​Please join us for a webinar on Monday, December 13, 2021 from 1 – 2pm, to review the analytics from the 2021 campaign, hear our most recent ad recall poll results, and learn more about what’s coming next in 2022. We will be joined by Christopher Lorence of CUNA Awareness, and Blois Olson of Fluence Media.

The Awareness program has achieved fantastic results, and we’re already building on that success towards an even brighter future. New consumer-focused website, new credit union locator, and brand new customizable marketing materials focused on elevating the credit union difference and driving consumers to take action to join a credit union. We are excited for the next phase of this incredibly important initiative, and we THANK YOU for your continued support! 

​Check out this preview video debuted at Accelerate 21.

The webinar is free although we ask that you please register. The session will be recorded. With questions, please contact  Andrea Molnau, VP Communications & Engagement at amolnau@mncun.org. 

Minnesota’s 2021 Credit Union Awareness Initiative going strong. The campaign is a research-based effort to grow awareness of credit unions as the best financial partner for consumers. Digital media ads continue to drive consumers to the YourMoneyFurther.com website to learn more about the advantages of credit unions. 

Though August 31, the campaign has garnered over 44 million digital impressions through Online Video, Banner Ads, Social Media and streaming TV ads delivered throughout the state. The Video Completion Rate for online ads is 57%, and streaming TV ads are 98%, showing consumers are continuing to watch the ads. Click through rates are meeting benchmarks and delivering consumers to the YourMoneyFurther website. 

Earlier this summer, MnCUN deployed several out of home tactics to supplement the digital efforts, including:

• Greater Minnesota Bus wraps
• Digital Trucks at regional events such as Twin Cities Pride, WeFest, Bayfront Blues Fest, TC Summer Jam
• Minnesota State Fair Bathroom ads, Bus wraps, and a Kare 11 Barn sponsorship that included digital ads and a live interview from the fair.

​A result report  through August 31, 2021 is available for credit unions to review and share with their staff and Boards. Furthermore, CUNA’s Credit Union Awareness team recently released their July 2021 bi-annual research results, showing the campaign has made significant progress nationally as well. 

The Awareness initiative represents the true spirit of the cooperative movement to help more consumers understand the advantages being a credit union member. With questions, please contact Andrea Molnau, VP Communications & Engagement, by email or 651-288-5527.

The State Fair presence comes after similar digital truck and mobile ads at other events such as:

• We Fest – Detroit Lakes
• Twin Cities Pride - Minneapolis
• Bayfront Festival – Duluth
• Summer Jam - Shakopee

 
Through July, the Awareness campaign had exceeded our impression and engagement goals for 2021 including matching or beating CUNA benchmarks on click-thru rates and CPM.

​The Awareness initiative represents the true spirit of the cooperative movement to help more consumers understand the advantages being a credit union member. With questions, please contact Andrea Molnau, VP Communications & Engagement, by email or 651-288-5527.

The Minnesota Credit Union Network works to ensure the success, growth and vitality of our member credit unions. To help achieve this goal, MnCUN has established restricted funds to strengthen our efforts on behalf of Minnesota’s credit unions – the Advocacy Fund and the Awareness Fund.

The Credit Union Advocacy Fund provides resources to strongly position credit unions on the legislative and political fronts. The Advocacy Fund is proactive in nature, helping to create a strong credit union environment and augment MnCUN’s advocacy efforts. Expenditures from the Advocacy Fund are used to enhance MnCUN’s dues supported advocacy activities and increase credit unions’ impact through:

• Minnesota support for the Credit Union House in Washington D.C.  Credit Union House is owned by state leagues and AACUL to provide an event center and meeting space on Capitol Hill. 
• The National Advocacy Fund, which is coordinated by CUNA, and finances grassroots advocacy, electoral polling, research, and partisan communications. National Advocacy Fund dollars have been deployed in Minnesota for election engagement,  polling and radio ads.
• Sponsorship of the Wrong About Everything podcast. Wrong About Everything is a fun, irreverent and bipartisan look at Minnesota and national politics. Two Liberals and Two Conservatives debate the issues of the day with humor and vigor. The podcast is listened to by legislators and public opinion leaders in Minnesota. 
• Grassroots materials and collateral to demonstrate the CU Difference to lawmakers, including the new Working for Minnesota website and the GREAT program.
• NASCUS Membership to enhance efforts to strengthen the state charter.
• Participation in the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit.

 
The Credit Union Awareness Fund is focused on increasing consumer awareness of credit unions, including but not limited to, commissioning research, working to expand media coverage, and coordinating other visibility opportunities. Expenditures from this fund promote the benefits and value of credit unions, helping to spread the word that credit unions are the best financial choice for consumers.

The biennial consumer research study that was planned for January 2021 was conducted in August of 2020 to gauge consumer attitudes about credit unions while in the midst of the pandemic. Results showed familiarity with credit unions has increased 11 points from 2013 to 2020.

Minnesota’s 2020 Awareness Initiative made strides in boosting consumer awareness of credit unions. 122,000,000 impressions were delivered in through OTT Streaming Ads, Social Media, Banner and Video Pre-roll, and statewide radio and transit ads. The year-end Google Poll conducted in December noted 34% of respondents in our target demographic recalled seeing our ads, and 50% indicated they are likely or very likely to join a credit union.

In the first half of 2021, fresh creative was launched on Digital + Streaming ads and out of home efforts are being planned for the second half of the year. In addition, number of enhancements and new features to the national Your Money Further website were introduced.

