This is both an exciting and bittersweet episode. After recording 97 episodes of The Remarkable Credit Union, longtime host and PixelSpoke's founder and former CEO, Cameron Madill, joins as a guest to share his top takeaways from his 20 years leading an impact-focused marketing agency for credit unions. Accompanying him is PixelSpoke's new CEO, Katie Stone, who further expounds on leadership lessons she's learned since joining PixelSpoke and how she hopes to carry them forward in her new role. They also address this month's BIG question: What should credit union leaders focus on to best equip ..read more

In a movement where large asset sizes have become a badge of honor, Express Credit Union is proud to be small. They believe that their intimate size affords them the opportunity to truly know their members and to pivot quickly when faced with unexpected challenges. This month, we’re excited to welcome Express Credit Union’s Chief Business Officer, Elizabeth Escobar, to talk about how to meet members where they’re at, what Express has to teach the country’s fourth largest credit union, and how to stay engaged with your members in the long-term. She also addresses this month’s BIG question: How ..read more

Most credit unions have a set of brand guidelines that include dos and don’ts for their color palettes, logos, images, graphics, and copy. But do guidelines like these truly capture the essence of your brand? Allison Netzer, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Nymbus and co-author of Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank, would answer that question with a resounding NO. Allison joins us on this month’s episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to talk about who credit unions should be tapping into to help shape and promote their brand, why “member-first” isn’t really a brand differentiator ..read more

Credit unions across the country are searching for ways to offer their underserved members pathways to homeownership. But when it comes to affordable housing, it’s clear that bolder action is needed to meaningfully move the needle. The affordable housing crisis is particularly acute in Seattle, Washington, where home prices increased by over 80% between 2010 and 2020. This month we’re excited to welcome Uche Okezie, Real Estate Development Director at HomeSight, a Seattle-based nonprofit, and Tina Narron, Chief Lending Officer at Verity Credit Union, also based in Seattle, to talk about how th ..read more

Is “ownership and economic opportunity for all” an idealistic pipe dream, or is it an achievable goal? Self-Help Credit Union would like to think the latter. Its mission statement embodies the credit union’s penchant for thinking big and pushing the boundaries of what credit unions can do and be.  This month, we’re thrilled to be joined by Randy Chambers, President of Self-Help Credit Union, to talk about what ownership actually means, how credit unions can advance economic opportunity one neighborhood at a time, and the ways in which a credit union’s WHY should inform all marketing effor ..read more

Bank collapses, recession forecasts, and rising interest rates, oh my! If there’s anything we know for certain, it’s that uncertainty is here to stay. As much as we’ve tried to get back to “normal,” the volatility that Covid set in motion seems determined to wreak havoc on our best-laid plans. This month, we’re excited to welcome Laurie Flanders, VP of Client Solutions at Strum Platform, and Ben Stangland, President & COO of Strum Agency and President of Strum Platform, to talk about what it means to know your members inside and out, why “friendly” is not a brand, and what kinds of stories ..read more

Most credit unions are fiercely committed to their local communities, and we think that’s great. Sometimes, though, it’s important to take a few steps back and broaden our perspective. That’s where the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) comes in. Today, we’re going to step back with Mike Reuter, the Executive Director of WOCCU’s Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions; Ari Farrell, Program Manager of the World Young Credit Union Professionals (WYCUP) program; and Lena Giakoumopoulos, GWLN (Global Women’s Leadership Network) Director. We talk about their audacious fundraising goal for Intern ..read more

If you’re a credit union marketer who feels like you should be doing more with automation and personalization, but you’re not sure how, you’re not alone. Kristin Harrison, Director of Business Development for WebStrategies, joins us to talk about why personalization has so much potential for credit unions and why it’s so hard to implement effectively. Here are tips for overcoming common obstacles and ensuring that your personalization efforts don’t do more harm than good. She also tackles this month’s BIG question: How can credit unions build a data strategy to meaningfully personalize digital ..read more

The “About” pages on credit union websites are full of stories about humble beginnings—small groups of people getting together to pool their resources. Nueva Esperanza Credit Union has a similar story, but with one crucial difference: It was founded in 2010. This month, CEO Sue Cuevas shares her inspiring journey, starting with recruiting inaugural members by copying their ID documents with a portable copy machine she kept in the trunk of her car. She talks about what spurred her to leave a 30-year career in corporate banking to start a credit union and what she’s learned along the way. She al ..read more

Credit unions have long been enthusiastic champions of their communities, but can they be doing more? How can they think outside the box to catalyze social change? Sharee Adkins, GoWest Credit Union Association Chief Impact Officer and Foundation Executive Director, joins us on this month's episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to share examples of how credit unions in her region are joining forces and tapping into the strengths of their core business competencies to tackle daunting social challenges. She also addresses this month's BIG question: How can credit unions leverage grant d ..read more