W H I TE PAPE R
BEST
PRACTICES:
PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR CREDIT UNIONS
WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?
What is public relations? Of all the professions in financial
services, this may be the most difficult to define. Its ranks
include credit union personnel on the vice president level—
but the term is also often applied to temps hired to hand out
tchotchkes at trade show booths.
Today the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines
it this way: “Public Relations is a strategic communication
process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between
organizations and their publics.” As the organization explains
on its website, “This definition focuses on…a communications
process, one that is strategic in nature and emphasizing
‘mutually beneficial relationships.’ ‘Process’ is preferable to
The profession has been around for a surprisingly long
time. It got its start in the early 1900s at the height of
the Progressive Era as a corporate means of defensively
countering muckraking journalism, and as a means of
advocacy for the far-reaching political reforms of the Theodore
Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson administrations. Many credit
the first real demonstration of its power during World War I,
through the work of George Creel and his Committee on Public
Information, which helped mobilize the country to buy war
bonds, enlist soldiers and promote relief programs at home.
‘management function,’ which can evoke ideas of control and
top-down, one-way communications. ‘Relationships’ relates to
public relations’ role in helping to bring together organizations
and individuals with their key stakeholders.”
Credit unions clearly see the importance of public relations
as PRSA defines it. A quick PRSA Member search using the
key words “credit unions” finds 80 “practitioners” enrolled
in the organization, working full time for credit unions or
industry organizations.
It became a permanent part of corporate structures during
CO-OP Financial Services (www.co-opfs.org) does as well. The
the 1920s, pioneered by such figures as Edward J. Bernays,
provider of financial technology to credit unions also employs
who wrote the first book on the subject in 1923, “Crystalizing
a PRSA member (and a former local chapter President at that).
Public Opinion.”
The company is not only dedicated to providing its credit
union clients with products, but with strategic counsel as
well, so that they can prosper in a highly competitive financial
services marketplace. This white paper is part of that ongoing
counseling initiative.
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
1
Having defined our subject first off, this paper will look at
some guiding principles of the trade—both strategic and
tactical—and then hear from six employees of six diverse
credit unions who are in the trenches, hard at work in daily
best practice of the art and science of public relations. We
will conclude by recommending two resources available to
CO-OP credit unions as they endeavor to bring together
their institution with their key stakeholders, in the form of
LAGGERSHIP (SIC), ENTROPY: Understand the
priority and sequence of doing something and also of
doing nothing. There are always a variety of options.
PRAGMATISM: Clarify, refine and carefully target;
deal in facts, truth and reality-based information; and
when possible, forecast results that can reasonably
be achieved.
If strategy and creativity (the tactical exercise of
two‑way communications.
communication) are different, the latter is also guided by a
STRATEGY AND TACTICS:
SOME GUIDING PRINCIPLES
handful of basic principles. Perhaps the most time-tested of
The PRSA definition began by calling public relations “a
of their still-authoritative text, “Effective Public Relations.” In
strategic communication process.” Strategy is where
communications, they call for:
all are “The 7 C’s of Communication,” originally formulated in
1952 by Scott M. Cutlip and Allen H. Center, and still a part
we should begin. Communications consultant James E.
Lukaszewski of New Brighton, Minn.-based The Lukaszewski
Group (www.e911.com) writes “Strategy is a mindset, a way
of thinking about decision making, work issues, even a wide
variety of life-related issues.” He quotes author Michel Robert
to further define strategy: “It identifies the key factors that
dictate the direction of an organization and is a process that
the organization’s management uses to set direction and
CREDIBILITY: A climate of belief—built on the
performance of the institution.
CONTEXT: A communications program must square
with the realities of its environment.
CONTENT: The message must have meaning for
the receiver.
articulate their vision.”
CLARITY: The message must be put in simple terms.
Though public relations professionals have attained the
CONTINUITY AND CONSISTENCY: (First of all,
note the difference with the first bullet for strategic
attributes.) What Cutlip and Center mean here is:
Communication is an unending process. Consistent
exercise of communication leads to both factual and
attitude learning.
rank of vice president at credit unions, the number is rather
small. Fewer still have a seat at the management table to set
organizational direction. To start doing so, Lukaszewski offers
some advice on “How to Develop the Mind of a Strategist.” He
begins by pointing out “Keep in mind that we’re talking about
a management process, not a creative process. Creativity
and strategy are different.” He then offers five attributes of a
strategic mindset:
INCONSISTENCY: Relentlessly question all
assumptions. The goal is always a different approach
and identifying new options.
