The Innovation Series is celebrating 2026 with a diverse slate of finalists whose breakthroughs are reshaping member experience, data and business intelligence, lending, employee engagement, fraud prevention, and digital member engagement — all with the power to help credit unions thrive in a rapidly evolving marketplace. Register for the Innovations In Digital Member Engagement webinar on Tuesday, March 24th at 2PM EST.

Read on to learn more about this year’s finalists in digital member engagement: Array, Exagens, Narmi, Swaystack

Array

Describe your innovation.

Array+ is an embeddable free-to-premium product suite that enables credit unions to deliver financial-management tools directly within their digital experiences. The platform brings together credit monitoring, identity and privacy protection, subscription management, student loan optimization, credit building, and more into a unified, modular offering with a seamless upgrade path.

Array+ transforms fragmented, standalone services into a cohesive, revenue-generating experience delivered through trusted financial institutions. With a single integration, credit unions can launch brandable, compliant modules quickly, drive non-interest income through premium subscriptions, and sustain engagement through ongoing, data-driven interactions that improve loyalty and lifetime value. Members gain meaningful tools to manage their financial health and digital identity within their primary financial relationship.

Array+ operates exclusively through a B2B2C model. Credit unions retain brand ownership and member relationships while leveraging Array’s infrastructure, bureau partnerships, and compliance expertise. By consolidating capabilities that would otherwise require multiple vendors or complex in-house builds, Array+ reduces development time, cost, and regulatory burden.

With Array+, credit unions can turn digital banking into a destination for continuous engagement, protection, and financial progress.

What opportunity or challenge does it address?

Credit unions face rising expectations for digital experiences while traditional revenue sources face pressure. At the same time, members manage their finances across disconnected third-party tools, leading to fragmentation, disengagement, and weaker relationships.

Array+ enables credit unions to extend digital banking into a broader financial support platform. Embedded tools for credit visibility, identity and privacy protection, debt and subscription management, credit building, and more keep the institution relevant across a member’s full financial journey.

The free-to-premium model creates recurring non-interest income while delivering immediate member value, aligning financial sustainability with tools members actively use.

In practice, credit unions can:

• Turn financial wellness into a revenue driver.
• Increase engagement across free and premium users.
• Monetize existing members without upfront platform investment.
• Compete with fintech and direct-to-consumer subscription products inside a trusted brand.

How does it increase member value?

Array+ delivers financial clarity, protection, and control within the credit union’s trusted digital environment. Members gain practical tools that reduce complexity, support informed decision-making, and lower financial stress without relying on multiple external services.

Through integrated capabilities spanning credit, debt, subscriptions, identity, privacy, and credit building, members gain greater visibility into their financial position and stronger control over risk and long-term outcomes. This reinforces the credit union’s role as a trusted steward of financial well-being and personal security.

By providing consistent, day-to-day value, Array+ strengthens engagement, loyalty, and trust throughout the member lifecycle.

What differentiates this innovation from competitors?

Array+ is differentiated by its ability to replace fragmented point solutions and direct-to-consumer subscriptions with a single, embedded engagement platform owned by the credit union. Members access credit, identity, privacy, and financial management tools within a familiar, trusted digital experience, strengthening engagement and reinforcing the institution’s role as a primary financial partner.

In contrast to standalone tools or DTC monetization platforms, Array+ consolidates multiple high-value capabilities into one modular platform that is simple to integrate and operate at scale. Credit unions avoid multi-vendor complexity while delivering a seamless member experience.

Array+ is also structurally differentiated by its free-to-premium model. Array covers data costs for the free experience and continuously optimizes engagement and upgrades, enabling credit unions to deliver immediate value while participating in recurring, non-interest income through revenue sharing. This model aligns member benefit with institutional performance in a way competitors cannot easily replicate.

As a result, Array+ functions as an engagement and revenue engine, not just a feature set, helping credit unions deepen trust, extend relevance, and support stronger financial outcomes over time.

Exagens

Describe your innovation.

Behavioral Banking enables emotionally sticky relationships to be created and nurtured, cost-effectively, individually, and at scale, with the growing pool of members who now rarely interact with credit unions in-person. It makes possible the benefits of customer engagement, loyalty, and financial wellness in an era when most interactions and transactions occur through digital channels.

MoneySparxs, exagens’ latest Behavioral Banking solution, fuses behavioral economics, neuroscience, advanced data analytics, psychology, and AI with a credit to understand the financial decisions of individuals, and then effectively engage and influence them to make smarter financial decisions. It adds incredible new value to your existing data and enriches it further. Behavioral Banking is needed because people are constantly being swayed by cognitive biases, emotions, and social factors, and therefore rarely make rational decisions when it comes to their finances. Behavioral Banking solutions enable credit unions to grow with their members by catalyzing them to save, spend, invest, and borrow wiser both through their digital channels as well as in-branch.

What opportunity or challenge does it address?

The Challenge: The ease and convenience of digital banking has yielded an explosion in the frequency of banking interactions and significant cost savings for financial institutions. It has also fractured financial relationships and their benefits. People who primarily bank through digital channels report being significantly less engaged with their financial institution, resulting in lower share of wallet, reduced loyalty, decreased customer satisfaction, and an adverse impact on financial health.

The Opportunity: This disconnect provides credit unions with a unique opportunity to differentiate and grow by leveraging their historical strengths to differentiate their member experience and compete with big banks who otherwise far outspend them on technology. Exagens’ MoneySparxs enables credit unions to elevate their digital and in-branch experiences and move beyond providers of mostly commodity products and services to trusted and valued financial partners in the lives of their members.

The results: Credit unions utilizing Behavioral Banking have benefited from increased deposits, expanded wallet share, higher card utilization, membership growth, and great loyalty, all while helping improve the financial lives of their members. All with minimal additional workload for the credit union and no core integration of sensitive PII required.

How does it increase member value?

MoneySparxs enables credit unions to grow financially with their members by delivering Behavioral Baking at scale through their digital channels. It delivers emotionally and financially engaging Sparxs* (personal & community money-related tips, wisdom, suggestions & fun insights) which catalyzes individuals to save, spend, invest, and borrow wisely.

What differentiates this innovation from competitors?

