Outstanding Organization

National Credit Union Foundation to Present 3 Awards February 28, 2011

For 38 years, the National Youth Involvement Board (NYIB) and its volunteer network of credit union youth advocates have consistently led the charge to bring financial education and understanding of credit unions to America’s young people. In recognition of this dedication and commitment to the next generation of credit union members, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) is pleased to recognize NYIB as the winner of the 2011 Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Outstanding Organization.

This will be one of three awards presented at the 23rd Annual Herb Wegner Awards Dinner hosted by the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) at the Grand Hyatt Washington on February 28, 2011—Monday night of the Credit Union National Association’s 2011 Governmental Affairs Conference. Online registration for dinner tickets will be available later this year on the NCUF website.

“The NYIB volunteers have every reason to be proud of their work in bringing financial education to the youth of the nation and planting the seeds of credit union membership in the minds and hearts of our future members,” said NCUF Awards & Recognition Committee Chairman Bob Schumacher. “This award not only recognizes those efforts, but is also an acknowledgement of the value the credit union movement sees in the legions of dedicated youth outreach and education professionals in our credit unions.”
In just 38 years, over 100 volunteers have led the NYIB network of more than 700 strong, all passionate advocates for financial literacy and services for younger members and who are devoted to youth outreach and education. NYIB is itself a cooperative democracy, led by a seven-member, volunteer executive committee elected by credit union league designated delegates chosen from the network. Each committee member is committed to serving as their region’s primary contact, dedicated to upholding and encouraging greater activity in classrooms and communities. NYIB provides the support and tools credit union professionals need to bring the next generation of members into their credit unions.

“We went from four student-run branches and an occasional presentation to 32 branches, a youth advisory board, partnership with more than 50 youth agencies, and regular classroom presentations and youth seminars,” reports Juli Lewis, Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union. “In today’s economy, programs like these are not just nice to have, they are necessities and I credit NYIB for being the driving force behind it all!”

When NYIB was started their mission was clear: Build a grassroots network of credit union advocates concerned about the perception and acceptance of credit unions among younger generations. This led to a more concrete goal: Reduce the average age of credit union members and increase membership under age 18. So far, 2.5 million young people have been reached through the classroom. NYIB isn’t stopping there.

Tools to Get the Job Done

NYIB’s annual conference has gathered an average of 125 participants to explore current challenges and techniques with peers. A listserv that enables free exchange of ideas holds as many as 470 subscribers from year to year. That number closely matches the average annual number of credit union educators in classrooms each of the past five years. NYIB tracks credit union in-classroom financial education online. The website www.nyib.org has a data collection feature that encourages reporting of presentations in topics that include budgeting, money management, saving, and credit union background. Additional reporting options to promote and account for credit union participation are included, too.

“I am proud to say that Texas has for many years now been among the top states in classroom activity reported with our 1,252 presentations in 2008-2009 being second only to Michigan,” wrote Dick Ensweiler, President and CEO, Texas Credit Union League.

More so, NYIB reports that credit unions nationwide are averaging an annual growth of more than 12 percent in students reached and 16 percent increase in presentations made in the classroom. NYIB believes 400,000 students will be reached between 2009 and 2010.

Power in Partnerships

NYIB embraces programs that best support its mission of creating financially savvy individuals and loyal credit union members. At the most basic level it provides access from its website to materials and connections beyond the movement. NYIB fosters collaboration that facilitates greater effectiveness than credit unions might achieve alone. NYIB partners with:
  • Junior Achievement – Speakers from JA Worldwide and area chapters have been featured at multiple NYIB Annual Conferences, and network members rely on JA where classroom support and materials are limited.
  • National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) – The comprehensive materials in the High School Financial Planning Program brought NYIB network members and other credit unions together with Cooperative Extension Service agents.
  • Jump$tart Coalitions – Locally, many NYIB members carry their cooperative perspective into their state coalitions, holding seats on state boards and working to provide conference speakers, breakout sessions, and teacher workshops.
  • Biz Kid$ - The companion curriculum for each episode of this PBS series on financial responsibility and entrepreneurship is a presentation data option for NYIB members to use.

“Financial education is not only closely aligned with the services provided by credit unions, but is also very consistent with credit union values,” said Laura Levine, Executive Director, Jump$tart. “NYIB embodies the credit union spirit of cooperation, self-help, volunteerism and economic empowerment.”

About the Wegner Awards:

The awards are named in honor of the late Credit Union National Association CEO Herb Wegner, whose tireless dedication, innovative ideas and deeds truly revolutionized the ways that credit unions serve their communities. The awards that bear Wegner’s name recognize his spirit of “innovative, creative, risk-taking” leadership.