CONCLUSIVE APPROACHES: Seek the impact of a
conclusive result, even though that result may only be
one of a series of increments—often not exciting or
even very visible.
CHANNELS: Established channels should be used.
(What about the brave new world of social media? Yes,
indeed, because social media qualifies as “channels
the receiver uses and respects.” True enough of
Millennials—everyone, in fact, it seems by now. As we
shall see, social media communication—due to its multidiscipline application—is often outside the direct day-today function of the public relations practitioner.)
CAPABILITY OF AUDIENCE: Communications are
most effective when they require the least effort on the
part of the recipient.
SUBSTANTIVE INTENSITY: Focus on the most critical
parts of a problem or opportunity through fact-finding,
truth seeking and reality testing.
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
2
BEST PRACTICES: THE EXPERIENCE
OF SIX CREDIT UNIONS
We have a definition of public relations. We have guiding
principles as to its strategic and tactical expression. What
about the daily grind of its practice? CO-OP Financial Services
spoke with credit unions from Alaska to Virginia to learn some
best practices from actual experience.
One thing that ought to be said right away: You don’t have to
be the largest credit union in the world to have a dedicated
public relations resource. As a matter of fact, the world’s
largest credit union, Navy Federal CU, does have a public
“Credit unions,” says Virginia CU’s Birch, “have three distinct
advantages in public relations—credibility, structure and focus.
We are member-owned, so we are focused on our members’
success. They trust us as advisors. These are tremendous
assets. We offer regular financial services for regular people—
and this is a great way to carry your story to the media. It is
immediately relatable and much easier to get across.”
With such public relations advantages at their disposal, some
common themes and practices cropped up as our credit unions
sought to capitalize.
relations staff member. But so does Denali Alaskan FCU, at
Organize Like an Agency—Or Hire One
about half the total assets under control that an institution
Several of the credit unions we spoke to have only one public
needs to qualify for “the billionaires club.”
relations professional who does “A little bit of everything,”
Credit union public relations practitioners who kindly lent their
time to this white paper include:
Jeanette Mack, Manager, Corporate
Communications, Navy Federal CU, Vienna,
Virginia ($60.5 billion assets, 5.1 million
members)
says Emert of ORNL FCU. With limited bandwidth, though,
Emert’s main focus is on community and media relations.
ORNL FCU does, however, make use of a public relations
agency, Ackermann PR of Knoxville, Tennessee. The public
relations firm has helped the credit union with the media
training of its executives and subject matter experts. Redwood
CU is another credit union that makes use of outside public
Glenn Birch, Public and Media Relations
relations counsel—in their case, a sole proprietor.
Director, Virginia CU, Richmond, Virginia
($2.6 billion assets, 237,000 members)
Jessica Emert, Director of Community
& Public Relations, ORNL FCU, Oak Ridge,
One thing that ought to be said right away: You don’t
have to be the largest credit union in the world to have
a dedicated public relations resource.
Tennessee ($1.57 billion assets,
164,000 members)
For credit unions with larger staffs or handling the function
Clarissa Rodriguez, Assistant Vice President,
entirely internally, Fernandez of Denali Alaskan FCU
Corporate Communications, Security
recommends “setting up the department like an agency—
Service FCU, San Antonio, Texas ($8.1 billion
with each team member responsible for specific ‘clients.’”
assets, 990,200 members)
Fernandez himself previously worked at an Anchorage-based
Robin McKenzie, Senior Vice President,
Marketing & Communications, Redwood CU,
Santa Rosa, California ($2.44 billion assets,
240,000 members)
public relations firm. In Denali Alaskan FCU’s case, Fernandez
has four Marketing Officers who handle distinct public relations
tasks, such as their speaker bureau, branch and youth
outreach, financial education and community outreach, and
digital and social media.