Based in behavioral science and leveraging AI, goes well beyond traditional methods of segmenting, personas, and journey mapping by treating and interacting with each individual member in terms of their unique financial situation. With a deep understanding of human behavior and financial decision making (why decisions are and are not made), MoneySparxs is able to catalyze members in ways beneficial to them and their credit unions.

Exagens designed MoneySparxs from the ground up with the sensibilities and realities of credit unions in mind. It is cost-effective, requires no PII, produces results quickly, and does not require any additional credit union resources to operate – exagens does most of the work, credit unions and their members get all of the benefit.

Narmi

Describe your innovation.

Narmi’s MCP server is built around an open-source standard that allows AI models (LLMs) to securely and seamlessly connect to external data sources (banking data). MCP servers process requests from the LLMs and provide or deny access to the data source. The MCP server enables AI models to analyze business and user finances without storing any sensitive data and maintaining bank-grade security protocols.

What opportunity or challenge does it address?

Organic AI uptake is growing at a dramatic rate, to the point where LLMs like ChatGPT are the standard “homepage” for accessing the internet for many users – especially younger ones. Leveraging this standard gives a credit union a presence on platforms where its members will increasingly expect to bank.

How does it increase member value?

Even now at this read-only stage, members who use Narmi’s MCP with their credit union can input queries like: “What’s my checking account balance?”; “Can you categorize my top 10 recurring vendors?”; or “What expenses could I reduce to improve margins next quarter?” and derive insights from iterative conversations in a way that is much more dynamic than a traditional digital banking experience. This increases stickiness for banks that offer this technology and provides functionality that is differentiated from even megabank user experiences.

What differentiates this innovation from competitors?

As mentioned above, this functionality is differentiated not only from our peers servicing community banks and credit unions, but even from megabanks, who are not yet at the point of offering user-facing AI functionality. While other vendors in our space have begun to develop around this protocol, Narmi was the first to pursue it, launched the first MCP server with a U.S. bank with Grasshopper last September, and has had the most time to develop standards and innovation around it.

Swaystack

Describe your innovation.

Credit unions turn new accounts into active, primary relationships with Swaystack, a digital onboarding and engagement platform. Using gamified, personalized journeys inside digital banking and across email and SMS, credit unions leverage Swaystack to drive funding, direct deposit, product adoption, and long-term engagement from day one.

Beyond onboarding, credit unions continue to engage members and sustain momentum well after activation with Swaystack. Through behavior-based targeting and personalized omnichannel campaigns, credit unions guide members toward their next best action — whether that’s switching direct deposit, increasing card usage, enrolling in digital services, or adopting additional products.

What opportunity or challenge does it address?

Nearly half of newly opened accounts go inactive within the first year, even though financial institutions spend $400+ to acquire each one. Onboarding is fragmented across teams and vendors, with no clear ownership and no accountability for activation. Swaystack solves this by owning onboarding end-to-end — connecting acquisition to real usage and measurable outcomes.

How does it increase member value?

Credit unions increase member value by driving the behaviors that matter most early in the relationship — funded accounts, direct deposit adoption, debit card usage, and ongoing product engagement. By guiding members through clear, behavior-based onboarding journeys, credit unions grow deposits, increase debit card interchange, and accelerate digital product adoption. The result is stronger primacy, higher lifetime value per member, and more durable relationships from day one.

What differentiates this innovation from competitors?

For too long, credit unions have relied on point solutions to drive single actions — one tool for email, another for direct deposit, another for card activation — without a clear way to connect effort to outcomes. Swaystack replaces that fragmentation with a unified onboarding experience, allowing credit unions to target the right members with the right action at the right time and pair those actions with incentives that gamify onboarding. Every interaction is tied to measurable results like funding rates, direct deposit adoption, and early engagement— driving real ROI, not vanity metrics.

Check Out The Other Innovation Series Categories

• • Employee Enablement
  • Reimagining The Lending Experience
  • AI-Powered Member Experience
  • Data And Decision Intelligence
  • Fraud Prevention And Resolution

The post Meet The Finalists For The 2026 Innovation Series: Digital Member Engagement appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

It might seem like digital channels are the only place to go for news, but old media isn’t dead. A report from the Pew Research Center found 63% of Americans turn to television for their news at least some of the time. The numbers for radio are even higher, with traditional radio reaching approximately 92% of adults weekly.

“Given the area we live in, radio is still a strong way to reach members and non-members,” says Jerry Manor, business development manager at SeaComm Federal Credit Union ($776.4M, Massena, NY). “Most of our communities have what’s called a heritage radio station, or stations that have been around for a long time.”

Manor has spent a total of two decades discussing financial literacy on the radio. Today, he works with multiple radio stations spanning from Northern New York to Vermont.

Establish Real Relationships

Credit union leaders already know strong relationships with members, local organizations, and industry resources help build a strong cooperative. But strong relationships with local media can help credit unions, too.

Manor had prior radio experience when he connected with a local station at an event in 2017. At the time, SeaComm’s Plattsburgh branch had just opened, and he was attending a business expo hosted by the local chamber of commerce. A woman at the station asked if he would be speak with her.

“I did the interview, and then we got talking,” Manor says. “She said it would be a good idea for me to come on every once in a while to talk about different financial topics. I got a lot of feedback on it, and I decided to see if we can do this with the stations in our other markets.”

Manor approached the stations with which the credit union had an advertising relationship and proposed on-air content as a value-add for both the station and the credit union.

“It’s all about negotiation,” he says. “Stations are often open to it because it provides content without extra cost.”

Andy Mattingly, chief operating officer at FORUM Credit Union ($2.2B, Fishers, IN), has been making weekly television appearances since 2011. He says his outreach started thanks to his relationship with the general manager of WXIN, Indianapolis’s local Fox affiliate.

“We would meet for lunch every six months to discuss various initiatives,” Mattingly says. “One December, I was assisting him with something, and he suggested having me on the news for a segment once a week. That’s how it began. It was a guest spot on the 4 p.m. news.”

Education, Not Sales

Fourteen years ago, FORUM’s presence on Fox 59 was an earned media opportunity, or publicity gained organically through a brand’s reputation or actions. The idea was to offer comments as a local expert without directly promoting the credit union.

