Election Information Kit
The Nominating Committee will supply an election information kit, which will, at minimum, include:
A. Application for Volunteers
B. Terms of Agreement for Volunteers
C. Volunteer Participation Policy
D. Job Description for Board of Directors
E. Job Description for Supervisory Committee
F. Code of Ethics and Conduct Statement
G. Fraud Statement
H. Code of Conduct as it applies to Bank Bribery Act
I. Volunteers Conflict of Interest Policy
J. Authorization Form and Consent for Release of Information
K. Document Retention Policy
L. Candidate and Personal Statement Forms.
Eligibility Criteria
The following criteria shall be considered by the Nominating Committee as a basis to determine the eligibility of members for nomination to a position as a Volunteer. An applicant may be eligible if you:
A. Have not been convicted of any felony criminal offense involving dishonesty or a breach of trust or pleaded to a lesser offense or pleaded nolo contendere to said offense.
B. Have not been denied a bond or had your bondability revoked.
C. Will be able to act independently and objectively regardless of external relationships with other directors, committee members and employees:
1. Are not a member of the immediate family of any director committee member, or employee. Immediate family shall mean spouse, son or daughter, stepchildren, grandchildren, son-in-law/daughter-in-law, parent, stepparents, grandparents, grandparents-in-law, father-in-law/mother-in-law, brother or sister, brother-in-law/sister-in-law, stepbrother or stepsister
2. Are not an employer, employee, supervisor or subordinate of any employee or of any Director or Committee member now serving
D. Are not an employee of FFCU or any owner, employee, official or related to an official at any financial institution (which includes all financial businesses such as banks, brokerages, or mutual fund companies) or their trade associates, advisory councils/boards, committees, commissions, or any other such group. Eligibility for individuals serving on any credit union or their trade association board or committee will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
E. Have not caused the credit union a loss.
F. Have a good credit standing that is determined by the credit union’s CEO, or CLO.
G. Have no adverse history of checking account overdrafts.
H. Have been a primary member (listed first on your FFCU member account) for at least two years, or a joint owner actively using a primary member’s FFCU account for at least two years. For a joint owner to be considered for nomination, they must become a primary member before submitting the nomination application.
I. Possess areas of knowledge, experience, or interest pertinent to FFCU’s future.
J. Have read the information kit and are willing to accept the responsibilities of an elected or appointed office.
K. Have not been an employee of FFCU for at least 36 months before election.
L. Have fully completed the “Application for Volunteers.”
M. Have signed the “Terms of Agreement for Volunteers”
N. The minimum age for a member to hold an elective or appointive office is 18 years.
O. Receive satisfactory findings on a credit report, criminal background check and bondability report.
Notification to Applicants
Members who apply to the Committee for nomination but are not nominated will be notified in writing by the committee within ten (10) days after the date the Nominating Committee reports its recommendations to the Board of Directors. Any eligible/qualified member not selected by the Nominating Committee may have their name placed on the ballot by submitting a petition which will consist of at least 1% of the membership as established on January 1 of each election year. Signatures submitted on the petition must be verified before a member’s name will be placed on the ballot. The petition must be received by the Nominating Committee no later than 45 days prior to annual meeting.
Campaigning
Members who are campaigning for a Volunteer position may do so at no expense to FFCU and may not campaign, solicit petition signatures, or display materials in or on any FFCU office, branch, or property.
Continuing Education
A. Newly elected Volunteers who come to the position without the requisite financial skills will have six (6) months from the date of election or appointment to acquire the enumerated skills. At a minimum, Volunteers must have at least a working familiarity with basic finance and accounting practices, including the ability to read and understand the credit union’s financial statements.
B. Newly elected Board members and newly appointed Supervisory Committee members, and all other volunteers must complete one year as a volunteer and complete the required courses within the stated timeframe, before they are eligible to attend an educational program or conference at the national level at the credit union’s expense. During the first year, all Volunteers may attend meetings in New Mexico.
C. Newly elected/appointed Volunteers are required to attend the volunteer orientation, or any programs developed by the credit union specifically for this purpose.
D. All new Volunteers are to complete their respective NAFCU NCVE courses or CUNA Volunteer Achievement Program within the first six (6) months of being elected/appointed.
E. After completing one year, it is recommended that Volunteers attend at least one educational program/conference annually at either the local, state, or national level for continued learning, development and to stay up to date on current trends in the industry. Expenses are paid by the credit union.
F. It is imperative that all Volunteer members study all policies, manuals provided by the credit union and publications pertinent to their duties and responsibilities. Local programs that would assist in performance of duties is highly recommended.
Commitment and Time Involved
A. All Volunteers are expected to regularly attend their respective meetings and if assigned, committee meetings. Each Volunteer is expected to attend the regularly scheduled meetings each year (annual meeting to annual meeting). It is not realistic to expect 100% attendance or establish a minimum number to attend. It is, however, incumbent upon each Volunteer to resign if attendance becomes a problem. If a Volunteer fails to perform any of the duties required, their position may be declared vacant by the Board upon a two-thirds vote of the Directors. Additional information regarding time commitments is covered in the Terms of Agreement document provided with this packet