Keith Fernandez, Vice President, Corporate
Communications and Development, Denali
Alaskan FCU, Anchorage, Alaska ($550
million assets, 60,000 members)
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
3
Planning to Ensure Integration
Social Media—A Shared Resource
The credit unions we spoke to create an annual plan for
their public relations, and often draw up detailed plans on
In the 21st century social media
platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
an opportunistic, project-by-project basis. The goal is to
and many others—have seemingly leapt into a major
ensure that public relations “fits into the overall targets of the
communications channel overnight. The degree to which social
institution,” says Birch. “Integration is important.”
media communications should be under the management of
Planning can include setting specific tactical goals, as
Redwood CU does. “We create goals for the number of news
releases/pitches and track the number of press pick-ups
and level of coverage/exposure,” says McKenzie. “We qualify
the public relations professional is a matter of debate within
the profession broadly speaking. There is no doubt public
relations must be integrated into social media communications,
just as it must be integrated into all corporate initiatives.
our coverage using a simple rating system that allows us to
In fact, with most of the credit unions we spoke to, the public
differentiate brief mentions from stories where we are more
relations professional is not the specific social media director.
prominently featured or are the focus of the article.”
This seems to be owing to the fact of social media’s usefulness
“Public relations does play a major role in our total marketing
and business development strategy,” says Rodriguez of
Security Service FCU. “The corporate communications,
marketing and business development departments all work
across many corporate disciplines. As Navy Federal CU’s Mack
says, “Social media is a communications channel of value
to marketing, corporate communications and community
relations, as well as member services.”
very closely together. We meet weekly to discuss projects
Birch notes, “Depending on the situation, social media and
and determine how we can assist each other with current
public relations can be very different, though they certainly
promotional and community outreach projects and special
need to be cooperative. Social media is an excellent tool for
events. This helps us maximize our resources.”
reaching out to members, particularly in time of emergency.”
At ORNL FCU, social media is handled by the credit union’s
ROI—Still Tough
creative director, though Emert is an active source of content.
In spite of careful planning, the credit union practitioners
“Social media is a great way to reach a lot of people, and a
we spoke to still find a perennial public relations difficulty—
lot of different types of people, especially young consumers,”
measuring results and return on investment.
says Emert. “You do have to be careful not to come across
“Measuring social media results is especially hard,” says
Emert. “We do, however, track attendance at events we
as selling something. As always, we try to provide helpful
information on these platforms.”
promote. In terms of media coverage, we track the number of
placements and compare it to what it would have cost us if we
had run an advertisement.”
“We track and report monthly what is measureable—news
releases, pitches, coverage—and compare year-to-date results
with our goals,” says McKenzie. “The bottom line is that at
Redwood Credit Union, we take our public relations program
Social media is a communications channel of value to
marketing, corporate communications and community
relations, as well as member services.
Jeanette Mack
Manager, Corporate Communications
Navy Federal CU
and efforts seriously, because it is a vital component to
building our reputation and trust within the communities we
serve—both locally and in the industry. We continue to grow
substantially in our markets, and the earned media from our
public relations efforts has been an important contributor to
our growth and success.”
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
4
For Mack, social media points to the public relations trend
of being your own news outlet, in addition to working with
outside news platforms. “Being your own content publisher is
part of what is needed to up your game today—or be left out,”
says Mack. “The great thing is that when you are forced to
come up with that content, you are forced to find what your
story is—you find out what you stand for and then tell it.”
McKenzie agrees: “Content and engagement is king. Content
must be timely and relevant. It’s a key part of what builds
your reputation today. And, because social media is a 24/7
channel, we post often—though there is a balance to how
often we post, because posting too often can turn people
Content and engagement is king. Content must be
timely and relevant. It’s a key part of what builds your
reputation today. And, because social media is a 24/7
channel, we post often—though there is a balance
to how often we post, because posting too often can
turn people off. Engagement is critical, and effective
content, timing and number of posts all play a role
in success.
Robin McKenzie
Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Redwood CU
off. Engagement is critical, and effective content, timing and
number of posts all play a role in success.”
Again, the key is remembering that public relations must
integrate with other arms of the credit union. As Birch says,
“It’s a matter of holding it all together—public relations, social
media, marketing, financial services, etc. A communications
program isn’t what P.R. does, or Marketing does, we as an
institution do it.”
“‘Crises’ are fortunately not frequent—but ‘incidents’ are,”
says McKenzie. “For instance, a service complaint on social
media is an incident, and one we deem important to have
a timely and effective response. It’s crucial we have a plan
for that, because our reputation and credibility are at stake.
It can be tricky if a member posts a complaint after hours.
Most credit unions are not staffed 24/7. We are diligent about
monitoring and responding to ensure any issues are addressed
“Incident” Communications—
Not Crisis Communications
immediately and effectively.”
