Choosing the right board portal is one of the more consequential technology decisions a credit union governance team makes. Board software needs to be secure enough to protect sensitive financial information, simple enough for board members with varying levels of tech comfort, and supported well enough that administrators aren’t left troubleshooting on their own.
Credit unions are the largest group of customers Aprio serves — and our CEO came to Aprio from Canada’s largest credit union. That background shapes how we think about a board portal for credit unions: the real pressures on corporate secretaries and executive assistants, the diversity of board of directors, and what good support actually looks like in practice.
These four case studies look at how credit unions of different sizes and structures evaluated their options — and what made Aprio the right fit.
From emailed PDFs to a board portal: how StellerVista simplified governance after a merger
When Heritage Credit Union and East Kootenay Community Credit Union merged in January 2023 to form StellerVista, corporate secretary Pam Pinch was tasked with finding a board portal that could handle a nine-member board — including returning and new directors with varying levels of tech comfort — without adding to her workload.
After consulting her network of credit union governance professionals, Aprio came out as the top recommendation. StellerVista evaluated several options including Diligent, but found Aprio the right balance of ease of use, affordability, and support. Directors booked their own onboarding sessions directly with Aprio’s team — no internal IT required.
“Aprio doesn’t just provide a platform — they make sure you succeed with it. The help they provide is exactly what you need when you need it,” says Pinch.
Read the full case study to learn how StellerVista simplified board governance and saves hours each month using Aprio board portal software.
Why United Nations Federal Credit Union chose Aprio after evaluating six board portal vendors
When United Nations Federal Credit Union had outgrown its static board extranet, it sought board management technology to better support its global nine-member board. After evaluating six different board management technology vendors, Aprio stood out as providing ease of use, essential capabilities, and training and service to support a global team.
With easy access to centralized and searchable board information, 24/7 support, expense reporting, and automated tools for meeting prep and management, UNFCU’s board has become even more efficient and productive using Aprio board portal software.
“User friendliness and training are outstanding with Aprio. I couldn’t find any other platform that offers that caliber of ease of use plus tailored training and ongoing support from their team,” explains Anna Bertacchi, Assistant Vice President. “We’ve quickly adopted the core features of Aprio and gained efficiency. We see room to grow.”
The UNFCU board was deliberate in picking a board management platform simple enough for quick adoption with tools to assist now and potentially add on in the future.
Read more to see why UNFCU made the switch from their extranet to Aprio.
From one board to three: how Meridian Credit Union scaled its governance with Aprio
When Meridian, the largest credit union in Ontario, first chose Aprio more than a decade ago, they had goals of leaving behind their inefficient paper process, saving on postage costs, and ensuring their data was secure. But a lot can change in nine years, and as the credit union’s needs evolved, they decided it was time to reassess their board portal solution.
Meridian now includes two subsidiaries, each of which have their own board. Board reporting requirements were growing as locating information was becoming increasingly challenging. PDF meeting documents were sometimes 500 pages long, making it difficult to search the entire document when questions came up. Different committee members had different privileges when it came to accessing information and administrators were having trouble making sure that the correct people had proper access. Meridian had outgrown their initial Aprio configuration.
“We were very prepared to make a change in our board portal if the value was there – but it turned out that Aprio continues to be the best fit for our needs,” commented Meridian’s Governance Specialist. “All we needed was an evolution in how we were using it.”
Read more to find out how Meridian examined a variety of board portal software solutions, but ultimately chose Aprio for the second time.
From security risk to high-performance asset: how Your Neighbourhood Credit Union came around on board portal software
John Haines, the board chair at Your Neighbourhood Credit Union in Ontario, admits that at first he was skeptical about board portal software. When YNCU merged with another credit union that used Aprio, he saw it as an unnecessary cost.
The organization built an internal system to share board material, but security was a big red flag. Data wasn’t encrypted and was circulated in an unsafe manner. The risk of a data breach was high. The board knew they were at risk. “It was a huge reputational risk,” said John Haines. “If people find out that your information is being shared around, that’s significant.”
Read more to find out what changed John Haines’ mind about Aprio and how the board software became one of the YNCU board’s high-performance assets.
Why credit unions choose a dedicated board portal
Managing board meeting preparation, distributing board related materials, and keeping meeting minutes organized is a significant undertaking — especially when it falls on one or two people. For most credit unions, the breaking point comes when email-based workflows stop being manageable and start creating real risk.
A dedicated board portal brings all of this into one centralized platform. Board members get secure access to everything they need, when they need it. Governance teams save hours on board reporting and audit reports to meet regulatory requirements.
What makes a board portal especially valuable for credit unions, specifically, is the support piece. Credit union boards often include members with a wide range of tech experience, and efficient board operations depend on everyone being able to use the tools confidently — not just the tech-savvy directors.
Security and compliance considerations for credit unions
Credit unions are held to strict regulatory standards, and governance documentation is a key part of demonstrating compliance. A board portal that maintains audit trails, enforces role-based access, and archives meeting minutes and board decisions makes it much easier to stay organized and audit-ready — whether that’s for an internal review or a regulatory examination.
Sensitive financial information needs to be protected at every stage of the governance process, not just in the boardroom. Email-based workflows create real risk: documents can be forwarded unintentionally, stored in unsecured inboxes, or accessed by people who shouldn’t have them.
A secure board portal with end-to-end encryption and controlled permissions significantly reduces that exposure. As YNCU’s experience showed, the reputational stakes alone are often reason enough to make the switch.
See Aprio’s board management software for credit unions in action
Every credit union in these stories came to Aprio with a different challenge — a merger, a security risk, a board that had outgrown its tools. What they found in common was a platform that was easy to adopt, support that showed up when it mattered, and a governance process that got simpler over time.
More credit unions choose Aprio to run efficient meetings, foster collaboration and keep data secure. Features like our agenda builder, virtual meeting integrations, and flexible user licenses mean the platform grows with your credit union. We can help your credit union board assess if Aprio is the right fit. Talk to us about your needs – we’re happy to help.
