Operation CU*SWAG

For some good light hearted Friday fun, we bring a story from our friends over at CU*SWAG.  Two weeks ago, 3 CU*SWAG Angels embarked on a journey to spread the credit union love.

Don’t Believe What You See in Headlines

Credit unions are not being bailed out. Monies are safe. Here’s a quick video to set the message straight. Thanks to Fool Proof for sharing this with us.

Wear and Share to Help Haiti Heal and Recover

To help provide disaster relief for Haiti, CU*SWAG has designated this Thursday, January 21st, as ‘Wear and Share to Help Haiti Heal’ Day. CU*SWAG strongly believes in the credit union philosophy of ‘People Helping People’ and pledges to donate 100% of profits from orders placed on January 21, 2010, to the National Credit Union Foundation CUAid Disaster Relief System.

“As we continue to work with credit unions around the country, we have built the credit union spirit of people helping people into the CU*SWAG culture from day one,” said James Robert Lay, Grower of Relationships. “CU*SWAG wants to show the world that credit unions offer more than just financial services. They offer hope and help for people and nations in need.”

Currently, CU*SWAG donates ten percent of its profits to a quarterly featured charity within the global community and wanted to expand its level of social responsibility. With the disaster in Haiti and the extreme need for assistance, CU*SWAG wanted to do more than just send in a check. The goal is reach as many credit unions as possible and have their money go straight to providing aid in Haiti.

“We are excited to offer credit unions the ability to give back and help CUAid raise money for Haiti relief efforts while credit unions get CU*SWAG to share the credit union love with their employees, members and community,” said Lay.

Tweet, post to Facebook, call, email or text your credit union friends to tell them about ‘Wear and Share to Help Haiti Heal’ Day. Help spread the word while showing members and the community credit union love with a CU*SWAG shirt.

Make a Difference. It Will Only Cost You $1... That's It!

It takes a lot to think huge and do something different to make a difference.  Carol Schillios is living on a roof for as long as it takes to raise $1 million to support women and their families in developing countries.

She won’t come down from the roof until she raises $1 million.  You can help. You can make a difference.  It will only cost a $1.  But don’t think of it as a cost.  Think of it as investment into the greater good of mankind with the spirit of credit unions and “people helping people”.  

Carol simply asks that you donate $1 to the Fabric of Life Foundation, and accompany that donation with a small act of kindness.

Click here to read some of the amazing success stories from the work Carol and her foundation have already done.

You can help. Donate a dollar. Spread the word.

1.    Donate a dollar (or lots of dollars if you would like), and perform a small act of kindness in “your world”.

2.    Spread the word and tweet what you did with your one small act, along with this link to Carol’s site http://bit.ly/qQaec and the hashtag #imupontheroof.

For example: Hooked the office up with @starbucks today because I love my team and they do great things http://bit.ly/qQaec #imupontheroof

3.    Simple “free” idea: Change your Twitter location to “Up on the roof with Carol.”

By using the hashtag #imupontheroof, we can all follow along and “be on the roof” with Carol.  She is online “up there” and will be reading your tweets, thoughts, blog post and comments.

Help spread the word and encourage everyone you can to do the same by emailing, tweeting, blogging, texting, Facebooking, MySpacing, YouTubing and any other “ings” you can think of.  
Together, we can make a difference and bring Carol down from the roof.

Shout Out to Carol

• Carol is on Twitter as @schillios.
• She’s also on Facebook.
• Her blog is upontheroofwithcarol.org

How to Lead with LUV

When I fly Southwest Airlines I can't help but read Spirit Magazine. Even though it is wriiten for an airline, there have been times I actually bring the magazine home (and yes this is permitted). It was no surprise in the recent edition the message from Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, would be timely and at the forefront explaining Southwest's stance through the current economic crisis. Kelly's message parallels the credit union industry in many ways. Kelly states,

One of the sweet agonies of childhood was receiving a large gift of money from a relative. (At the time, $25 was a huge amount.) Like a typical kid, I would immediately begin calculating how many model car kits or (when I was older) eight-track cassettes I could buy. Of course, my parents had their own calculations: the compound interest the money would earn in a savings account. With hindsight, I see their wisdom, which was forged by the Great Depression.