In 2019, shifting FCC regulations led FORUM’s segment to move to a paid, weekly format on Fox 59’s lifestyle show Indy Now. Still, Mattingly says the original reason for coming on air still applies.

“Our purpose is helping members live their financial dreams, so our goal is to educate — not sell,” he says. “Too many financial institutions approach media opportunities as a way to push products, but audiences respond better to institutions they see as genuine resources.”

A Knight Foundation and Gallup poll found 54% of Americans trust local TV news to provide accurate and fair reporting, compared to just 27% for national news networks. Thus, an appearance on a trusted platform can create credit union brand trust by association.

“In our market, we compete with large banks like Chase, and Regions,” Mattingly says. “Although we hold 5% to 6% market share, our awareness is much higher than our budget would typically allow.”

Today, FORUM’s Smart Money Minute airs live every Thursday at 10 a.m., with the segment airing again at 3 p.m. The credit union estimates the average reach to be more than 50,000 viewers, not counting those who view the segments online.

“Anecdotally, we’ve gained many new members since the segment has started,” Mattingly says. “People frequently approach me after segments, asking for financial guidance or referrals to specific departments at the credit union. Our call center even receives about two calls per week from viewers wanting to speak with me directly after seeing me on TV.”

For SeaComm FCU, what began as a singular appearance by Manor on a Plattsburgh radio show has since bloomed into regularly scheduled segments on six different stations. This includes three weekly appearances, one that is bi-monthly, and another that is once a month.

And Manor’s reach continues to grow.

“I just secured a new segment on CKON, the station at the Upper St. Lawrence Mohawk Nation,” Manor says. “Being on the air keeps us top of mind, so when local organizations, like libraries or schools, want financial literacy workshops, they reach out to us.”

The Right Topics

News producers want stories that are guaranteed to engage their audience, which means they are looking for pitches that are timely and relevant to their market. Every pitch needs to consider the specific target market of each station and what financial challenges those listeners and viewers face.

“I try to keep the listening public updated about what’s most important to them,” Manor says. “If there’s anything pressing, like fraud or identity theft, I make sure to update the public regularly because that topic keeps morphing and changing.”

Manor and Mattingly both say the most popular topics they cover are those related to budgeting, credit, and fraud prevention. Sometimes, they discuss something timely like tax season, holiday spending, or awareness days, weeks, or months. For example, April is Financial Literacy Month.

Local media appearances are also an effective way to combat misinformation.

“Early on, I addressed a widespread myth that financial institutions won’t help borrowers in trouble,” Mattingly says. “Some people believe they should avoid contacting their lender when struggling with payments, which is the worst thing they can do. I made it clear that reaching out before they fall behind allows us to offer more options. That segment was so well received that I still revisit it whenever economic concerns rise.”

Financial misinformation spreads fast. Learn how two credit unions ensure their members receive accurate guidance in addition to quality services in “Misinformation Is Everywhere. How Can Credit Unions Fight It?”

Think Long-Term

Building brand awareness through takes time. According to Mattingly, FORUM’s on-air appearances are so powerful in part because they have been so consistent.

“I’ve been doing this for more than a decade, and every year, it strengthens our credibility,” the COO says. “We don’t do a lot of other TV advertising, so when people say, ‘Oh, are you from FORUM?’ we know it comes from these segments. This kind of exposure doesn’t work overnight, but over time, it makes a big difference.”

Even if a credit union does not have pre-existing relationships or experience with the media, Manor says the same opportunities are there for the taking.

“Stations are always looking for this type of thing,” he says. “You just have to start reaching out.”

Reach out, and don’t forget: The work isn’t over when the on-air light turns off.

Thank the outlet for inviting the credit union to speak and stay in touch with new contacts. Also, maximize press coverage by sharing on social media, newsletters, the credit union’s website, and more.

The post Lights, Camera, Action! How To Improve Outreach On The Air. appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• Authentic Content Is Key: Microinfluencers who create authentic, engaging content that align with a credit union’s brand values can amplify its message.
• Short-Term Testing: Begin with brief — two to three months — test campaigns to evaluate the effectiveness of influencer partnerships; then consider extending successful collaborations to build deeper trust and engagement.
• Measure More: Continuously monitor key performance indicators such as digital traffic and new memberships to refine strategies and ensure meaningful results from influencer marketing efforts.li>

How big an impact can influencer marketing have on a brand? How about $24 billion globally in 2024 alone?

Consumers — and young ones, in particular — rely on influencers for both entertainment and information, and businesses of all stripes are leveraging that trust to grow.

For Alliant Credit Union ($20.1B, Chicago, IL), an influencer marketing strategy starts with authenticity and allows the credit union to amplify its message while expanding its reach. Rather than focus on big names, however, Alliant has opted for microinfluencers — lesser-known online personalities who carry a lower price tag yet still have a specific niche and the attention of their audience.

Alliant’s microinfluencer strategy is built around strategic partnerships that enhance audience engagement and expand the credit union’s reach, says Sumeet Grover, chief digital and marketing officer. That means leveraging “authentic, diverse content creation that resonates with a broader member base,” as well as collaborating with those content creators in a way that amplifies the credit union’s voice and fosters trust among potential members.

“This approach addresses the challenge of visibility in a broader market and capitalizes on the opportunity to present our Alliant brand story through genuine, influential voices,” Grover says.

Here, Grover offers tips on how credit unions can make the most of their own influencer strategies —  micro, macro, mega, and anywhere in between.

1. Brand Values Matter

Alliant has worked with influencers at various levels for several years and looks alignment with its brand values — savvy, selfless, and socially responsible — when choosing those partners.

“We rigorously assess potential partners based on the authenticity of their content and their ability to actively engage audiences,” Grover says. “The management of these influencer relationships is handled by our dedicated internal team, ensuring consistent communication and alignment with our strategic objectives.”

2. Find A Partner

Alliant works with partner agencies to optimize its influencer marketing strategies. That’s particularly useful when working with microinfluencers, who aren’t generally widely known. According to Grover, that kind of collaboration helps the credit union better vet parties and ensure they meet brand values and match audience expectations.