All credit unions have a business recovery program. As
provides for a wide variety of scenarios. “Our plan includes
financial institutions, all must be ready for events that would
be extremely rare in any other type of business—such as an
armed robbery.
ORNL FCU has a crisis communications plan in place, and it
a protocol for determining the extent of a crisis, designated
spokespeople and chain of communication to different
platforms and publics,” says Emert. “We have contingencies
Yet, the credit unions we spoke with said that “crisis
communications” is really not a very good word for
handling—due to good planning—the “unexpected that is not
so unexpected.”
and messaging for data breaches, robberies, natural disasters,
branch closures and other potential key risks. You need to
be conscious of what’s around you. You need to update your
plan frequently. And, you need to watch others and learn from
others—what they did right and what they did wrong.”
“Prepared messaging is part of business recovery planning,”
says Birch. “Most crises don’t rise to the name—they are
incidents—but need to be handled the same way. Incident
communications is really regular blocking and tackling. A
website can go down. Nobody’s hurt, nothing’s damaged, but
people are affected and you need to communicate.”
A crisis can have its upside, too, as Emert explains: “The data
breaches that seemed to begin with Target in December 2013
gave us the opportunity to share with the community what we
were doing to protect their accounts and what they can do to
protect themselves.”
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
5
Sometimes routine business errors can come to the attention
Fernandez notes that all credit union employees know to
of members or the media. In such cases, “You need to
route media inquiries to him. He will then either handle the
be ready to communicate quickly—provide a complete
spokesperson duties himself, or line up the appropriate
explanation of what happened, and how you fixed it,” says
subject matter expert, according to a chart/roster the credit
Fernandez. “It is also important to provide your staff with
union maintains. Fernandez provides talking points to the
talking points—they’re often the last people you think of—so
staff member prior to being interviewed. All the credit unions
they can communicate effectively with members.”
we spoke to follow these protocols, and Fernandez takes the
additional—and not unusual—step of being present during all
Don’t Forget Your Staff
media interviews.
That last point about staff is worth its own best practice
Should credit unions accept all media inquiries? Emert notes,
subhead. Communicating to staff is important—but public
“You don’t have to accept every opportunity.” Still, “We can’t
relations is a two-way form of communications. Staff also
be picky with what type of media we are included in.” Again,
needs to be heard.
public relations is an integrated corporate function—if the
“We are careful to keep in touch with our branches,” says
Fernandez. “We don’t want to be guilty of running off and
doing something without checking with them. We need their
opportunity aligns with corporate goals, it should be accepted
readily. Then the planning—already in place—kicks into a
specific case of preparation.
front line input. I take the ‘communication’ of ‘corporate
ORNL FCU, Redwood CU and Navy Federal CU have all
communications’ very seriously. We need to treat our
performed media training for media spokespeople. As Mack
colleagues as a ‘public’ as much as we do our members.”
notes, “Cultivating your subject matter experts through
media training is the next level of corporate storytelling. We
Media Relations—Still a Core Function
identify our SME’s and then help them hone their storytelling
Public relations was originally thought of by many as “press
training, training!”
abilities. The key is to provide talking points and then training,
agentry.” It has certainly progressed well beyond that, yet
media relations—both handling inquiries from the press
McKenzie is of a like mind: “We prepare talking points, and
and proactively reaching out to the media—remains a core
when the press deadline allows, we prepare our internal
function of the practitioner.
interviewees via mock interview sessions, followed by the live
interview with the media.”
The credit unions interviewed for this paper, in fact, have
a surprising level of interaction with all forms of media,
One important way to prepare for a media interview is to
especially television requests to visit branches. “People in line
“become familiar with the reporter, media outlet and relevant
at a teller window make for good video when TV stations are
past news coverage,” according to a “Media Training” paper
doing an economic-based story,” says Fernandez. “They like
prepared by Wetherhead Communications of Roswell, Georgia,
to interview members at such times. We work with the media
for the 2013 PRSA International Conference. McKenzie
to help them speak with members if they are comfortable
believes this should be a constant task of the public relations
speaking with a reporter. Of course, we work with the media
professional—not just when an interview is pending. “Build
not to approach them prior to completing the transaction they
relationships with the media,” says McKenzie. “They are
came into the branch to do.”
important people in your community. Don’t be afraid to
reach out to reporters and editors; educate them about your
business, get to know them and, because the news industry
is very fluid these days, be ready to start all over with a new
person when they move on.”
