We’re thrilled to recognize Daniela Damm, Member Service Representative from Access Credit Union as our Member Service Excellence Spotlight winner for Q3!

After 15 years in the dental industry, Daniela decided to take a leap and completely change careers. During her daily commute from St. Malo to Winnipeg, she spotted a job posting and thought, why not try something new?

One year later, Daniela says working in the credit union system is so much more than she imagined. She loves connecting with members, investigating unique situations, and building relationships. Every day brings something different, and the team at Access Grunthal branch has been phenomenal.

What drives Daniela to go above and beyond? Members. She is passionate about understanding their perspectives, helping them through challenges, and making their experience exceptional. She turns moments of waiting—like when technology is catching up—into opportunities to build and strengthen relationships.

Her dedication earned her a Member Service Excellence Spotlight nomination from her supervisor.

During a routine interaction, Daniela’s sharp attention to detail led her to notice something unusual. Taking the initiative to investigate, she uncovered that a member had been targeted by a scammer. Thanks to her diligence and sound judgement, her credit union was able to act swiftly to protect the member. Her efforts in going above and beyond for the member did not go unnoticed and is just one of many examples of Daniela’s dedication to delivering A+ service.

When asked what being part of a co-operative means to her, Daniela shared:

“Being part of a co-operative for the first time has been eye-opening. Moving from a privately-owned dental office to a member-driven organization has taught me so much about collaboration and community. Even though Access is a large company, this branch feels like family.”

Her advice: Give members your heart. See things from their perspective and go beyond the transaction. We’ve all been in their shoes—be the person who makes a difference.

Congratulations, Daniela, for being selected for the Member Service Excellence Spotlight in Q3!

We are currently accepting nominations for Q4! Nominate your colleagues before Wednesday, December 31!

Member Service Excellence Spotlight - Q4 Nominations Open Now! — CUYLM

Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba is building on the United Nations’ designation of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives by inviting our credit union colleagues to show the world what A+ service looks like.

We’re proud to continue our province‑wide Member Service Excellence Spotlight, which recognizes outstanding service across all credit unions. It’s a chance to shine a light on your amazing colleagues!

Nominate a teammate or share your own story of outstanding service in 2025 using the form below:

CUYLM's Member Service Excellence Spotlight - Nomination Form

Each quarter, one inspiring nominee will be selected to receive a gift card and be featured on CUYLM’s platforms (with their permission, of course!).

Stay tuned for an announcement about our Q3 winner!

If you nominated someone last quarter but your nomination was not selected, we encourage you to nominate them again!

Q4 nomination deadline: Wednesday, December 31, 2025.

We’re thrilled to recognize Stephanie Bolduc, Member Service Representative from Steinbach Credit Union as our Member Service Excellence Spotlight winner for Q2!

Stephanie was nominated by a colleague for stepping in to help members avoid a fraudulent situation, an outstanding example of care and vigilance in action.

Her journey began at Interior Savings in Ashcroft, BC, where she spent four years building strong relationships and supporting members. After relocating to Manitoba, she continued that journey with SCU in Steinbach, where she’s been making a difference for the past four years. Stephanie’s experience spans industries, from financial services to the airline sector, even supporting her husband’s diamond drilling business. Each chapter has shaped her empathy, grit, and ability to truly listen.

At SCU, she’s known for putting members first, not just as clients, but as people. She wears her “mom hat” with pride, offering thoughtful advice and heartfelt support. It’s not just about transactions, it’s about helping members leave with a smile, feeling seen and heard. To be part of a credit union is to be part of a family, and Stephanie embodies that spirit each day.

We received many inspiring nominations this quarter, each one a testament to how Manitoba’s credit unions go above and beyond in supporting their members with care, commitment, and heart. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Our Member Service Excellence Spotlight nominations for Q3 are now open! CLICK HERE to learn more and submit a nomination!

What is WYCUP?

World Council's Young Credit Union Professionals program began in 2001 as a scholarship program designed to raise the voice of emerging leaders across the international credit union movement. Today, WYCUP is platform for young credit union professionals and their advocates to connect to the world, engage professional journeys with global perspective and inspire a force for positive change through financial cooperatives in communities everywhere.

WYCUP Scholarship Program

WYCUP has awarded 99 scholarships for an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the World Credit Union Conference, connecting recipients with the pulse and passion of the international credit union movement. 

This year's scholarship recipients will travel to Glasgow, Scotland in 2022 to attend the World Credit Union Conference.

How to Apply

The WYCUP Scholarship application period will open on April 1 and run through May 31.

