Driving community engagement: Unlocking the power of engaging financial education

Community engagement is crucial for credit unions to fulfill their mission of promoting financial wellness and enriching their members’ lives. As members’ needs are constantly changing, implementing engaging and worthwhile community development programs can be a challenge.

Simply checking the box of providing financial education is no longer sufficient enough to drive real impact for your community. By being flexible, accessible, and offering education tailored to specific community needs, credit unions can create meaningful connections and deliver financial education that resonates.

Harnessing data analytics

The best-kept secret for creating enriching community development programs is harnessing the power of your member’s engagement analytics. By leveraging program data, credit unions can gain insight into what content or services their members need most or are most interested in, discover what education methods are most effective, and better plan to keep individuals on track.

Digging into internal program analytics or sending out additional member surveys are two easy, high-impact ways to start collecting and utilizing data to shape your programs. Learning what skills members are most and least confident in, what subjects pique their interest, and other meaningful data points can help create a strong path forward for your organization’s future programming.

Armed with this knowledge, credit unions can create tailored content that captures the interest of their community, increases engagement levels, and drives a deeper impact.

Simplifying and removing barriers

While robust financial education programs can take significant time and consideration to implement, they are oftentimes overcomplicated by various barriers to participation, such as creating your own programming internally. With the use of outside resources and vendors, you can streamline the programming process and lean on the experts to drive content. It’s important to remember that simple, easy, and clear programming is what will allow you to engage your members on a deeper level.

It’s also critical to eliminate barriers within the programs you chose. Blockers like complex registrations or clunky interfaces can prohibit your members from engaging on a deeper level. By offering user-friendly platforms, credit unions can ensure that members can easily access the financial education resources they need. Clear communication, intuitive interfaces, and seamless user experiences contribute to a positive learning environment, which can extend to increased engagement.

Embracing digital flexibility

In this digital age, offering mobile-first learning platforms opens doors for greater accessibility and impact, as traditional learning methods become outdated. According to the P-Fin index, only 48% of American adults can correctly answer just half of personal finance questions in their annual survey. Despite a recent push by institutions to implement financial education programming, it’s clear that the current system is still failing to make a direct impact.

Mobile-first learning solutions break down barriers of time and location, enabling members to learn on their own terms. The flexibility of digital learning ensures that members can engage with programs at their convenience, empowering them to take control of their financial well-being. By offering educational content through digital platforms, credit unions can increase their touchpoints to engage their community members in a way that fits their busy lifestyles.

Successful financial education requires actively listening to the needs of the community and implementing engaging strategies to drive impact. By actively embracing these principles, credit unions can empower their communities, promote financial well-being, and drive positive change.

Want to learn even more ways to drive community engagement? Contact Zogo through the form below or request a demo to learn how Zogo’s education can work for you.