Pub. 4 2014 Issue 1

19 WINTER 2014 I n many respects, he reminds me of bankers, who are generous and thrive on helping build communities and helping people realize their dreams. Much like Saint Nicholas, bankers prefer to do their good deeds sight unseen. While I un- derstand and respect this humble quest for anonymity, the time has come for bankers to come out into the open and take credit for the good they do. It will be uncomfortable for some, but the pristine image of our industry has been unfairly battered in the past few years. Now there is a toolkit available to help. Amplify Your Accomplishments… New Program from the ABA By s. joe dehaven , President and CEO, Indiana Bankers Association The American Bankers Association has developed a program called Ampli- fy. Bankers do not need to be members of the ABA to use it. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need to go to the ABA website. The tools are available to any banker through an independent website: www.amplifybankers.com . The initial version of the website covers six areas: Send an Email to Congress, Tweet Your Representatives, Set Up a Bank Visit, Speak to a Local Group, Engage the Media, and Additional Resources. Amplify is not designed to ask bank- ers to do more than they do today; it is designed to provide access to informa- tion and systems to make it quicker and easier to do what bankers already are doing and to “Amplify” your accom- plishments. In other words, don’t keep your good deeds or lobbying efforts secret. All of us need to help our customers, friends, legislators, media and staffs better understand what bankers do on a daily basis to benefit society and community. The Amplify program was developed by a group of bankers led by my counterpart in Missouri, Max Cook, and Pennsylvania banker Bill Hayes. It is incumbent on each of us, as bankers, to convey our value proposition to consum- ers, and Amplify is a useful vehicle. To get started, simply go to the website listed above and register. Reg- istration is easy — even I did it with no help from anyone! Once you have regis- tered, take a little time to explore each section of the site to gain some knowl- edge about how you can maximize its benefits. No one person will engage in every offering available, so find what seems comfortable to you, and try it. If you do not find something to engage you today, go back once a month and search again. One of the interest- ing features of this site is that it is not static; it will be ever evolving. In fact you might be one of the many users who will find new ways to use the informa- tion. If so please share your discovery, so that others can enjoy your creativity, and the important industry of banking is continually uplifted. I will admit that initially I was skep- tical regarding this effort, but after spending some time talking with my friend Max Cook and trying out the site, I am convinced that Amplify is an ideal tool for bankers. Let’s be like Saint Nich- olas, with one exception – let us no longer keep our gift-giving a secret. Instead, let’s be proud and Amplify our efforts. w The recent holidays reminded me of how much Santa Claus and bankers have in common……