Nexus Connection

Green Standard in Banking?

Posted by Theresa Witham

As an editor for Credit Union Management, I take notice of interesting financial institution marketing, especially on TV. I live near Baltimore, and was impressed by the ads that PNC Bank has occasionally run in my market.

So I did a little research and learned that PNC, headquartered in Pittsburgh, has been committed to building green since 2000 and it applies green building standards to all new branches, claiming on its Web site and in television ads to have the most buildings on the entire planet certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

More than 50 percent of the construction materials used in the bank's green buildings are locally manufactured or made from recycled or green materials--from the structural steel to the carpeting and fabrics throughout the building.

• Glass in the windows is three times more efficient than conventional glass.
• Natural "daylighting" is incorporated into all occupied areas of the building.
• Lighting fixtures and daylighting controls help minimize electricity use.
• Fresh air is used as much as possible. During moderate weather seasons, some buildings can be cooled and ventilated with 100 percent outside air.
• Reduced water usage results from the installation of dual-flush toilets (which give users a choice about how much water to use) and low-flow faucets.
• Heating and air conditioning systems use 35 percent less energy than traditional ones.
• Highly reflective roofing material reduces heat retention and is supported by trusses and plywood that come from managed forests, which plant multiple trees for each one cut down.
• Most everything is made from recycled material--from the steel structure to the carpet.
• Pre-manufactured exterior panels reduce construction waste.
• Roof projections were designed to shade the building interior from direct sunlight.
• Solar shades for windows block direct sunlight without eliminating daylight.
• The plants, adhesives and caulking used during construction do not contribute to greenhouse gases.
• Use of drought-resistant plants require little to no water.
• Green housekeeping procedures and green cleaning products are utilized.

The bank's corporate offices are also green. Plus, PNC works with real estate developers to determine if contaminated land, or "brownfield" sites, can be cleaned up and redeveloped for branches.

The bank applies its green efforts to all major construction projects. For example, if future development sites have existing buildings, they are "deconstructed" rather than demolished. For one project, this allowed the bank to salvage or reuse more than 90 percent of materials that would otherwise go to landfills.

What's good for the environment is good for employees, the bank says. A study found employee retention and satisfaction to be much higher at PNC Firstside Center, a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver certified building, than at similar traditional facilities.

And what's good for the environment is good for the bank's bottom line. PNC says the green practices can reduce its building operating costs by 35 percent or more. By improving natural lighting, heating and cooling, the bank says its employees are more comfortable and productive, and the gas and electric bills are reduced with advanced air-cooling systems. Plus, the HVAC technology takes advantage of seasonal pricing by using natural gas in the summer and electricity in the winter in select buildings.

PNC is not the only financial institution that is making a green commitment. Read several ways that CUs are getting greener in articles from the August 2009 "green theme" issue of Credit Union Management:

• Green Assets
• Greening Your Staff
• Living Green
• Shades of Green
• Walk the Green Walk

These CUs have promoted their green efforts to their members and their communities, fostering goodwill and showing their commitment to creating a better world. What is your credit union doing to support the environment, and how is it promoting its efforts?

Theresa Witham is a CUES editor.

Also read "Going Green Promotes Positive Press and Positive Impression" and "Going Green Neither Corny nor Idle" on CUES Skybox.

Learn how CUES saved $52,000 by making some small energy changes in CUES Cost Control Series: Facilities.

Learn more about green facilities in CUES Complete Guide to Credit Union Facilities.

Move Over Applebee's, It's CU-Style Curbside Service

Posted by Lisa Hochgraf

Debbie Woodson and Russell Morin recently took their bikes to work. They didn’t commute to Daytona Beach Community College Credit Union, though. They rode them to help them do their work of serving members.

The $16 million CU, which I had the pleasure of visiting last month, is located in a community college building right on campus. Last year when the college resurfaced the parking lot in front of the CU’s headquarters, members would have had to walk half a mile from the nearest parking space to do their transactions. Enter the creativity of Debbie, CEO, and Russell, assistant manager of the CU.

