Playing bigger: What “the other guys” don’t want you to know

Publisher’s Note: CUInsight is hosting a free webinar Wednesday, April 21st titled, Little Giants: Have a BIG community impact at any size. We hope you’ll join us! Register here.

It’ll come as no surprise to CUInsight readers — credit unions have a secret weapon that isn’t necessarily wielded as much as it can be.

One of the hallmarks of a credit union is a strong foundation built upon community connection and involvement. That’s the heart of it all.

It seems like every day there’s a new digital bank or tech giant wanting to dive headfirst into banking, marketing themselves as the newest, shiny object to attract potential customers.

However, being flashy only gets you so far.

At the end of the day, young consumers still prefer financial institutions that have their origins in banking and offer the opportunity for personal connection.

I can only imagine the behind-the-scenes for some of these new entrants — illustrated by an exchange in the cinematic masterpiece, Zoolander. (Yes, I do have sophisticated taste.)

Four male models stand around in their loft after a tough day and our protagonist, Derek Zoolander, has an epiphany:

Derek: “Did you ever think that maybe there’s more to life than being really, really, really ridiculously good-looking? I mean, maybe we should be doing something more meaningful with our lives. Like helping people.”

Brint: “Uh, Derek, what people?”

Derek: “I don’t know. People who need help.”

If only they’d had a credit union hero there to set them on the path towards actually helping people.

During our inaugural Right on the Money contest, we learned of tremendous feats from credit unions across the globe — pivoting their strategies virtually overnight to keep the economy afloat. Anything from curbside service to member care packages and even having onsite childcare/online school for working parents, the efforts were nothing short of heroic.

If you missed the contest in 2020, have no fear, it’s returning with submissions opening at the end of July 2021.

With a hint of light at the end of the tunnel, we wanted to give you all a head start on your submissions for this year.

We are beyond pleased to introduce Whitney Anderson-Harrell, Chief Community Development Officer at MSUFCU and Founder of the Desk Drawer Fund, as our distinguished guest for our upcoming webinar titled, “Little Giants: Have a BIG community impact at any size.”

With a member base exceeding 300,000, MSUFCU artfully balances the aforementioned community involvement and recruitment of university students as well as maintaining legacy members and developing cutting-edge technology.

The purpose of this conversation is to share Whitney’s learnings throughout her career and provide attendees with actionable steps they can take regardless of the size of their institutions.

Yes – this is what “the other guys” are worried about. It’s tough to compete against the passion, heart, and resolve of a scrappy, determined credit union.

We hope you’ll be joining us on Wednesday, April 21 at 1:00 pm Eastern.

As ‘The Banking CRM’, CRMNEXT is always here to partner with you on your credit union’s transformation journey. Learn more about digital transformation here!

Don’t forget to join CUInsight and CRMNEXT for our free webinar titled Little Giants: Have a BIG community impact at any size, on Wednesday, April 21st. Register yourself and a colleague here.

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Victoria Weber

Victoria Weber

Victoria Weber is Manager, Marketing Enablement at CRMNEXT, a leading CRM solution for credit unions. She’s recognized for her proven ability to build strong relationships with customers, partners and ... Details