“The agency’s support is instrumental in facilitating the selection process and managing campaigns, allowing us to focus on delivering authentic and impactful content to our members,” the digital and marketing officer says.

Grover recommends credit unions starting out on their influencer journey partner with specialized agencies that can help select influencers to represent the institution as well as deal with contracts and assist in determining a creative direction. For those who choose to do the work in-house, there are platforms available that provide access to a wide variety of influencers and also help measure reach and engagement.

“Importantly, the focus should be on crafting a compelling story that enhances the authenticity of your message, making it more likely to resonate with the intended audience and produce meaningful results,” Grover says.

3. Brief Is Better

For credit unions testing out their own microinfluencer strategy, Alliant recommends keeping things brief, with an initial test period of two or three months.

“This period allows us to gauge the effectiveness of the partnership and refine our approach based on initial results,” Grover says. “If these test campaigns prove successful and budget considerations allow, we then consider extending these engagements into longer-term campaigns. Establishing long-term relationships with influencers promotes consistent messaging and builds deeper trust with audiences, leading to sustained engagement and more impactful results.”

Want more on microinfluencer strategies? Read “Like, Share, Comment: How Social Influencers Are Helping SF Fire Build Its Brand.”

4. It’s About The Influencer, Too

Alliant has evolved its strategy based on each collaboration, and Grover notes the credit union has learned co-created content — which allows influencers the flexibility to bring in their own voice and style while still adhering to the brand message — yields far more impactful results.

“This approach fosters authenticity, enhancing the resonance of our campaigns with target audiences,” he says.

Given the success they’ve seen so far, Grover and his team plan to expand influencer marketing initiatives to create deeper, more effective member connections.

“As the landscape evolves, we anticipate increasing our focus on these partnerships, adapting our strategies to leverage the strengths that micro-influencers offer,” Grover says. “This shift is driven by the need to remain dynamic and responsive in our marketing efforts, ensuring that we continue to reach our audiences through authentic and relatable content.”

5. Micro? Macro? Mega? Just Measure.

Grover credits a 2021 partnership with Suze Orman as having kick-started membership growth and the credit union’s influencer journey — member numbers rose nearly 30% between the end of 2021 and the end of 2023. Although that relationship demonstrated the impact influencers can have when they embody brand values and resonate with a target audience, Grover says the same rules apply for lesser-known personalities.

“For our ongoing collaborations with micro-influencers, we conduct test-and-learn campaigns, closely monitoring key performance indicators including digital traffic, new memberships, and ongoing engagement,” he says.

The post 5 Lessons For Mega Success With Microinfluencers appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

A Real Need In School Districts

According to Richard Waddle, executive vice president at Gesa, too many students at Richland High School knew too little about how money works. Most were unfamiliar with basic money management skills like balancing a checkbook or understanding compound interest.

“We saw a need for financial education, and we responded by creating a cooperative education program where we established a Gesa branch in the high school at Richland,” Waddle says. “We initially worked with students who were selected based on their interest in taking a class on accounting.”

At the time, Gesa opened a teller station in the school’s main lobby for students to conduct simple transactions — such as opening a savings or checking account or making a deposit or withdrawal — during lunch time. For student workers, the station provided de facto on-the-job training. The credit union intentionally limited the transaction types, and a credit union staff member supervised all activity to ensure compliance with the cooperative’s policies and procedures. A schoolteacher advocate for the program also was on hand at all times.

Today, more than two decades later, Gesa has formalized the training program. It also has taken steps to empower students with the knowledge they need to manage not only a career in financial services but also life in general.

Selection Criteria

Today, 12 high schools in eastern Washington school districts participate in Gesa’s high school work program. To staff its in-school branches, Gesa advertises for student manager internships only within the schools, steering clear of marketing in its community branches. The student role demands a serious and focused mindset today as well as a commitment to work toward a possible rewarding career down the road; as such, the credit union aims to recruit promising, motivated intern candidates.

“We get plenty of interest from the student body at each school every year,” Waddle says. “We make our final selections essentially through the same process we use to hire a regular Gesa branch employee.”

The credit union interviews each candidate to evaluate their demeanor, focus, and confidence. It also reviews the academic records of the selected recruits to ensure they exhibit a high level of scholastic achievement. Student assessments conducted by the teacher advocate for the program helps Gesa gauge the students’ engagement. Their opinion of each candidate weighs heavily in the selection decision as Gesa tries to determine how responsible and accountable the students are.

Gesa’s high school work program stems from a strategic goal set by the credit union’s board of directors to make a positive impact in the community.

“We treat the expense of this program, which includes the time our staffers take to be on-site at the high schools, as an investment in the future,” Waddle says. “Sometimes the credit union benefits from getting a gem of an employee. But if interns move on and carry their experience to another industry or company, we’re okay with that because we helped facilitate that transition for a young professional.”

Risk Acknowledged. Risk Mitigated.

To alleviate risk, Gesa takes the same precautions with the student interns as it takes with regular branch employees, with some minor differences.

• The credit union keeps less cash on hand at the school than at a regular branch.
• Dual control requires multiple students to be in the room whenever cash is handled.
• Students perform end-of-day cash balancing under the oversight of the teacher advocate.

According to Waddle, such precautions are just as much to make the students feel supported as they are to mitigate financial malfeasance.

“We’ve had no negative situations so far,” the EVP says. “And that’s over 23 years of the program’s existence.”

Recognition And Certification

Career Connect Washington works with schools and employers in the state to provide real-world job experiences to students and workers up to 30 years old. According to the organization’s website, “Students and younger workers need combined classroom learning and professional experience to be ready for college AND careers.”

Through Career Connect Washington, students who complete at least one internship year through Gesa’s high school program earn a special certification that endorses them as ready for an entry-level position within the financial services industry. Such a certification can further their career right out of high school or help them find employment while seeking higher education.

“We were the first credit union in the state to introduce  a comprehensive financial literacy program that was certified to count as education credits toward meeting the new state requirements,” Waddle says. “We helped set the standards for the future Career Connect awards.”

In 2022, Gesa’s announced its program became the first financial sector program in Washington endorsed as a Career Launch program through Career Connect Washington. The Career Launch program combines meaningful, high-quality, on-the-job experience with classroom learning to ensure Washington students are career and college ready.

