Enjoy the clip above and watch the entire episode below the show notes.

A highly-respected credit union professional alerted me to an organization that tows the credit union line of "people helping people." This organization also has the support of Red Rocks Credit Union in Colorado and has looked to them to help enhance their community impact efforts -- not only with people facing tremendous financial challenges but with their very employees who may be facing challenges, as well. And it's all done anonymously to save one's dignity.

This organization is called The Community Impact Fund and it is quite inspiring. To get an inside look on how it works, we invited Executive Director Judah Musick on show and shared its inception, how it has evolved, examples of people the organization has helped, credit union support, and much, much more.

Judah also discusses his organization's new program called the Credit Union Impact Academy and how it can enhance your efforts in making a difference in your community. Again, this is all right up the credit union alley.

Fascinating talk with Judah, so check it out when you get a chance and let us know your thoughts. And watch the entire interview with Judah below for all the details.

How would you like to ride free for a year? No car payments for a year, that is?

That's the opening line of People Driven Credit Union's new auto loan campaign called "Take a Free Ride Sweepstakes."

People Driven Credit Union Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service Dave Sullivan joined us on the show to share all the details of this creative and highly effective campaign that's just starting, running from April 15 to July 31, 2021. (Check out the promo video below the show notes.)

Dave says he and his team were looking for a fun way to promote the credit union's low auto loan rates but talk about something other than just rates. He was reading an article on how Maple Credit Union in Lafayette, LA, did an ugly car contest, and he put People Driven's spin on that type of promotion.  He wanted to use some nostalgia in the marketing and "Take a Free Ride" was born.

Dave adds that we don't know how long the low-interest rates will last, so the more members that his credit union can lock in at the current rates, the better off they will be in the long run.  But marketing just rates can get dull, he admits. By creating a contest and big prize gives the credit union something fun to promote.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts.

Constellation Digital Partners recently completed its second round of funding, securing $18 million from its original Class A investors. The additional funding reflects the investors’ commitment to the success of Constellation and enables the expansion of its service solutions, increased scaling deployment  through additional implementation teams and the ability to now provide solutions to all credit unions (beyond original investors).

​To get an inside look at how this additional funding will help credit unions own their digital future and modernize the industry, we invited Kinecta Credit Union President/CEO Keith Sultemeier (one of Constellation's original investors) and
Constellation Digital Partners President/CEO Kris Kovacs on the show.

Both Keith and Kris talked about how Constellation's unique open-development platform disrupts the legacy structure of credit union relationships with their core technology provider. The platform allows credit unions to access a variety of financial services to offer members enhanced digital experiences.

Keith also provides his credit union point of view on how Constellation has and will continue to help Kinecta better serve it members with game-changing technology.

Lastly, Kris talked about Constellation's upcoming, in-person 2021 Launch Conference, October 18-21, 2021. Stay tuned for more information on that technology gathering.

If you're looking to expand the boundaries of digital transformation and change today's banking ecosystem, then we have an event for you: Narmi's Digital Banking Transformation Summit, taking place May 6, 2021, 12:00-3:00 p.m. (EST).

We recently spoke with Narmi Co-Founder Nikhil Lakhanpal, who used to be CEO of Georgetown University Alumni & Student Federal Credit Union, about hosting this event and what attendees can expect from a stellar line up of speakers:

• Jill Castilla, President & CEO, Citizens Bank of Edmond
• Ron Shevlin, Director of Research, Cornerstone Advisors
• Peter Noteboom, Patner, McKinsey & Company
• Niko Karvounis, Head of Product, Plaid
• Michelle Spellerberg, Vice President, Digital Strategy & Innovative Growth, Alliant Credit Union
• Derik Sutton, VP of Marketing, Autobooks
• Nikhil Lakhanpal, C-Founder, Narmi

Topics to be discussed during the three-hour gathering include:

• How to Drive Digital Transformation with Jill Castilla of Citizens Bank of Edmond
• Strategies You Need to Know that Will Massively Transform the Future of Banking
• How Financial Institutions Can Win the Battle for Business Deposits

Check it out when you get a chance and let us know if you have any questions. And don't forget to register.

Enjoy the clip above and watch the entire episode below for all the details.

It's happening. Industry conferences are slowly coming back to in-person attendance -- and it can't happen soon enough.

One of the sooner-rather-than-later, in-person events is CU relEVENT, which is taking place June 6-9, 2021, in Las Vegas. CU relEVENT is geared toward CEOs and credit union leaders covering a myriad of topics such as:

• SERPS 2.0 In A Post-COVID World
• Dear Credit Union of 2025 – On Winning the Race for Future Technologies
• CEO Unplugged - A Relevant Conversation
• Flip the Script: Grow When Everything Else Tells You Not To
• CEOs & Vendors: Beyond the Bullsh*t
• Building a Sales Culture (Ready to Ditch Your Order Taking Culture?)

Keynotes include:

• Duena Blomstrom, author of “Emotional Banking: Fixing Culture, Leveraging FinTech and Transforming Retail Banks into Brands”, Founder and CEO of PeopleNotTech, Creator of Emotional Banking and Human Debt
• Christie Hefner, Former Chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises

Choice Creative Solutions President/CEO Jeff Klein joined us to share many of the innovative ideas to bring a different conference experience to credit union leaders. Choice Creative Solutions is a wholly-owned CUSO and brainchild of the group behind the marketing wheel at Community Choice Credit Union, revolving around the idea of helping conference suck less. 

There are many more speakers and super cool networking events. Check it out and let us know your thoughts and don't forget to register today.