The Association of Asian Confederation of Credit Union (ACCU) held its 2022 Forum in Bangkok, Thailand, with the theme “Greener, Inclusive, Resilient Path to COVID 19 Recovery.” The event was attended by 335 people from 16 countries, including the Philippines, with the aim of sharing recovery measures and innovation strategies for ACCU members. The convention highlighted the importance of unity, regardless of race or origin, for a common purpose of serving the world and its people. The conference offered insights into pre and post COVID-19 plans, best business practices, and solutions to help members thrive amidst the pandemic. ACCU CEO Elenita San Roque emphasized the importance of being part of a sustainable and integrative cooperative movement and growing as one.

The Co-op Leadership and Management Program (LAMP) Batch 12 recently held its graduation ceremony, attended by graduates, families, friends, and respective cooperatives. The commencement exercises were held virtually and featured inspiring speeches from the NATCCO CEO, alumni, and new breed of leaders. The program helped participants become confident and responsible leaders, guiding them on their leadership journey of discovery. The graduates will prepare for the Comprehensive Exam to be certified as Cooperative Managers. The program aims to build visionary leaders who value the power of unity and strive to improve the lives of members.

Co-op LAMP Batch 13 Module 1, "Fundamentals of Cooperative and Leadership," highlights the power of numbers in the cooperative movement. The program aims to build visionary leaders who understand the importance of growing as one and bringing the concept of "I want We." The module offers insights into cooperative values and principles, leadership skills, and management strategies. The course is part of the Co-op LAMP program, which aims to develop and certify cooperative managers who can improve the lives of members and build a sustainable cooperative movement.

Cooperative leaders were guided by the Right to Left Strategic Planning Framework and the Framework for Organizational Strategizing in their external environmental assessment. The participants focused on the roots of their organizations, their socio-economic targets, and the specifics of their market through industry analysis and micro market analysis. By dissecting case studies, they were able to learn about opportunities and programs of other cooperatives. While doing an external environmental assessment is challenging, it helps cooperatives view things differently to be ready and better serve their members.

The Co-op Leadership and Management Program (LAMP) Batch 13’s 4th module on Internal Environmental Assessment emphasized self-reflection. The module guided 25 second-line heads and managers on how to assess their respective internal environments as a cooperative. The session provided an overview of the Strategic Planning Framework and the first 5 levels of internal assessment. The second session focused on cross-functional management functions and the last 5 levels of internal assessment, which highlight individuality, workplace, alliances, leadership, and strategic fit. The module ended with key takeaways, such as the value of knowing the role of leaders and being grounded in humility and punctuality.

Human resource management, a cooperative’s most valuable asset, was the topic of the Co-op Leadership and Management Program (LAMP) Module 5. NATCCO Knowledge Resource Center Head, Ms. Mary Rose L. Gob discussed the four major Human Resource functions that comprise strategic-systematic, systemic-operational, operational-people, and people-strategic. These quadrants serve as the HR purpose in an organization. Ms. Gob also tackled performance management and employee engagement, which are essential to achieving the cooperative’s goals. By understanding the significance of human resource management, cooperative leaders can supervise their people well.

In the Co-op LAMP 13 Module 6, cooperative leaders learned about the functions of finance and how to strategically utilize it to generate income and achieve net surplus to give patronage refund to members. The importance of balancing people and profit was emphasized, with the heart of making things balance, and the value of budgeting. Co-op LAMP Module 7 discussed a marketing mix with a business-oriented and people-oriented approach. The founder of Palamigan Co. emphasized finding ways to be sustainable through funding gained from marketing. The importance of being both people-oriented and business-oriented was highlighted, with a focus on knowing the target market and balancing people and profit. The importance of strategic planning and leadership was also discussed.

The NATCCO-KRC was accredited by TESDA, with the NATCCO CEO pioneering the move. The KRC is designed to provide access to information, education, and training resources for cooperative members, promoting learning and growth. The National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) has announced the resumption of its E-Learning program for cooperative members on the new Canvas platform, following a successful transition from Moodle. The platform has been exclusively designed for cooperative members, allowing them to easily browse topics and complete assessments with minimal supervision. This has led to an increasing number of cooperative officers taking compliance training via e-learning, as it allows them to earn and receive training without leaving their location, and at their own pace. Certificates are issued immediately upon completion of courses. The initial offerings for compliance training are Fundamentals of Cooperatives and Cooperative Management and Governance, with 52 and 41 enrollees respectively from 6 cooperatives. In the future, the KRC plans to launch a Financial Management course with updated content that will provide extensive knowledge and expertise to the Board of Directors.