Goals, Lessons, And Advice

Gesa launched its high school program and summer internship to expose students to possible career paths in financial services as well as provide a real-world experience. Additionally, the program has delivered financial literacy education to countless students and exposed them to the pragmatic choices they must make in life.

“Students who’ve been through the program, sometimes since they were sophomores, tell us we opened up a whole new world of possibilities,” Waddle says. “They realized working at a retail store in the local mall or at grocery store or fast-food restaurant was no longer necessary.”

It’s a great program, but to make it even better, Gesa knew it had to make the program scalable.

“Every time we opened a new branch at a high school, we needed to dedicate our own staff members to be on-site and oversee the operations — from opening to closing,” Waddle says. “This forced us to adopt a student manager model. We’ve learned we can trust the students to take their roles seriously and take care of the money. The students have exceeded our expectations.”

A teacher advocate is still always present, but the program now empowers experienced student management interns to lead training and oversee the day-to-day operations of the student-run branch. That why Waddle advises institutions implementing a similar program to empower and trust the students — because  they’re smart and capable despite their youth — as well as to encourage students to be brand ambassadors for their high school and the credit union.

After going through the financial literacy program, one student suggested Gesa rebrand a series of student financial literacy classes as the “How to Become a Millionaire” program. Gesa endorsed the idea, and the next class attracted thirty-five students.

“There’s a lot of smart students out there,” Waddle says.

Indeed, so many that the credit union hopes to expand the program farther west to other counties and school districts.

“Once educators understand what we’re doing and have accomplished, it’s a pretty easy conversation,” Waddle says. “Other credit unions are calling us to learn more about the program.”

How Do You Support Your Next Generation Of Members?

Rethink your credit union’s role and responsibility to members, employees, communities, and the environment with Sustainable Business Strategy, a virtual learning experience Callahan & Associates offers in collaboration with Harvard Business School Online.

Learn More Today

The post Gesa Gives Students Meaningful Work Opportunities. Other Credit Unions Can, Too. appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

That’s because the National Collegiate Athletic Association agreed in June of 2021 to permit student-athletes to profit from the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL) in commercial partnerships. This decision has not only transformed what it means to be a college athlete but also disrupted the marketing practices of organizations across the country.

Inconsistent reporting from student athletes and schools makes it difficult to pinpoint the number and value of NIL agreements, but NIL platform Opendorse estimates endorsement deals exceeded $900 million in 2022. Credit unions have slowly embraced this opportunity, and a handful of cooperatives have built NIL campaigns with local student-athletes during the past two years.

Effective student-athlete and credit union partnerships have the potential to reach college students, collegiate staff, and the broader community alike, but social media strategy and the increasingly crowded world of NIL can be tricky to navigate. As a student athlete — I play volleyball at Williams College in Massachusetts — and a lifelong credit union member, I have observed three practices I see as essential in creating a successful, compelling NIL partnership.

1. Find The Right Student-Athlete

The first step in forming an effective NIL partnership is to find the right student-athlete. Think about the target audience for the campaign and who is best suited to reach that audience. Partnering with the biggest star on a team doesn’t always guarantee an NIL campaign will have a tangible influence on audiences.

When looking to build social media promotion, don’t conflate the number of followers with influence. There are effective metrics of engagement outside followers for social media campaigns. Cooperatives should prioritize finding athletes who have a clear, recognizable personal brand on social media and a consistent number of likes and comments on their content. Micro-influencers, for example, are popular targets for NIL deals because their smaller networks often correlate to better engagement. Followers feel they have a closer personal relationship with the creator and are more likely to take their advice on products or services.

Other things to consider are how long the athlete will remain in the community and the desired length of the partnership. Many student-athletes transfer or enter professional leagues before completing their college career. This is important to consider if a credit union wants to build a lasting NIL partnership. Longer partnerships have a higher likelihood than short-term deals of reaching students and building deeper relationships with members.

2. Form A Clear Message And Purpose

Forming a clear message and purpose for the partnership is another important practice for effective NIL campaigns.

Michigan State University Federal Credit Union ($7.5B, East Lansing, MI) and Summit Credit Union ($6.4B, Cottage Grove, WI) recently partnered with female athletes at local universities to promote financial literacy and  female empowerment. The partnerships with strong, female athletes competing in a field commercially dominated by men positioned these credit unions as organizations that care about uplifting and empowering women in the community. Ultimately, partnering with female college athletes can be an effective way to reach younger women who are getting first jobs, taking out loans, and spending — and budgeting — their own money for the first time.

For TDECU’s ($4.7B, Lake Jackson, TX) Spring 2023 Random Acts of Kindness NIL campaign, student-athlete partners at the University of Houston surprised students with gifts and good deeds. The campaign positioned TDECU as a service-oriented organization focused on giving back to the community. As college students flock to new cities to attend school, they’ll be looking for a financial institution, and campaigns like this can set credit unions apart as having a positive presence on campus as well as a generous relationship with students.

3. Reach Out In-Person

Finally, if a credit union wants to create a compelling NIL campaign, it should look for ways to integrate the partnership into the community and encourage in-person interactions between the student-athlete and prospective members. Many NIL partnerships play out primarily through social media. Making the effort to connect offline, too, reminds members and the community that there are real people behind the credit union brand.

Alongside its in-person gift giving, TDECU announced plans to host in-person watch parties for basketball games to support its student-athletes. MSUFCU launched its NIL partnership live at a local high school with women’s high school basketball players. Events like these bring the community into the student-athlete-credit union partnership, create memorable moments, and help build lasting relationships.

The world of NIL partnerships is expanding, presenting plenty of opportunity for credit unions to enter the space and take advantage of this new marketing channel. When doing so, keeping these three practices in mind will help them construct the most impactful partnerships. Finding student-athletes with influence, communicating a clear campaign message, and meeting people offline are solid ways to build meaningful, memorable relationships within their communities.

Marit Hoyem is a senior at Williams College and a second-year intern at Callahan & Associates.

The post 3 Ways To Make The Most Of Player Sponsorships appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

So why should credit unions care?

