Credit Union Taking Community Involvement to the Next Level

Community involvement is one of the best ways to get to know the people your CU serves and gain an edge on your competition. According to McKinsey & Company and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, showing social responsibility in your community can add significant value to your business' bottom line, as environmental, governmental and, in this case, social contributions can enhance business and revenue growth.

It is crucial for credit unions to understand the powerful influence that the collective social consciousness, or community, has on business to be successful in all aspects of what they do.

Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, Phoenix, has always been deeply involved with the community through donations of time, money and resources. However, as we celebrate our 75th anniversary this year, we knew we needed to go beyond our usual donations and involve the community around us on a much deeper level. Enter Desert Schools’ Shine On campaign.

We launched this campaign to celebrate 75 years of success and growth in Arizona, calling attention to six causes that truly deserve recognition every day – and to those who work tirelessly to make our community a better place to live. Our goal is to shine a light on these charities, first and foremost, by simply creating a greater awareness of these causes that serve the communities around them. A second goal is to reward them with a grant to continue the stellar work their organization is known for.

Staying true to our brand values, we started with our mission to give back to the people of Arizona and worked forward on the campaign goals from there. Shine On highlights organizations covering aspects of life in Arizona that nearly anyone can get behind – and even some that shed a light on problems that members of our community didn’t even know existed.

Campaign Details

We handpicked six causes from our community that we saw as having the potential to do something truly meaningful at a local level. These causes span six different categories: animal welfare, neighborhood beautification, the arts, youth development, education and health.

To create a campaign that had the largest potential audience, we elected to enact an online campaign, driving votes to a custom website where anyone (not just credit union members) can vote once daily for their favorite cause.

To kick off this initiative, we launched a full-scale media campaign to get the word out to the community at large. We distributed a press release, achieved media coverage in various local outlets, developed a social media plan and executed a number of community events.

In addition, each charity received a social media tool kit incorporating education and tips on the best approach to assist them in their social media campaign efforts. Large-scale marketing initiatives included 30-second commercials and digital billboards incorporating a strong call to action to vote for a favorite cause at the campaign’s digital hub, ShineOnAZ.org.

To keep messaging fresh and top of mind throughout the year-long campaign, Desert Schools FCU will continue to host pop-up events at local high-traffic businesses, surprising the community at large with free lunches, coffee and more. During these events, we engage and educate community members about Shine On, allowing them to vote on the spot using iPads. We also use the opportunity to say “thank you” for doing good in the community. Our goal all year is simply to make people feel good and to help them do good.

Lastly, we’ve developed Shine On as a way to thank our members for making us the largest credit union in Arizona today by rewarding those who vote with enviable monthly prizes, like a trip to Disneyland and suites at Arizona’s hottest sporting events. It’s a simple and easy way to say “thank you” for their invaluable support.

Of course, the prizes aren’t just for members – they are for anyone who votes. At the end of the day, we’ve devised a way to continue our core value of giving back, in a bigger and better way than we’ve ever imagined before, while continuing to strengthen brand loyalty and help our community thrive.

Go Beyond the Norm

Other credit unions looking to connect with their communities should begin by asking these questions:

• What are the most pressing issues that affect the community around us?
• How can we play a fundamental role in resolving these issues?
• What does the community seek from our credit union?

These questions will help your organization assess the channels and content with which to draft a meaningful and impactful campaign.

The key to staying relevant for any length of time without sacrificing brand reputation is creating a strategic public relations calendar, a dedicated social media presence and a keen call to action with a driving reason to complete that action. Above all, the organization's core values should be at the heart of any campaign or celebration.

CUES member Cathy Graham is VP/marketing at $3.1 billion/300,000-member Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, Phoenix.