Chair's Column: Why Advocacy Matters — Now More Than Ever

Paul Northway

By Paul Northway

It was a pleasure to either meet or reconnect with so many members at the Annual WBA Chair’s Member Appreciation Golf Outing on August 14 at Trapper’s Turn Golf Club. In addition to it being a fun event, it underscores how much the WBA Board values the active participation of our bank and associate members. Thank you for your membership.

As community bankers, we wear a lot of hats. We serve customers, support our teams, lead our organizations, and stay on top of everything from regulations to technology. But one responsibility that sometimes flies under the radar, but shouldn’t, is our role as advocates for the industry we love.

Advocacy may not always be top of mind, but it’s one of the most important things we can do to protect and advance community banking in Wisconsin. Why? Because if we don’t tell our story, someone else will — and chances are, they won’t get it right.

When we engage in advocacy — whether that’s attending Capitol Day, traveling to Washington, D.C., hosting a legislator for a Take Your Legislator to Work Day, (TYLTWD) or even just picking up the phone to share how a proposed regulation might affect your bank — we strengthen the relevance and resilience of our industry. We remind lawmakers that community banks are essential to the health of our local economies. We fund small businesses, support local farmers, and provide financial guidance to our neighbors. That is not a story that should be left untold

Advocacy also plays a vital role in shaping a regulatory environment that works for us, not against us. Without our voices in the room, there is a real risk that laws and regulations will be written with only the largest institutions in mind which can create burdens that don’t fit the scale or mission of community banks. When we speak up, we help make sure the community bank model is protected and allowed to thrive.

One of the simplest and most effective ways your bank can stay engaged is by designating an Advocacy Officer. Advocacy Officers help coordinate outreach and keep their bank informed about key legislative and regulatory issues. It doesn’t require a political science degree, only a willingness to help tell our story.

Events like Capitol Day and trips to Washington, D.C. with the American Bankers Association or the Independent Community Bankers of America are great opportunities to build relationships with elected officials and make sure they know who we are and what matters to us. These connections don’t just help our industry, they help our communities by ensuring our policymakers understand the real-world impact of their decisions.

Don’t forget — advocacy isn’t just for CEOs. In fact, it’s even more powerful when a broad range of voices are involved. Every banker has a story to tell, and every story helps paint a clearer picture of the industry’s relevance in our state.

The bottom line is this: advocacy amplifies our voices, protects what makes community banking special, and helps ensure a strong future for our industry. I encourage you to take the next step: name an advocacy officer: attend Capitol Day; host a TYLTW event; register for the upcoming Milford Hills Outing, or simply reach out to learn more about how you can support WBA.

Our fundraising goal for 2025 is to raise $300,000 for WBA’s Wisbankpac (PAC) and Alliance for Bankers Conduit (ABW). The dollars raised for advocacy will help ensure our message is loud and clear in Madison and Washington as we continue to keep community banking relevant by shaping legislation that lessens regulatory burden and aims to level the playing field with competitors such as the credit unions and other non-traditional banks entering our space. I am asking for your support in achieving this important goal of raising $300,000.

I should note that WBA staff recently held a “WBA Mini-Golf Challenge” themed staff advocacy campaign organized by the WBA government relations team (Lorenzo Cruz and Tyler Foti) to support PAC and ABW. WBA staff collectively raised over $14,197 which exceeded the Association’s goal of $12,500. As WBA President and CEO Rose Oswald Poels says, supporting pro-banking political candidates is not about “D” or “R” for political affiliation, but instead it is “B” for the “Banking” Party.