While the country is in better shape than those dark days, we still are in the midst of what experts are calling the worst recession in the last 50 to 75 years. Some household names are already history, and by the time you read this, others may be. Still, in the midst of all this gloom, I feel very, very good about the Southwest Airlines brand and where it is headed.

Of course, no one knows the future, and I will be the first to tell you that no one could have predicted the unusual way this financial crisis erupted last fall. But I can tell you emphatically that Southwest Airlines was prepared for it—just like we were prepared to survive the aftermath of 9/11 and the first Gulf War in 1991. My parents knew that family finances would have their ups and downs, and companies are no different. One of the Cultural legacies that our Founder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher has given us is to manage during the good times so we can survive the bad times. And in our industry, bad times always come along—especially when you least expect them.

Sound familiar? Yes, the economy is in a bad place but lucklily the credit union industry as a whole is prepared to handle it. As a whole we are at 11% capitol and strong, safe, and prepared to serve our members.

To read Gary Kelly's entire message click on this link Managing for Bad Times

What do you think your credit union can learn from Southwest Airlines? Blog back and tell us!

Positive Credit Union Press - In the "Real Word"

While we have had some great conversations about communication over the past few days on our credit union blog, and even a great example of dealing with press in a crisis, it's important to look outside and see what is going on in the "real world".

Many thanks to Ryan Shell for tweeting this story (Credit union members: Don’t panic) this morning.  Take a look and note the positive press but more importantly, read through the comment to get a sense of public opinion. Over 41 comments have been made so far at the time of publishing this post.

It is interesting to see the public come to the defense of credit unions and "fighting back" against "John the Banker" aka John Forrest, President of Brainerd Savings & Loan in Brainerd, Minnesota. 

Below is John's original post that caused a flurry of post in defense of credit unions and the public setting the facts straight:

"The real story should be about how credit unions are ripping off the American taxpayer with their tax free status. Credit union have become no more than a bank in drag getting fat on a taxpayer subsidy estimated to be $1.45 Billion in 09 alone. This doesn’t include the state income tax they don’t pay and, if they are a federal credit union, the sales tax they don’t pay. Talk about corporate welfare! The American taxpayer should be outraged."

Posted By John Forrest, Brainerd, Minnesota: March 23, 2009 3:38 pm

When you read the comments, start from the bottom and work your way up to get a better sense of the story and how it has unfolded.

It is through "blog reporting" like this, you can get a sense of what the public truly thinks. Furthermore, you can take this same idea and implement at your credit union to see what your members truly think about a certain topic or issue. 

This shows just another benefit of conversation through social channels to enhance and build relationships.  Furthermore, this post shows the power of advocates for a market coming to the defense of something they believe in.

Shout back below and share your thoughts, ideas and opinions about this positive press for credit unions.

What's Enron Got to Do With It?

With the current market and some corporate credit unions in conservatorship; how do you differentiate your credit union? What message do you send to your members to let them know just because they hear the word “credit union” on the news it doesn't mean yours?

Jack McAdoo, former CEO of Enron FCU, has experience in dealing with the media and negative press in credit union world. Talk about stressful situations; the Enron credit union was inside of the Enron building at the time of the Enron collapse. The morning after the news of Enron filing bankruptcy, there was a line wrapped around the credit union of people ready to pull all their money out. He and his team saved the credit union, which is now Startrust FCU, through an event most credit union CEO's have nightmares about. According to the NCUA, Jack accomplished the impossible. McAdoo guided the credit union through a successful name change, relocation and field of membership expansion — all within a seven-month span. Jack is currently CEO at Beacon FCU in LaPorte, TX. I recently interviewed Jack McAdoo about his experience:

Watch Live - Presidential News Conference

Watch the Presidential News Conference below live on our credit union blog at 7:00PM (CST).  Shout back and share your comments below of what you think.

Did You Know? Now That You Do- How Will This Affect Your Credit Union?

Very interesting video on change and where the world is going. Now that you do know, how does this affect your credit union? Do you know? Blog back and tell us how!

Objective Glimpse into Credit Unions

Kudos go out to The Boston Globe's columnist, Steven Syre, for an objective article about credit unions in today's market - Paying a giant's price. Take a quick moment to read this insightful and straight forward article.

Thanks go out to several credit union friends for sharing this timely article.