NOTICE OF
MFCU AGM 2022

We understand that the Annual Report has some technical terms that not everyone will have come across before. We have compiled a list of acronyms which should explain these terms – you can read and download it here.

The Member First Credit Union Limited 2022 AGM will be held remotely on Monday the 05^th December 2022 starting at 7 PM sharp and concluding at 8:15PM.

The 2022 MFCU AGM will be held remotely, this will allow you the Member attend the AGM by viewing and participating in the AGM on your own PC, Laptop, Tablet or Smartphone from the comfort and safety of your own home.

Feedback received from our Members after the last 2 remote AGM’s showed that they thought the remote AGM was a success and they preferred a remote AGM as it meant they could attend the AGM from the comfort of their home and not have to “go out on  a cold damp winters evening”

Coupled with this, as a Credit Union, we are very conscious of the risk that Covid-19 still presents to our Members our Staff, and our Community.

We therefore did not want to risk Members or our Staff contracting the Covid-19 virus if we had conducted a physical AGM

The Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 allows Credit Unions to conduct their AGM remotely. The MFCU Standard Rules also allows for the AGM to be conducted remotely.

Credit Unions are legally required to hold an AGM. 

A Credit Union is a democratic organisation which is run by its Members for its Members. The AGM is considered central to the good running and governance of the Credit Union as it informs the Members about the performance of the Credit Union and sets out the Credit Unions plans for the forthcoming year.

We understand that not everyone is comfortable using computers, that is why we are using the Zoom Webinar platform, this is a really friendly computer system that is very easy to use.  It’s as easy as “clicking “on the link that you will be sent. 

You do not need to download Zoom onto your PC, Laptop, Tablet or Smartphone. Your browser will automatically accept Zoom once you click the link. The link is unique to you.

You can use any smart device, PC, or laptop to view and participate in the webinar once you have the unique AGM link. 

You can dial into the AGM using a traditional mobile phone (not a smart phone) if you like, but please be aware that that you will not be fully able to participate (vote/poll) by simply using a non-smart mobile phone. It is however recommended that to fully participate in the AGM, you will require a smart device, PC, or laptop or smart phone .

For those of us of all ages, who aren’t fully comfortable with computers and emails, we have included information on this dedicated AGM page.

Here you can access basic computer information and tutorials, which were put together by our friends in ‘Age Action’. It includes a very easy to use beginners guide to setting up emails and logging into the internet.  It is presented in easy to read online booklets and really well designed film clips.

Prior to the AGM, we will be sending out AGM registration details as part of our annual report via post and email. These details will also be on our website, our social media platforms and on posters in our branches.  

To register, you should click the link at the top of this page and complete the online sign up form. To register, you will need … 

1. Name
2. Member Account Number
3. Email Address

You have to register for the AGM with an email address.

For privacy and security reasons, your email address must be one that only you can access, and not one that other people can open. For example, the email address shirleytemple86&&@gmail.com would be primarily opened by Shirley Temple, whereas info@randonbigfirm.biz would be an email many people may have access to.  These requirements are in place to ensure that your private information is not accessible to others.

Due to the governance requirements around voting, and to ensure correctness, security and secrecy in the voting process, each email address will be assigned one unique AGM link. 

We cannot assign a second link to the same email address and each person who is eligible and entitled to vote needs to have their own unique AGM link to vote at the meeting. If you require assistance in setting up an email address, we have a tutorial to assist you here.

Once you send your AGM registration details back to us we will verify that on the 30th September 2022 (the end of the financial year) you were a member of Member First Credit Union and are therefore eligible to attend and vote at the 2022 MFCU AGM. Once eligibility has been established or otherwise for all registration applicants, we will begin the process of sending out your unique AGM meeting links. You should expect to receive this near to the time of the meeting but at least 24 hours in advance of the AGM.

If you get this message, simply email your registration to agm@mfcu.ie, Your email will be acknowledged.

Sadly, no. The 2022 AGM is for the business conducted to the year ended 30th of September 2022.  

Only individuals who were members prior to and on the 30th of September 2022 are eligible to attend and vote at the upcoming meeting.  Members who joined after that date unfortunately are not eligible, but we look forward to many future years of AGMs with you.

If for any reason whatsoever you do not receive the unique AGM link within 24 hours of the AGM, please contact us at (01) 851 3400, or email agm@mfcu.ie and we will send on a fresh link and deactivate any link previous sent.

If you lose or delete your unique AGM link, please contact us at (01) 851 3400, or email agm@mfcu.ie and we will send on a fresh link and deactivate any link previous sent.

Prior to the AGM, you will be emailed a unique AGM link. This link is unique to you and cannot be transferred to or shared with anyone else. You are responsible for the security of the link. If you give the link to another person you will not be able to attend the AGM and vote.