In anticipation of the parking situation, they had equipped members with a special “curbside service” phone number (option 3 on the phone menu). When members called in advance to phone in their transaction “orders,” the line would ring in an identifiable way. Staff would handle the transaction in-branch and then Debbie and Russell would ride their bikes out to the member’s car to help them complete the transaction.

“We still have the service,” Debbie says. Even though the parking lot is finished, “when classes start, it fills up.”

I appreciate this creativity and assertiveness—and I bet members did, too. Hats off!

Professional Development Tidbit: The PR of 'Gift Questions'

Posted by Lisa Hochgraf

Today I'm prepping the July "PR Insight" column for publication on Thursday on cues.org. I so agree with one of the points made by author Scott Mills, president of William Mills Agency, Atlanta, that I thought I'd bring it to you as sort of the "professional development tidbit of the day."

Pretend you're in an interview with a reporter. Wisely, Mills advises:

• Take full advantage of the “gift question.” Most interviews will end with a question like: “I think I have all the information I need. Is there anything that you would like to add?” Do not let this slip by. This is your opportunity to paraphrase what you feel was the most important information from the interview.

I'm a reporter. I always end an interview with this kind of open question. The opportunity Mills describes is ripe.

 

In the column, Mills offers a host of other fine ideas for responding to a media inquiry. If you want me to e-mail you a preview copy, please let me know in the comments. Find the column here.

 

 

Our Web Site = Us

Posted by Lisa Hochgraf

Did you ever have one of those experiences that underscores something obvious? My recent work on the CUES membership campaign reminded me that the face of an organization may be just as much digital as personal.

Last Monday and Wednesday, I made calls and swapped e-mails with five credit union executives, with an aim for helping them take fuller advantage of their memberships. I was impressed how this group was definitely checking out cues.org as a first way to get to know the organization, and loved knowing that the CUES Members Share archives have a ton of information for them. Full transparency, though, I was also embarrassed when one of the Management magazine article indexes timed out for one member before it fully downloaded. (We're working on that directly, as well as taking an overall look at the effectiveness of our site.)

So while I was the "face" of CUES for these five executives last week because I was calling and e-mailing, our Web site also played an important role in their perception of their professional development association. Likewise, I imagine tellers and member service representatives at a credit union are critical to its public perception. At the same time, the impact of its Web site should not be underestimated.

Drum Roll, Please ...

Posted by Lisa Hochgraf

Used to be you had to be on hand after the CUES Golden Mirror Awards banquet if you wanted to check out "the boards"--a room full of displays of the winning GMA entries. Marketers, CEOs, vendors, agency reps and I used to walk up and down long aisles of easels, checking out the great ideas, celebrating the successes, and loving the artwork and choices of color.

My how things have changed.

This year you and I can check out the best in credit union marketing right here, without ever leaving our seats. From that one link, you can view not only a list of winners, but the complete entries, artwork and materials for each one of the winners. And for the top three--the GMA Best of Show, the Rookie of the Year and the Golden Shoestring--there's also a video summary of their winning work.

So join me after the drum roll ... in congratulating--and being inspired by--the 2009 GMA winners!

Good Press in Bad Economic Times

Posted by Lisa Hochgraf

A few years back I had the good fortune to visit $233 million Pittsford Federal Credit Union's Mendon, N.Y., branch, just seven minutes from my home. President/CEO Bill Martin, a CUES member, showed me how his cashless branches work (the CU's other branch, the CU's headquarters in nearby Pittsford, also operates without cash) and sent this editor back home with new insights into the topics I write about. (Thanks again, Bill!)

So my personal experience made me extra happy to see the outstanding press that Bill and his CU got recently in our local newspaper. Not only were the words on the money, but the article was on the front page, just under the fold. Reading the article reminded me that there's no time like the present to get out the good word about credit unions and how well yours in particular is doing in these troubled economic times.

The good press for Pittsford FCU in the Jan. 22, 2009, issue of The Sentinel, leads with "In a clear illustration of how it is 'different,' Pittsford Federal Credit Union's Board of Directors is pleased to announce that another extraordinary dividend will be distributed to Pittsford FCU members/owners for the fifth consecutive year."