The two films have captured the attention of multiple demographics, but have especially resonated with young adults, thanks in part to massive social media buzz. A host of other brands — completely unrelated to either toys or nuclear weapons — have latched on to that buzz. Sports teams like the NBA’s Boston Celtics and NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers posted photos of their athletes wearing black and pink outfits in honor of the two movies. In a brand partnership with the movie, Burger King released a “Barbie Burger,” topped with a hot pink sauce. Even politicians have gotten involved in the fad, sharing on social media which of the films they were going to see first.

Credit union efforts to participate in the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon have ranged broadly. Across the pond, North Coatbridge Credit Union in Scotland seized the marketing moment and used the Barbie font and logo to promote home loans. In the United States, some have simply asked on social media which of the two films followers are planning to see first. Others, including Community Choice Credit Union ($794.8M, Johnston, IA), have hosted “Barbie” screenings with photo ops, credit union-branded giveaways, and more.

Capitalizing on this sort of pop culture moment can capture the attention of younger consumers who tend to stay up to date on internet trends, but it also can help businesses build relationships with existing customers. When an organization demonstrates an interest in something its customers like, it gives a personality to the company and allows people to connect and identify with the brand beyond the products or services offered. Especially because credit unions are community oriented, the effort to relate to their members reflects their commitment to continuously growing relationships and connecting with new members.

But it’s not all hot pink cars and dreamhouses. These pop culture movements live and die on social media among users, and walking the line between being in on the joke and being the butt of the joke is intimidating enough that a lot of brands steer clear of taking advantage of these marketing opportunities. Of course there’s a risk of having a joke or cultural reference fall flat — and the larger the social media following, the larger the risk — but algorithms also virtually guarantee that interested users will see the content, meaning these sorts of posts could have a limited viral effect beyond current followers. Providing context with these marketing opportunities helps bring people in on the joke and can build community.

These moments have real economic impact. As noted above, “Barbenheimer” grossed more than $230 million in just one weekend. Similarly, Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour,” the summer’s other pop culture megalith, is expected to generate roughly $5 billion in consumer spending nationwide, driven in large part by not only concert tickets but also hotel accommodations, food, clothing, and more. When Taylor visited Cincinnati in early July, the Cincinnati Zoo offered reduced admission for fans wearing Taylor Swift gear. The zoo also sold its own Taylor Swift-related merchandise and shared photos on social media throughout the week of animals playing with the Taylor-themed toys. That weekend, hotels downtown grossed $2.6 million dollars, for a net total of $92 million in local spending.

Despite the risks, marketing and branding efforts that capitalize on internet trends and cultural moments can capture new — and younger — audiences. Why wouldn’t credit unions want to be a part of that?

Marit Hoyem is a senior at Williams College and a second-year intern at Callahan & Associates.

The post Can Credit Unions Capitalize On Barbenheimer’s Big Moment? appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

In 2022, employees of Langley Federal Credit Union ($5.1B, Newport News, VA) raked up more than 2,000 hours of volunteer service. Langley FCU’s foundation — Langley for Families — donated more than $1 million in 2022 to support its community’s healthcare, housing and human services, education, and safety and security. And during a single day of service, the two entities had teams of people deployed at nine different project sites. There’s a lot to celebrate, and the community impact report is one way to do that.

Here, Liz Wolfson, director of foundation and events, and Jerome Fowlkes, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, share how the credit union and its foundation have coordinated to produce a community impact report that helps drive engagement among key stakeholders.

Why did Langley start to produce its own community impact report?

Liz Wolfson: As our donations and efforts began growing, we wanted to make sure our employees, our members, local non-profits, and community knew about the deeper impact we were having. The Langley for Families foundation was formed in 2014. The impact piece is a great way for all our stakeholders to see how our combined impact is strengthening our community. It also helps us build trust and drive engagement.

What does Langley hope to accomplish through the report?

LW: The outcomes are different for each of our key stakeholder groups, but motivation is a common goal. It should motivate our employees by showing them all the various ways to give their time, talent, and treasure. It should encourage individuals from outside our organization to get involved — as either members, employees, or partners. And it should inspire the community by showcasing our combined impact.

How do you distribute the report?

Jerome Fowlkes: In addition to the report being publicly available on Langley’s website and our foundation’s site, we also share it with all employees via our intranet and distribute printed copies to our business partners — it provides concrete examples as our executives tell Langley’s story during our charitable golf classic, which is one of our largest fundraisers.

Lastly, Liz has the opportunity to speak with every new class of employees and provides this piece to get them excited about the organization they have joined and inspire them to get involved in multiple ways.

What kind of feedback have you received about the impact report?

JF: The feedback has been very positive. What really stands out about this piece is the dollars invested. The foundation is not even 10 years old, yet we were able to hit the $1 million milestone for the first time in 2021 and exceed it again in 2022. When you add in the credit union’s charitable wing, that’s a total of $1.6 million we’re pouring into the communities we serve. It’s impressive.

Our other initiatives also resonate with readers. We include the number of volunteer hours and number of employees who volunteer throughout the year and during special events such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. We had teams of people deployed at nine project sites that single day. In 2022, Langley employees volunteered a total of 2,370 hours.

Does creating the report help the credit union or foundation in other ways?

JF: Yes, it’s a great way to look back on what we’ve done. It demonstrates how far we’ve come, what we did, and how successful we were. Although we have a board and grant committee that shapes the initiatives we want to fund and our priorities moving forward, the report shows how well we’re doing in key areas. It also motivates us to ask what we need to do collectively to have an even bigger impact next year.

What lessons have you learned along the way? What advice do you have for others?

LW: The biggest thing we changed from 2021 to 2022 was focusing on telling the story of the year versus highlighting all the initiatives separately [click here to download the 2021 report]. We want to start with the key community needs before moving on to how we addressed them and sharing the overall statistics to tie it all together.

In terms of advice for others, occasionally I’ve seen community impact reports that sneak in a sales pitch. That’s not a great look and could take away from the heartfelt component of the piece. A community impact report should demonstrate how you are a servant leader within the community. It’s not a sales brochure.

