Onsite: Crash Big. Bright. Minds. The future is now

Doubling your event attendance in a year is a difficult feat… unless you’re Filene and the event is Big. Bright. Minds. They made filling this conference room with top-notch talent look like a piece of cake. Today’s event is focused on the future and taking the research that we have and implementing it (remember the DO portion I talked about yesterday?). Filene has an amazing group of i3ers presenting innovative ideas that could have incredible long-term benefits for members, the community and the industry as a whole.

But before I delve into the awesomeness of their projects; one important thing for you! Filene and D+H have partnered to create a new app that they released today and if app creation is something that you are considering doing, I strongly suggest you look at some of the elements they’ve included (calendar integration for one). One of the things that I love most about the app is that you now easily have access to the information and research that Filene is encouraging us all to pay close attention to.

Now onto the projects! I’ve been astounded this week at the amount and quality of the ideas that I’ve been hearing about the past day and half, and these presentations are no exception! Eight innovative ideas were presented today and each speaks to a need that credit unions can address. So as you read through a quick recap of these projects, think about what actions and steps you can take in your community to address a need and then put together a plan to make that reality.

• High Five: an online system to enhance employee engagement and offer rewards for a job well done. It allows employees to interact and congratulate and motivate each other.
• CU-Toot: a social media platform integrated into your credit unions site that allows members to make referrals. It offers rewards to members for each referral and makes the process of tracking referrals much for efficient for credit unions.
• Wellness Makes Cents: a program focused on rewarding and encouraging members to focus on their physical well being and seeing the correlation between money and fitness. Health expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy so the goal is to help members avoid unnecessary expenses.
• My Dime: is an online loan application process that gives members instant approval and provides them with a variety of options they qualify for and allows them to choose what works best for them, all from their phone. This also takes care of all the underwriting for the credit union making them more efficient.
• ZeroHour: enhances member experience through mobile devices. Capitalizes on the fact that people looking at their phones on average 150 times per day. It helps provide reward offers, lobby management, indirect lending, measure member satisfaction.
•  CU Dime Drop: Is piggybacking the recent success of flash and cash mobs, in a way that helps the community (which includes members and potential members). Dime drop uses social media to create #flashvolunteer situations where the credit union can support local organizations or events.
• The Sustainable COOP Fund:  93% of people don’t know the difference between banks and credit unions. GenY is focused on causes and personal buy in to a brand – a perfect match for credit unions. This project is about creating awareness for the future generation of the credit union movement.
• The future of i3: This one is pretty self explanatory but this group was asked to look at what might be coming and changing for the i3 program. 3 solutions they came up with are:
  Summer Camp: (a way to build a stronger base for innovation – think of it as i3 101).
  Extreme Brainfood: Keeping former i3ers involved and growing.
  The Outsiders: Open the base of people who can qualify – the outsiders can help make and drive solutions           into the credit unions.

If the potential of these projects doesn’t excite you and inspire you to start a Think.Do.Change. movement in your community, then you clearly haven’t had enough coffee yet!