The 2022 AGM is scheduled to commence sharply at 7.00pm on the night of the 05th December 2022,  it is recommended that you log into the meeting at least 20-30 minutes before the meeting commences, this will give you peace of mind and allow you to test your speakers. 

Logging on early will allow you to familiarise yourself with the Zoom facilities such as raise hand etc. When you  log on you will see some instructional screens and we will share a really interesting  video with you about our Community Sponsorship.

No, the link is unique and works only on a “one click” basis. If you share the link with someone else, the link will not work for them and possibly it won’t work for you.

No, the link is for a specific person to use and is not transferrable.  Members of the Credit Union should request their own user link to gain access to the meeting so they can be verified for eligibility.

Yes, once you have received the unique AGM link, you can use any smart device to remotely attend and participate in the AGM. 

You can watch the AGM on a big screen but make sure you each have your own device, so that you each can register individually and vote. Remember the unique AGM link will only allow its holder to vote.

If your connection is really slow and seizing up all the time, then you can join the AGM by audio, but regrettably the functionality will be limited. The numbers to dial in with will be available on your email unique AGM link. It is however recommended that to fully participate in the AGM you will require a smart device, PC, or laptop.

There are a number of times throughout the AGM where a vote is required, such as election of Members of the Board, the Board Oversight Committee, and the Auditor. 

Voting will  be done by electronic polling. This will be explained throughout the meeting – a poll box will appear on your screen listing out the selection. Simply click on your choices and press submit. You will be given sufficient of time for this.

Our Head of Regulatory Compliance will supervise all voting and polling and ensure it complies with the relevant Legislation and Standard Rules.

Once you have submitted your vote, you will not be able to change your vote. We recommend that you carefully consider the various voting options and vote only when you are satisfied with your decision but within the timeframe allowed for each vote.

If you are experiencing difficulties and you cannot rectify the problem, as a very last resort you can log off and on again provided you are using the same device, as your unique AGM link will be tied to the device once used.

We welcome questions from our members, and you can ask a question before the AGM by emailing your question to agm@mfcu.ie. 

Any questions submitted that are not pertinent to the business of the AGM will be forwarded for the attention of a relevant officer to be addressed as appropriate. These might include matters relating to a member’s account or affairs which are unlikely to be relevant to the business of the AGM.

Submitting a question in advance of the AGM does not affect your rights as a member to remotely attend and speak at the AGM.

During the meeting you can ask questions by either submitting a question in to the chat function or by using the raise hand option on zoom. We will endeavour to reply to all questions that we have received, so please make sure we have your contact details.

When a proposer or seconder is called for, simply click on the “Raise Hand” button. A proposer and seconder will be selected and recorded in the AGM minutes

Yes, the Minutes of the 2021 AGM will be issued to you by email to the address you registered with prior to the AGM. It is best practice to issue the minutes in advance, as this gives you a chance to read them before the meeting.

Our CEO Fiona Cunningham will open the meeting by explaining how the meeting will be conducted.

We will then have a moments silence to honour those who have gone before us. 

Fiona will then hand over to our Chair Grainne Brennan who will address the Members. 

We will also hear reports from a number of Directors, Auditors and Credit Union Officers throughout the meeting. 

We will intersperse the reports with the AGM raffles. 

The nominations committee will also inform you about the elections for the Auditor, the Board, and the Board Oversight Committee. 

While we are conducting the voting, we will play a short video to highlight the work of our Community Fund throughout 2022.

By then we will be in a position to announce the results of the voting.

Our friends and neighbours the “Forget-Me-Nots Choir” will close the meeting with their latest musical release. Page 4 of our Annual Report contains the Agenda for the AGM.

We will be holding a number of raffles throughout the AGM just to thank you for remotely attending the AGM.

Every member who attends the AGM you will automatically be include in the AGM raffle. Needless to say, if you don’t attend the AGM you will not be entered in the raffle

There will be a number of prizes consisting of various restaurant vouchers, One4All vouchers and some surprises on the night. An electronic randomiser will select the raffle prize winners. This process will be supervised by our Head of Regulatory Compliance and an independent Producer from the media company hosting the AGM.

Absolutely. Climate change is something that affects us all and as a community Credit Union we wholeheartedly support positive action to combat climate change.

Our Staff, Management and Board have taken a number of positive steps to combat climate change and we will do a lot more as well.

We also encourage you our Members to help us by doing the simple things such as;

• Signing up for email notifications as this would save printing out and posting the likes of the AGM notification and Annual Report
• Sign up Online Banking and use our Mobile Apps as this would cut down on paper and travel
• Share your tips on how to achieve a greener futureAll the above steps will also help us to save money and thus have more funds available for our Community Fund.