JF: Giving back to the community is deeply ingrained at Langley. All vice presidents, senior vice presidents, and C-suite executives serve on at least one board. In some cases, individuals serve on multiple boards. These local organizations see our commitment firsthand throughout the year, but this piece summarizes our actions, advocacy, and community involvement for everyone. We’re always trying to better understand local needs. It’s not just about giving cash and writing a report — it’s a real commitment to being part of our community. That’s what I love about Langley.

Looking For New Ways To Build Trust And Drive Engagement?

Let’s talk about paths to build trust with members and the community. Sustainable Business Strategy is a learning opportunity that teaches credit union executives how to look at their institutions differently and think purposefully. In collaboration with Harvard Business School Online, credit union leaders learn to rethink their approaches in order to increase trust and drive engagement.
LEARN MORE & REGISTER TODAY

This interview has been edited and condensed.

The post Build Trust And Drive Engagement With An Annual Impact Report appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• Atomic Credit Union operates 58 student-run school branches.
• Graduated student-run branch members account for approximately 5% of total membership and 12% of digital transactions.
• The credit union’s average member age is 42 but aims to reduce that to 35.

Growing new business among young adults is imperative for any financial institution. Credit unions are no exception, and one Ohio cooperative might have found the secret to connecting with consumers before they reach their peak savings and borrowing years.

The average age of a credit union member in the United States is 47. At Atomic Credit Union ($532.5M, Piketon, OH), it’s 42, and the cooperative aims to reduce it to 35 within the next three years.

That’s a lot to ask of an institution with more than 62,000 members, but this southern Ohio FI is already making significant strides in that direction by leveraging the relationships it builds through its 58 student-run branches scattered across 19 mostly rural counties.

Atomic targets the young with no fee/double dividend savings accounts, checking accounts, ATM cards for children 10 and older, and debit cards for children 13 and older. Mobile apps and online banking also are part of the package.

Those student branches tend to be near the credit union’s growing network of full-service branches that are either new or renovated and designed to be attractive, welcoming destinations for members accustomed to or dependent on in-person banking in these often-low-income communities.

We hope Atomic’s program will impact our student members for the rest of their lives. As their financial needs evolve, Atomic will be at the forefront of their minds because of the relationships built at such an early age.

Transactional Accounts Are Key

Atomic has more than 10,000 youth members, says president and CEO Tom Griffiths. Those 58 student-run branches are home to approximately 5,900 of those accounts, with deposits totaling around $3.1 million and transactions exceeding 100,000 a month.

“Transactions” is the key word here, especially when it comes to transactional accounts.

“That’s where the rubber meets the road,” Griffiths says. “The progression of these accounts from saving money to conducting transactions gives these youth members real-world experience within the confines of a monitored, fee-free system. Gaining financial knowledge with the help of our staff becomes increasingly important as they enter adulthood and their financial needs evolve.”

Of course, the hope is that this evolution means a sticky relationship with Atomic Credit Union, and the numbers show the potential of this strategy — which includes financial education and counseling from kindergarten through high school — is not just academic.

Former student-run branch members who are now young adults comprise only 4.8% of Atomic’s membership but conduct nearly 9% of the cooperative’s debit card transactions and 11.65% of all digital transactions.

“These debit card transactions have tripled in the past three years,” Griffiths says. “During this same time period, loans have quadrupled for this segment of members.”

Want to learn more about Atomic’s student branch strategy? Read “School Branches Earn High Grades” on CreditUnions.com. 

Multiple Channels For Building Lasting Ties

The credit union uses digital and physical channels for marketing student-run programs and youth accounts. The latter has its own webpage, and marketing materials throughout the regular branches promote Atomic’s youth programs.

“The members love to see the banners in the lobbies of the local community schools,” Griffiths says. “We’re ensuring there is no disconnect between the branch offices and the student-run facilities.”

The credit union also uses social media channels as well as yearbook advertisements, email marketing campaigns, and newspaper advertisements to promote youth accounts.

“Our student-run program is the only one of its kind in our area,” Griffiths says. “We’re causing young members to take notice of the benefits of credit union membership.”

Of course, youth programs are just the beginning of the benefits of credit union membership.

“We hope Atomic’s program will impact our student members for the rest of their lives,” the CEO adds. “As their financial needs evolve, Atomic will be at the forefront of their minds because of the relationships built at such an early age.”

Starting With Savings

Starting them out young with their own accounts is a long-term investment in the future of the member and the credit union, and it begins with the most basic of credit union offerings: the share account.

“The entire basis of Atomic’s student-run program is that each youth member has their own account,” Griffiths says. “Like most credit unions, that starts with a savings account. Our youth members learn financial skills by making deposits and tracking balances through our digital and branch channels. They experience the importance of depositing, withdrawing, and earning interest.”

Students earn rewards for making consistent deposits, helping to build enthusiasm year after year, Griffiths says, which is a reward of its own for the credit union.

The Opportunity To Be First

“Assisting youth members with their transactions provides the opportunity to build strong relationships,” Griffiths says. “Atomic has the unique opportunity to be the first financial institution to teach them savings skills.”

Then comes borrowing.

“When youth members arrive at the branch to conduct their transactions, the importance of saving and credit are emphasized as they meet with our experienced lending staff. The branch staff educates the youth members on how to manage their finances and begin their journey toward starting their credit,” the long-time Atomic CEO says. “This is extremely helpful once they graduate high school and either begin their college careers or venture out to begin their professional careers.”

Griffiths says the student-run program is an extension of its member-first mission to provide innovative products and services across those 19 counties it serves.

“Engaging our youth members on a weekly basis at 58 student-run branches is a long-term investment coinciding with the vision of becoming a premier financial service provider,” he says.

Ultimately, the credit union doesn’t sit on the sidelines and wait for young members to come knocking on the door. That’s what the student-run branches are all about.

“We used to rely on parents and guardians to open youth accounts for their loved ones,” Griffiths adds. “But by being in the area schools, we reach busy parents and guardians that might not have finances for their children at top-of-mind.”

How To Lead With Purpose

Why does your credit union exist? Do you serve your members and community in ways that set you apart from other financial choices? Rethink your role and responsibility to members, employees, communities, and the environment with Sustainable Business Strategy, a learning experience Callahan & Associates offers in collaboration with Harvard Business School Online.