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
6
Clearly, the public relations professional cannot simply be a
The opportunities here are as broad and diverse as the nation
gatekeeper, waiting for the media to come beating a pathway
in which these credit unions are based.
to their doorstep. Outreach is critical—but how? Utah-based
public relations consultant Michael Smart suggests at least the
following key points in pitching the media:
Rodriguez’s Security Service FCU does community outreach
year-round though its Volunteer Corps program, among
others. The program is made up of more than 800
GET ON THE MEDIA’S RADAR: Find key outlets that
move your publics; find the right reporter within that
outlet, and begin a relationship.
employees, who continuously help community organizations
DETERMINE WHAT TO PITCH: Create newsworthy
angles.
ORNL FCU supported
MAKE THE PITCH: Make your story easy to
cover; do the legwork for the reporter. (Remember
“capability of audience”—the seventh C of the 7 C’s
of Communication).
Miracles” program
APPLY UPDATED P.R. WRITING TECHNIQUES: Be
brutally brief. (Remember what they told you about
writing your resume—nobody wants to read your book.)
CREATE COMPELLING CONTENT:
• Offer a story people actually want to read.
• Provide multimedia: Images, video if you have it.
• Provide sources: Experts and “real people.”
to feed families, build houses, serve military families and
other activities.
the 2014 “Shop for
sponsored by CUNA
and Credit Unions for
Kids. Navy Federal CU
focuses on the needs
of military personnel
and families, who spend
long periods separated
from one another.
Children’s Miracle Network
Hospitals
Redwood CU has had a strong relationship with the Redwood
Empire Food Bank. “Our partnership provides us mutually
beneficial media opportunities, too,” says McKenzie. “For
Finally, Emert reminds us not to forget the credit union trade
example, we recently got called to be the featured company
media as an important public. “The trades let our colleagues
at the food bank when they were contacted by KGO-TV,
know of our progressive, community-involved character,” says
a San Francisco ABC affiliate, who wanted to do a live
Emert. “They also let our colleagues in on possible ideas they
broadcast there during Thanksgiving. We were able to have
can pursue themselves—and of course, we can learn from our
our team of volunteers featured on the broadcast, and we
colleagues as well through the trades.”
were interviewed about our relationship with REFB and our
commitment to solving hunger issues in our community.
It’s Unanimous—Community Involvement
Is the Best P.R.
Every credit union we spoke to is deeply involved in
community outreach, and it plays a central role in each
institution’s public relations program.
So, the lesson is—don’t just write checks, find a way to
truly partner with local nonprofits and community groups,
which can include creating earned media stories and
opportunities together.”
Virginia CU is committed to being a leader of financial
When asked for a single best practice, Rodriguez responded:
“I would suggest focusing on community outreach. It’s
probably the best and simplest way to promote your brand and
establish your organization as a concerned corporate citizen.
It’s also a great way to increase visibility and helps build a
education in the Richmond area it serves. “We have a
financial education director on our staff,” says Birch. “We are
continually out in the community conducting financial literacy
seminars, such as how to manage personal budgets. That has
been very important to our credit union and our P.R.”
positive corporate brand identity. After all, ‘People Helping
People’ is the very core of the credit union movement.”
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
7
It’s all very logical, and fits perfectly with the second of the
“7 C’s”: context (a program must square with reality). “We
authentically made financial education for our community a
top priority, and that has worked out very well for us,” says
Birch. “It fits so neatly with our purpose, what we are about
and supports those who we are trying to serve.”
The credit union doesn’t stop there. It also supports its local
CO-OP AS A RESOURCE
In this survey of public relations best practices, there are at
least two in which CO-OP Financial Services can function as a
key resource for credit unions as they seek to “up their game
today.” Specifically, CO-OP has programs that can help credit
unions enhance their community involvement programs and
address the need to communicate effectively to Millennials.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospital—Children’s Hospital
of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Our
employees’ support for the hospital is supplemented with
a program tied to the success of the VCU Rams basketball
teams,” says Birch. “We add to our support for every assist
the Rams make. The program, called VACU Assists, is
helping our community support initiatives get noticed.”
Miracle Match by CO-OP
During 2013, more than 150 credit unions participated in
Miracle Match by CO-OP, raising $3 million for Children’s
Miracle Network Hospitals, $1 million of which was matching
funds from CO-OP.