Wow! Those are positive words! How much do you want to bet the newspaper printed exactly what was sent to them. Wonderful coverage for the CU.

There's more. Pittsford FCU's board president, Bill Beach, is quoted, giving readers a great education on CUs. Remember, we're on the front page of this well-read local weekly.

"The value of Pittsford FCU membership is clearly demonstrated with this payout," stated Bill Beach, president of the board. "As a volunteer board, we are committed to staying true to the credit union philosophy and giving back to our members whenever possible. This special dividend is our way of thanking members for supporting the credit union through their loyal use of our products and services. As we continue to hear about multi-billion dollar bailouts and corporate bankruptcies, I am thankful for Pittsford FCU's solid financial condition."

And then the article explains, "Credit unions are not-for-profit organizations. Rather than generating profit to facilitate payment of dividends to stockholders, earnings are instead distributed to members in the form of low fees, lower loan rates and higher rates of return on deposits."

I say well timed and well worded.

As another example of a CU that did a great job of explaining recent credit union land events to members, check out this post from the blog of $150 million American 1 Credit Union, Jackson, Mich.

What the Heck are Mail Goggles?

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

After several failed attempts at coming up with a clever introduction to this post, I give up. Here's what I want to share with you. Gmail's Mail Goggles.

Mail Goggles will help prevent you from sending those late-Friday-night, four-appletini e-mails to friends and colleagues. How? By making you solve a few simple math problems after you click <send> to make sure you're in the right state of mind.

What I like about it:

1. It's edgy without being offensive.
2. It meets a need (kind of).
3. It's funny. (By default, Mail Goggles only runs late nights on weekends, when you're most likely to need it.)
4. It's bound to create buzz. (The the AP has already picked up the story.)

Will it really prevent you from sending long, rambling e-mails to your friends, loved ones, or rivals? No. Will it increase awareness of Gmail and it's benefits? I'm almost sure of it. 

Don't be afraid to be a little edgy.

Don't Tell me You Can't Innovate

Posted by Lisa Hochgraf

Today at FORUM Symposium in Indianapolis, Matt Davis, aka The Credit Union Warrior, told us about "What are you saving for?" a campaign and blog designed to start conversations among members of Members Credit Union, Winston-Salem, N.C., about personal financial management and thrift.

The campaign is so cool (check it out!) that it garnered coverage on Yahoo! Finance and in Fast Company.

Davis' budget for the site: $285.

"Don't tell me you can't innovate" because you have a small budget, he quipped.

What success have you had with a small budget?

Each year CUES recognizes a great marketing effort on a small budget as part of the CUES Golden Mirror Awards. Learn more about GMA and read about past CUES Golden Shoestring winners in "Small Budget Success" and "Props and Good Product."

'Flee to Safety' Won't Mean Squat Unless We Squawk

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

I've spoken with a number of credit union folks recently who think the economic turmoil is going to result in a  boon for CUs, that the flee to safety will yield increased accounts at the credit union. I'm not convinced. When I hear analysts say, "Investors are fleeing to safety," they don't typically follow it up with "... and rushing to their neighborhood credit union branch."

Don't get me wrong, I think credit unions could be well positioned to receive the fleeing masses, but I don't think they'll play that role very successfully unless they get the word out that they are a safe option, and different from banks. How? Television, radio, newspapers, blogs, podcasts, community events, billboards, shouting from rooftops. Education, baby. Fortunately, some of the media has already started the process for you--most notably, CNN--but more needs to be done. 

A word of warning: As one CU found out, referring to your credit union as a safe alternative to banks gets the FDIC riled up. Proceed with caution. Regulators may get concerned if it appears you are not just touting the safety of the credit union, but also emphasizing the unsoundness of banks. It's a fine line. 

Get more tips on how to approach this PR work from Selling CUs to the Masses.

How Does Your CU Say No When It Can't Make a Donation?

Posted by Lisa Hochgraf

At CUES Experience last month, an attendee I sat with for two of the general sessions was musing on how to say no to donation requests when it was necessary to do so. Anybody have effective strategies for staying on mission and on budget for community donations, without alienating those who won't receive funding from your CU this year?