According to former smart USA president and future THINK ’10 conference speaker Dave Schembri, one of the best ways for credit unions to connect with their communities, build member loyalty and attract new members is to engage in charitable activity.
“One of the most effective ways of marketing is ‘discovery marketing,’ when consumers learn about you in a natural way, not through conventional advertising,” says Dave. “One of the best ways that potential members can discover your credit union is through charitable partnerships. Consumers today are looking for products and services providers that show civic mindedness. When they see that a company is not only putting its own money into a charity, but its employees are also putting their own time and money into it, they know that civic mindedness is genuine.”
Dave, who will be speaking on “Street Smart” at THINK ’10 this April, knows this well as a 30 year veteran of the car industry, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which raises research funds to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.
In 1996, the credit union industry established the Credit Unions for Kids initiative to partner with the Children’s Miracle Network and raise funds for children’s hospitals throughout the country.
There are few better ways for you to uplift your communities than by holding a Credit Unions for Kids fundraiser. The dollars your credit union raises can be designated for a hospital directly in your area. What’s even better, there is a way to add on to what you raise.
CO-OP Financial Services, on behalf of its member credit unions, offers the CO-OP Miracle Match program. In 2009, the CO-OP Miracle Match program provided $1 million in matching funds to fundraisers supporting Children’s Miracle Network.
If your credit union is considering a Credit Unions for Kids event in 2010, we encourage you to go to our CO-OP Miracle Match Web page immediately and complete an application.
From the perspective of CO-OP Financial Services, we are incredibly impressed with the generosity of the credit union movement. There can be no doubting the sincerely of the civic mindedness of credit unions and their employees. We’ve also been impressed with their creativity.
One activity from 2009 was the “Shirt Off Our Backs Jersey Auction with the River City Rascals” conducted in August by 1st Financial FCU of St. Charles, Mo. 1st Financial FCU is a sponsor of the River City Rascals, a minor league baseball team in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Following the Rascals’ last game of the season, they auctioned off the players’ jerseys. The auction raised $4,000 and CO-OP Miracle Match produced $4,000 more for a grand total of $8,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network.
According to 1st Financial’s Michelle Rosner, “It was a natural fit for our two organizations to come together for this great cause. The River City Rascals are an economical alternative to high-cost sports in the area, and we are an economical alternative to high-cost banking!”
What have you got planned for 2010? Please let us all know by leaving a comment – we hope your great idea will lead to the discovery of many others!
I”m so proud to work for an organization that puts philanthropy at the top of their priority list. I love being involved in activities here at CO-OP that raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. I feel good knowing the money is going to a worthy cause.
I am with DuPont Goodrich FCU. Our members call us DuGood as a nickname – but it really fits well with our philospohy of doing good for our members and community. We held a campaign in November and December 2009 named “DuGood by Giving.” When our members financed a loan we gave them $250 Cash Back and donated an additional $250 to a local charity of the member’s choice. When the campaign ended we held a press event with check presentations, etc. The campaign was very successful and we ended giving back more than $42,000 to our members and local charities. We have a special website setup for this campaign at http://www.dugoodbygiving.org. We plan to continue DuGood By Giving every year around the holidays.
Clint,
It’s commendable to see that your members now know you as “DuGood”. You’ve done such an effective job of “doing good” for the community (a community that includes YOUR MEMBERS) that your brand now stands for more than being simply a fine financial instituation. That is truly an acheivement. It sounds like it was an organic and completely authentic process. This does so much to differentiate you from your bank competition and should help your credit union not only attract new members, but also enrich the relationship you have with your existing members. If there is anything you can share about how the “du good campaign” boosted business, it would be wonderful to learn. At the end of the day, it’s about being true to our character as a movement. DuPont Goodrich FCU is a shining example.