The credit union fundraisers benefited 98 different children’s
Millennials—Part of the Total Picture,
But Also a Unique Public
Many of the best practices and initiatives described in this
white paper incorporate outreach to the future of the credit
union movement—the Millennial generation, consumers born
after 1980. But this is a public that must also be addressed
uniquely.
hospitals in 34 states. More than 100 fundraisers were
first-time events by the sponsoring credit union and nearly
half of the participating credit unions—about 70—were new
to CO-OP’s Miracle Match program.
The 2014 program figures are expected to be similar to 2013.
Credit unions interested in applying for match grants in 2015
may do so by visiting www.co-opfs.org/miracle-match.
Navy Federal CU has invested in third-party research to
better understand this consumer group. As Mack says,
“We need to know where they are in their financial lives—
particularly as Millennials make up a very large percentage
of the military. We have been able to utilize this data in
many different ways, including pitching stories, which has
resulted in earned media.”
“Empowering People. Amplifying Dreams”
CO-OP’s “Empowering People. Amplifying Dreams” initiative is
designed to help Millennials develop greater financial literacy,
including education on credit unions.
Empowering People. Amplifying Dreams is an integrated
Emert has already acknowledged the importance of social
media in reaching Millennials. Mobile communications is
another platform commonly associated with this generation.
The experience of Virginia CU in this area is a testimony to
the need for “continuity and consistency” in communication.
“When we initially launched mobile deposit ahead of other
content marketing and social media campaign developed
on behalf of CO-OP clients to help consumers—especially
Millennials—better understand how credit unions empower
individuals to achieve their financial goals. It is also intended
as a resource for all credit unions—they are welcome to use it
for their own outreach.
financial institutions in our market, we pitched the story to
The content from CO-OP’s Empowering People. Amplifying
the media without much traction,” says Birch. “But later, the
Dreams campaign focuses on the “how-to’s” of establishing a
media did come back to us—they recognized it was a story.
long-term, secure financial future. This includes education on
So, outreach is important. It will come back to your benefit.”
the products and services of credit unions as well as on the
mission and values of the entire movement.
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
8
CREDIT UNION PUBLIC RELATIONS
FOR A NEW CENTURY
As described at the beginning, the origin of public relations
goes back to the beginning of the last century. Here we are in
the next century, and public relations seems to be hitting its
stride at last in the credit union movement, whether it’s media
relations, community outreach or government advocacy (an
important element of the daily tasking of the practitioners at
Virginia CU and ORNL FCU).
A key asset of public relations is that it can develop
meaningful content via news and feature stories in a wide
variety of earned platforms. The credibility that comes
with it is crucial for any credit union as it competes in the
CO-OP provides content on its own platforms, including the
campaign website and three consumer social media channels,
as well as through editorial and advertising on digital channels
managed by online publishers (such as bloggers) and business
partners. The content is intended to be “portable”—available
for repurposing or linking-to by these additional sources.
The Empowering People. Amplifying Dreams website at
financial services marketplace.
So, what will public relations look like in the credit union
industry going forward? Perhaps really not much different
than in the past. As Emert says, “The best practice of all is
to plan and be proactive. Be consistent in messaging. Be
honest and transparent. That’s how you build trust—without
trust we wouldn’t exist.”
http://co-opcreditunions.org serves as the initiative’s content
hub, and provides convenient access to the CO-OP Credit
Unions Twitter feed—@innovatebanking—in addition to icons
leading to Facebook and Tumblr.
The website includes a wide variety of content for consumers
considering their financial options, including a locator
for credit unions, a growing library of “People Like You”
testimonials from Millennial credit union members and a blog.
About the Author
Bill Prichard is Senior Manager, Public Relations and Corporate Communications, for CO-OP Financial
Services, Rancho Cucamonga, California (www.co-opfs.org). Prichard holds the Accredited in Public
Relations (APR) designation from PRSA, of which he has been a member since 1989. He is a former
President of the Orange County (California) chapter of PRSA (2002), and a recipient of its highest honor,
the Distinguished Service Award (2007). With CO-OP since 2009, Prichard can be reached at
[email protected] and (800) 782-9042, ext. 3450.
To learn more, visit www.co-opfs.org,
email [email protected] or call 800.782.9042, option 2.
BE THERE. BE MORE
P u b lic Rela tio ns for C r edi t Un i on s /
9