Director Qualifications

General Director Qualifications

The role of a director of a Credit Union in today's environment is more demanding, more complex and multi-dimensional than it has been in the past. There are also more risks, and potential liabilities are relatively heavy. Society expects and demands more from directors, and consequently the director's role has become more onerous. Directors of Digital Federal Credit Union will be expected to bring to the Board a broad range of knowledge and depth of experience from their chosen business or profession, as well as an understanding of the principles and values of Digital Federal Credit Union and the communities it serves.

Directors should evidence a demonstrated ability to deal with business, financial and social issues at a national level. This implies a capacity to provide additional strength, diversity of views and up-to-date perceptions to the Board and its deliberations. Directors should have a fundamental understanding of their role and responsibility to the Credit Union. Directorship on the Board of Digital Federal Credit Union is not a public office, and although the Board will be representative of the community which it serves, the Director's primary responsibility is to act at all times in the best interests of the Credit Union. This fiduciary duty is both a legal obligation and is mandatory under the terms of the Credit Union's By-Laws.

A Director should possess integrity, be willing to articulate his or her views frankly, be able to work productively with others, and have the ability and willingness to commit the time and effort required. Directors should be fully informed regarding their responsibilities and liabilities as a Director prior to a commitment to serve.

Minimum Requirements (Board Policy)

A Director Candidate must meet all of the following minimum requirements:

• Member, or prior member, of a credit union for at least two years
  
• Current member in good standing of DCU
  
• Ability to comply with all appropriate Board Process policies
  
• Minimum Age: Must be 18 years of age or over
• Must be an American citizen or a person lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residency who is ordinarily resident in the United States
• Has not had a membership in any credit union which has been terminated, other than voluntarily
• Credit Standing: Must have had no financial obligations with any institution, company or agency extending credit which are or have been delinquent more than two consecutive monthly payments at any time during the past four years
• Bondability: Must qualify for bonding
• No Criminal Record: No felony convictions or pending felony charges
• Credit Union Employment: Not a current employee of the Credit Union
• Agreement to Serve: Must fill out completely an "Application to Serve as a Credit Union Volunteer and Candidate Certification" on a form authorized by the Board of Directors
• Is free of any real or perceived conflict of interest that might reasonably be expected to prevent him or her from acting in the best interests of the Credit Union as a whole and independently of any particular interest arising as a result of any previous, existing or future relationship with the Credit Union, its members, regulators, competitors or suppliers

Desired Expertise and Experience

Based on a determination of the overall expertise required by the Board as a whole, specific expertise in these categories will be considered positive attributes of potential candidates for Board appointment. It is recognized that not all candidates will have all attributes, and that the objective of the policy is to achieve an overall balance of required skills and expertise on the Board of Directors.

• Governance Experience
  
  •  Past Experience
    
  • Familiarity/Adaptability to Policy Governance
    
  • Industry Knowledge
    
• DCU
  • Financial Statements & Key Metrics
    
  • Communication
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Verbal/Written
• Leadership
  
  • Experience as leader
  • Experience as team player
    
• Collaboration
  
  • Inspirational
  • Time & Availability
  • Commitment to preparation, in-person meetings, conferences, education, committees
    
• Maturity
  
  • One Voice
  • “Move on”
  • Diversity
    
• Commitment to the institution
  

Attributes

The DCU Board of Directors defines the strategic direction of DCU for maximum benefit of the membership and its evolving wants and needs. To help us deliver on that promise, the new Director should be able to display these attributes:

• Total integrity and commitment to complete transparency in credit union matters.
  
• Acts at all times as a representative of the membership.* Contagious optimism for future possibilities.
  
• A visionary.
  
• Collaborative – effective at articulating own positions while genuinely open to the opinions and ideas of others.
  
• Will participate in-person at all Board meetings and conferences.
  
• Will actively engage in committee work including leadership roles as appropriate.
  
• Is a systems thinker with strong business and financial skills.
  
• Understands how to integrate the voice of members into strategic plans for the years ahead.

Membership Representation

Potential candidates for membership on the Board will not be denied consideration by reason of race, sex, religion, disability, age, geographic location or affiliation with some special constituency group, nor will any candidate be selected solely for such reason.

Time commitment and expectations of a Director

• Term of Office – Board terms last three years running from annual meeting to annual meeting. When seats become vacant, individuals may be appointed to serve until the next election or elected to serve out the remainder of the term.
  
• Regular Board Meetings – Monthly averaging from two to three hours usually starting at 4:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month. These are typically in the Boardroom at DCU headquarters at 853 Donald Lynch Boulevard, Marlborough, Massachusetts. Board meetings typically require between two and six hours of preparation depending on the size of the meeting package and assignments.
  
• Committee Assignments – Ad hoc committees are sometimes formed for assignments outside of regular Board meetings. The number and duration of these meetings will be decided by the committees and the deadlines for their assignments.
  
• Planning Conferences – The Board schedules planning conferences in the spring and fall each year (typically May and September) focusing on Board policy and strategic issues. They typically run from Thursday through Sunday. All Board members are expected to attend.
  
• Director Education and Conferences – Directors will have the opportunity to attend industry conferences open to credit union volunteers. There will also be industry periodicals distributed to Directors for purposes of staying current on governance issues and industry knowledge.
  
• Annual Meeting – Directors are expected to attend this once a year meeting typically lasting no more than two hours on the day of a regular Board meeting.

To Learn More

If you would like more information about volunteer opportunities at DCU, send an email to volunteering@dcu.org.*

* Please note that ordinary email is not secure. You should avoid including any sensitive personal or financial information. Contact DCU directly with specific questions concerning your account or membership.