Dear Fellow PRCUA Members,
After reviewing the year-end statement for 2019, most organizations turn to the annual ritual of issuing a State of the Business declaration. Be it the federal, state or local government, large corporations or even our endeared and beloved fraternal organizations, the leadership has the responsibility to inform the populace of what has been accomplished in the previous year. The members need to feel confident that the organization is in good hands and the leaders understand the conditions, have a strategy for the years ahead, and know how to adapt to changes that have occurred.
Like any journey, not every step is effortless. At times, there are pitfalls that we face, but we need to adapt and overcome them. Once they are surmounted, you then try your best to not face them again.
This year, the PRCUA embraced many changes on the strategic path for growth. As with any such changes, there are also unwanted effects during the process of implementation. On page 5 of Naród Polski, you will see our financial statement. For the year 2019, the PRCUA had a negative net income of $758,846, with a total surplus of $11,043,205. Even though there is a loss in the surplus, we have achieved many things in the past year and this surplus continues to place the PRCUA in a strong financial position.
The new life insurance administration system we have acquired is progressing well. It is currently being tested and used for one of our life insurance products. In the near future, this system will assist us in providing more efficient service to our members, including allowing PRCUA to be another step closer to providing online access to certificate information. The PRCUA is about two thirds complete in the installation process and is now testing the software to ensure that it is user-friendly and error-free. The implementation cost of this project is one that cannot be amortized over a long time period and was taken as a real expense for 2019. This amounted to approximately two thirds of our stated deficit.
Looking to the positive, the volume of our life insurance continues to grow. In 2019, 991 new life members were added to our ranks with a face value of over $41,000,000. This, in part, is due to the addition of two new Polish language schools that have joined the PRCUA ranks of subsidized groups in 2019! A large “Thank You” goes to our hardworking sales force and home office staff. The members of our high-ranking sales force for 2019 are on page 6 of Naród Polski. With a growth in members comes a growth in our staff – we are currently looking to fill spots within our home office! If you or someone you know may be interested, please reach out to us.
Some additional developments last year included the completion of our new parking lot, initiating direct billing to our members (streamlining the payment process for assessments), implementing the 2017 CSO (improving the pricing of our life insurance portfolio) and an enhancement of the underwriting tools available to our sales force.
The PRCUA is also rebuilding links to different trade organizations in the insurance business. This is assisting us in becoming a vital member not only in the fraternal insurance community, but in the insurance arena. By attending different seminars and workshops, our staff is becoming better educated through formal educational programs and gaining knowledge from networking with their counterparts from other organizations.
As you will see, we are making great strides in sales and marketing to bring the best products available to the public while educating the public about all the good done by our wonderful organization. The members of our sales force are our PRCUA product ambassadors – we are always searching to find additions to this team. We strive for new ideas on how to bring stable growth for our company and continue being relevant to our community. In 2018, we introduced a new logo, PRCUALife. This year, we introduced a new look for the Naród Polski – a sleek, easier to handle adaptation of our newspaper with shorter articles and more information for our membership to enjoy.
We, the members of the PRCUA, must be proud of our accomplishments, but cannot sit back on our laurels. We need to be responsible, relevant and recognizable. It is time for every member of the PRCUA to ask “What can I do to make our beloved fraternal even stronger?” The simple answer would be to get more involved with the programs that the PRCUA offers, but what needs to be done is for you to spread the word about the PRCUA. Tell friends and neighbors about the benefits of being a member.
If you have an idea that you think would help us grow, either email or phone us, we even accept letters in the mail. We want to be in touch with our members and want to hear your input!
Take advantage of our competitive life insurance and annuity portfolios – our current offer, which can be seen on page 3, ends April 15th! By purchasing a life insurance or annuity product from the PRCUA, you are investing in your and your family’s financial future as well as in the fraternal benefits shared with our membership in our communities. PRCUA’s fraternal benefits range from cultural and sport activities to mortgages and scholarships.
In closing, “Get involved, Stay involved, and Get others involved” in the Mother of All Polish Fraternals – the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America – protecting life through all its stages. I again ask you, remember the PRCUA when speaking with your friends and neighbors. Ask them to explore the idea of becoming a fellow member. There is a good chance they
may say “Yes.”
Fraternally yours,
James J. Robaczewski
National President