The application form provides details on eligibility and selection criteria. The form is available on the Scholarship page of the WYCUP website.

Scholarship recipients will be announced during the WYCUP Virtual Forum on July 20 and will attend the World Credit Union Conference in Scotland next year.

Recipients will also be invited to join the WYCUP Affiliates Council, engaging with leadership from YP networks around the world, sharing a professional journey and contributing directly to the empowerment of young professionals everywhere.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the 2021 Manitoba Credit Union Student Bursary Contest! The CUYLM Committee enjoyed reviewing all of the fantastic creative submissions that came in! #culearn2021

The winners of this year’s contest are Grace and Cobie. Each winner received a $2,500 bursary to help with the costs of pursuing their education.

Congratulations, and all the best in your future studies!

Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba (CUYLM) are excited to launch the second annual Manitoba Credit Union Student Bursary Contest! CUYLM is committed to making a difference in our communities by helping young people pursue higher education – especially this year, where students may face new challenges due to the pandemic. We want to showcase the creativity of students and help them in achieving their educational goals.

Purpose:

Support post-secondary students or high school students who are planning to attend a Manitoba post-secondary institution by offering a chance to win a bursary for school and improve the visibility of Manitoba credit unions to students (members and potential new members).

How it works:

CUYLM is asking Manitoba students to create and share a brief video (30-60 seconds) or social media post explaining what they love about credit unions and what sets them apart from other financial institutions. 10 finalists will be selected for interviews and 2 bursaries of $2500 each will be awarded! The contest will be open until January 22, 2021.

Learn more about the contest rules.

Spread the Word!

Here's how you can get involved:

• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and be sure to tag any of your friends and family on the bursary contest posts once the contest goes live. (If they win, you’ll be in their good books forever.)

• If you are a student or planning on attending post-secondary after high-school, APPLY! Even current credit union employees are eligible to enter.

• Familiarize yourself with the contest and spread the word to other students in your branch or in your wider circle of influence.

Stay safe & best wishes,
Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba Committee

Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba (CUYLM) is proud to officially launch the very first Manitoba Credit Union Student Bursary Contest! The purpose of the contest is to support post-secondary students who are credit union members by offering a chance to win a bursary for school, and improve the visibility of Manitoba credit unions to students (members and prospective members).

How It Works:
Students are asked to create and share a brief video (30-60 seconds) explaining what they love about credit unions, and how a $500 bursary would make a difference for them. Up to 10 bursaries of $500 each will be awarded! The contest is open until February 28, 2020.

Find Out More:
The full details, including instructions and contest rules, can be found on the contest webpage, on creditunion.mb.ca.

Spread the Word:
Manitoba Credit Unions are encouraged to spread the word about this contest. Here's how you can get involved:

• Familiarize yourself with the contest and spread the word to students in your branch or in your wider circle of influence.

• Download this poster and post it in your branches/offices/member areas.

• Share promotional content for the contest on social media. Click on your preferred platform to download the content: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

• Display a promotional banner on your credit union's website. If you would like a banner in a custom size, please let us know.
  Download a banner:  960x300  |  1200x430

• Use our contest hashtag, #culearn2020 If you have any questions that aren't addressed on the contest website, please email CUYLM (cuylm@cucm.org)

The Big Idea Challenge was created to engage young leaders in the Manitoba Credit Union System and give them the opportunity to brainstorm creative solutions to some of the challenges facing the Credit Union System today.

In groups of three or less, Young Leaders were invited to take on one of the following topics and present their ideas to contest judges:

• If there was a credit union ambassador created for Manitoba Credit Unions what would that look like? How would this benefit all credit unions and their members? What would be the role of the ambassador

• What makes credit unions different from other financial institutions? How can we promote who we are and what we do to current members and potential members?

• What is your big idea? This can be to increase membership in the credit union system, educate our members, promote the cooperative principles, etc.

The eight entries from Young Leaders were reviewed by a panel of five CU Leaders in the Manitoba Credit Union System, including a Young Leader, Branch Manager, Senior Leader, CUCM Representative and a Board Member.

The winning team consisted of Joty Bath, James Grosskopf and Rachel Tripp, from Westoba Credit Union, whose team brainstormed ideas around “How can we attract and retain millennial membership in the Credit Union System?”.

The winners received conference registrations for CU NextGen 2017 in Halifax, NS in May, where they had the opportunity to work and connect with the brightest young minds in the Canadian credit union system!

Congrats to the winning team, and thank you to all participants of the Big Idea Challenge!