Maine Credit Unions Celebrate Credit Union Day with 10 Months of Saving, Sharing

After a campaign that brought member interaction, increased Shared Branching transactions and money to both members and a charity of a winning credit union’s choice, Maine’s Credit Unions’ Share it and Save campaign concluded on International Credit Union Day, October 20. During the ten-month campaign, credit unions throughout the state have directed members to a microsite, ShareItAndSave.org, where they could share their own financial tip. Each month, the member who shared the most unique tip was awarded $250! The site also features a Shared Branch Locator, with which users can enter an address or intersection to find the three closest Shared Branches. The campaign included a credit union competition, in which the credit union who had the highest percentage of members share tips won $2,500 to present charity of their choice. Bangor FCU came out on top, with their members contributing 17% of the tips and 0.6% of their membership participating. The credit union used a variety of lobby collateral and online banner ads to promote the program with their members.

Members also benefited, with 11 happy winners of $250 coming from different credit unions. The winning tip for September was submitted by Town & Country FCU member Diane Unni of Biddeford, Maine, with the tip, “My husband and I are saving for a trip to Italy...we put AT LEAST $1.00 a day into our ‘Italy Jar’...we are half way there!” International Credit Union Day was truly a reason for celebration for Midcoast FCU member and Brunswick resident Wanda Johnson, who won $250 for this winning entry in Maine Credit Unions’ Shared Branching Savings Tip Competition: “When my car was paid off, I made the payment to myself every month. 5 years later I had $9,000 for a down payment on a new car!” Due greatly to credit unions’ high level of participation in this campaign, Maine Shared Branching monthly transactions had the largest growth from July through September 2011 during the peak of the campaign, a 48% increase in transactions during the campaign period over the same period in 2010.