Disaster Preparedness Planning Advice Offered in New Council White Paper

November 20, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katye Long -- (608) 231-4038; klong@cuna.com

MADISON, Wis. – The steps and strategies of building a credit union disaster communications plan are provided in a new white paper from the CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council.

“Disaster Communications: The Importance of and Strategies for Implementing a Disaster Communications Plan – Before You Need It” discusses the importance of and strategies for implementing, testing, and continuously improving the communications portions of disaster preparedness and recovery plans and business continuity plans.

Specifically, the paper covers:

• Disaster recovery plans – when they are needed, what is included in them, and how they incorporate communications;
• The important elements of a disaster communications plan;
• Available tools and resources within the Credit Union System to help with planning and with communications during disasters; and
• Implementing, testing, and updating a plan.

Five case studies in this white paper illustrate how credit unions and leagues have weathered disasters, the lessons they learned, and the improvements they have made to their disaster communications plans. A questionnaire for plan evaluation and a planning checklist are included in the appendix.

CUNA Council members are entitled to a complimentary copy of the white paper; non-members may purchase the white paper for a price of $50 per copy. The paper is available online at www.cunacouncils.org; select the “Shared White Papers” link located in the “Shared Council Content” drop-down menu and select the “Marketing & BizDev” tab. From there, non-members should follow the non-member link to order.

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About CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council

The CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council is a member-led organization comprised of more than 800 credit union professionals from across the United States. The council strives to provide superior educational and networking opportunities to raise the level of professionalism amongst its members, and position marketing and business development as key factors in helping credit unions meet their mission of serving their consumer-members. For more information, visit www.cunamarketingcouncil.org.

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