Learn More Today

The post How To Build Lasting Ties With Young Members appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Give The Gift Of Membership This Holiday Season

Tinker FCU’s holiday promotion has become an annual tradition to boost membership growth.

5 Tips For Navigating NCAA Player Sponsorships

Name, image, and likeness (NIL) contracts are still new, but three intrepid credit unions share best practices and lessons learned about building relationships with college players.

How Abilene Teachers Rallied The Community With A Social Media Campaign

By turning March 25 into “325 Day,” the credit union helped launch a civic celebration that has become an annual event.

Member Segmentation Paves The Way To Personalization

PSECU takes a realistic segmentation strategy to keep personalization manageable yet effective.

3 Ways To Build Connections Through Social Media

Tips and tricks from three cooperatives that present personality and add a human touch to social posts.

Meritrust Takes Financial Literacy To The Locker Room

The credit union has partnered with three of Kansas’s largest universities to provide financial education for college athletes.

School Branches Earn High Grades For This Ohio Cooperative

Atomic Credit Union helps students build savings and careers as it increases visibility through its 58 school branches.

Summit Credit Union Focuses On Women

The Wisconsin-based institution sets itself apart by focusing on the needs of women, helping them gain financial independence, and, most recently, helping people take steps to close the gender pay gap.

Wescom Gains International Reach With A New UCLA Partnership

A relationship with the university’s Dashew Center will help the California credit union reach incoming international students, some of whom have already joined the cooperative.

Supporting The Military Is More Than A Job At AmeriCU

The New York credit union addresses financial readiness for military members via basic budgeting guidance as well as more in-depth financial planning for soldiers heading down the wrong path.

The post CreditUnions.com 2022: Best Of Marketing appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• USC Credit Union enlisted the help of Ally Bank and Citibank to launch a fund aimed specifically at helping struggling organizations making a difference in Los Angeles.
• In its first year, the fund provided 18 $5,000 college scholarships as well as micro-grants to grassroots organizations.

An unlikely trio has teamed up in Los Angeles to help struggling retailers adapt to the ever-changing post-pandemic business environment. The triple combination of USC Credit Union, Ally Bank, and Citibank have provided more than $125,000 so far to help students with scholarships and aid struggling businesses evolve in a new and ever-changing environment. The combination of resources for a common good has given way to a new hybrid way of giving called the Allied Impact Fund.

In early 2020, USC Credit Union ($767.7M, Los Angeles, CA) began an internal conversation about establishing a foundation as a more efficient way to raise funds and contribute to community groups beyond providing scholarships. As the grip of the pandemic set in, however, the credit union rethought its intent and how it could serve its struggling community in a more meaningful way than simply doling out dollars.

“COVID or not, we are all in a time of rebuilding,” says Rocio Flores, chief social impact officer at USC and leader of the Allied Impact Fund. “The world of community-based organizations, helping people stand on their own, is where we can help.”

According to the Los Angeles Business Federation, roughly 90% of businesses in LA County stated their revenue had been severely impacted by the end of 2020. Nearly half of Los Angeles area businesses were on track to lose 50% or more of their projected revenue that year. And according to CalMatters, a non-profit organization for policy and politics in California, more than 2.4 million people fell through the cracks of local Los Angeles programs aimed at helping gig workers. Unfortunately, these numbers don’t even include the undocumented workers who qualify for neither unemployment nor Coronavirus stimulus checks.

USC realized it needed to help in an unconventional way, and it looked for some unconventional partners. The credit union reached out to other financial institutions, including Ally Bank the Sandy, UT-headquartered auto, mortgage, and credit card juggernaut as well as the $1.6 billion Citibank, which has 275 branches in California alone, 127 of those in the Los Angeles basin.

“They wanted to get funds into the community, and we had the vehicle to make it happen,” Flores says. “It was so hyper-local for LA, and it was perfect timing.”

Lead With Purpose

Rethink your credit union’s role and responsibility to members, employees, communities, and the environment with Sustainable Business Strategy, a virtual learning experience Callahan & Associates offers in collaboration with Harvard Business School Online.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER TODAY

The Allied Impact Fund launched with money from the credit union as well as hefty contributions from Ally Bank and Citibank. The fund’s goal is to make long-term investments in East and South LA communities via financial tools, literacy, and accessibility.

Ally gave a $10,000 charitable contribution in 2020 to invest in USC Credit Union Foundation’s Allied Impact Fund, which provides micro-grants to low- and moderate-income individuals and entrepreneurs, says Jan Bergeson, Ally’s CRA officer.

Citibank made an initial donation of $25,000.

These donations combined with $90,000 of USC Credit Union’s own funds enabled the cooperative to not only provide 18 $5,000 college scholarships but also give money to grassroots organizations in the form of micro-grants.

The credit union wants to support organizations that struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic yet still are making a difference in LA. The Rightway Foundation is one such organization. It helps former foster youth obtain proper training for sustainable jobs. The organization also wants to help former foster youth secure temporary housing, and the funding it received from the Allied Impact Fund last year helped it begin that program and grow it into something that is now flourishing.

Other recipients last year include Street Vendors United, a collaborative organization that helps more than 100 local food vendors with sanitation training and regulatory guidance.

“All of these organizations were doing good work in our community,” Flores says. “They were already very bold in what they were doing to support others.”

For the Allied Impact Fund, this is just the beginning.

“There are so many organizations that align with what we believe in, and there’s a need for an alliance to bring community leaders together,” Flores says. “The power of collaboration is powerful. We want the credit union to be a partner they can count on.”

What began as a simple idea to funnel funds to those in need has grown into so much more. The fund has earned the respect of the partners , which set aside differences in business models to work toward a common good.

“The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the need for financial institutions of all sizes to work together to support our communities,” says Vera Moore, a community relations leader at Citi. “I’m proud to see Citi’s support could help the Allied Impact Fund provide local nonprofits and the communities they serve with immediate relief as well as longer-term economic recovery.”

With a sharp focus and specific goals, plus the combined power of banks and credit unions working together, the Allied Impact Fund is reaching new heights.

“We want to keep this going,” Flores says. “We’re looking at other organizations that align with the mission of the credit union to support the community so we can work together to build a better future.”

The post USC Credit Union Teams Up For Community Impact appeared first on CreditUnions.com.