Along with the consumer awareness initiative, the Awareness Fund supports additional Public Affairs activities on behalf of Minnesota’s Credit Unions:

• Managed the Credit Union News Channel to share credit union news more efficiently. 73 stories have been published January – June 2021 and MnCUN influenced 37 earned media mentions.
• Partnered with Fluence Media to sponsor editions of “Morning Take,” “Business Take,” “Ag Take,” and “Law Take,” daily online news previews, which reach 10,000 influencers in Minnesota.    

As restricted funds, expenditures from the Advocacy and Awareness fund are governed by their respective committees of credit unions, with input from MnCUN staff and consultants. Solicitation for these funds occurs each year in conjunction with the issuance of the Network’s annual membership dues invoice, as well as on an as-needed basis.

The Minnesota Credit Union Network would like to thank credit unions for their support of the Awareness and Advocacy Funds. Full report details and financial statements have been mailed to member credit unions.

As your state trade association, the Minnesota Credit Union Network works to ensure the success, growth and vitality of our member credit unions by creating a positive public environment through leadership, political advocacy, education, awareness and regulatory assistance.

​​We value our members’ continued trust in us, and we appreciate the opportunity to be able to serve credit unions throughout the state. We are pleased to share our efforts on behalf of credits unions for the first half of 2021.

Advocate

• Lobbied and tracked nearly 60 pieces of legislation in the Minnesota legislature.
• Worked with Senator Smith and Congressman Emmer to introduce legislation in both Congressional bodies to allow for federal credit unions to expel members for cause without requiring a full vote of their membership. 
• Submitted eight comment letters regarding regulatory matters of interest to credit unions.
• Responded to 309 compliance and legal questions.
• Passed state charter enhancement legislation to give parity to state-chartered credit unions to allow them to open accounts for people that have had previous accounts forcibly closed within 12 months.
• Prevented legislation that would have created a group to study credit unions acquiring bank assets from getting a committee hearing.
• Posted 73 stories to the Credit Union News Channel and influenced 37 earned media mentions. Earned media efforts include Financial Wellbeing, Economic Inclusion, and Elder Abuse Prevention.
• ​14.6 million digital ad impressions the first and second quarters of 2021, delivered to Minnesota consumers through OTT Streaming Ads, Social Media, Banner and Video Pre-roll. Click through rates and engagement at or above benchmark ranges for the various platforms ads are placed.

Collaborate

• Offered 117 education sessions and webinars; including major events IMPACT Week at the Capitol, Virtual GAC, and the new Ctrl.Alt.Innovate Conference, a partnership with eight Midwest credit union leagues.
• Held virtual events for P2P sessions, Women’s Leadership Network, and the CREW Young Professionals Group – including a new Coffee with the Crew format.
• Launched new leadership development opportunities: the Tristate Mentorship Match and Trailblazers Executive Readiness programs.
• Established new Credit Union Foundation Peer to Peer group.
• Offered CUNA Enhanced Financial Counseling Certification Program (FiCEP) in partnership with Mark Lynch and CU Difference for the fourth year.
• Honored six CU Builders.
• Launched financial inclusion education series and offered Exploring Why and Financial Wellbeing for All Minnesotans.
• Recognized 9 credit unions with 21 awards via the Marketing Awards program.
• The Foundation Scholarship Council awarded $16,000 in scholarships to sixteen Minnesota credit union members.
• The CU4Kids committee hosted the 26th Annual Minnesota CU4Kids Golf Tournament and raised $27,172 - the highest recorded amount.
• Formed a tri-state collaboration with the Wisconsin and Montana league service corporations to maximize resources and collectively negotiated several vendor agreements.

Accelerate

• Debuted online DEI Resource Center and incorporated DEI content within programming each quarter.
• Launched new jobs board for members with significant improvements in user experience and enhanced ability to share job postings. 140 positions at credit unions have been posted since launch in mid-May.
• Enhanced the offering of the Minnesota Credit Union Employee Benefits Plan by adding ancillary benefit options through Guardian Life, and have grown it to 15 participating employer groups.
• The WINcentive – Minnesota program has reached $10 million saved milestone with over $40 million saved in TruLync managed PLS programs across the country.
• Working to expand PLS nationwide with the Montana and Wisconsin leagues.
• Offered Partner Education webinar series for five Strategic Alliance/VIP partners.
• Launched the new Data Education Program, certifying 12 credit union staff as data transformation specialists.
• Added Eltropy as a Strategic Alliance to help credit unions compete in today’s financial environment.
• NetGiver has welcomed 9 more credit unions and launched a “guest pass” for credit unions to get non-members on the program. 
• Sold TruLync’s item processing services to Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union to keep that line of business in the credit union system and ensure a high level of service for Minnesota credit unions.

We look forward to continuing to serve our member credit unions for the second half of 2021!

According to National Credit Union Administration’s (NCUA) Quarterly U.S. Map Review, Minnesota credit unions experienced solid performance along key indicators, including median annual asset growth, median annual share and deposit growth, membership growth and loan delinquency rate. Highlights include:

•  Membership at Minnesota credit unions grow 1.0% in median year-over-year member growth, ranking 9th in the nation. According to NCUA 5300 report data, credit unions in Minnesota now have 1.9 million members.
•  Minnesota credit union assets grew 20.5% with $33 billion in assets, above the media annual growth rate of 17.1   %. Annual share and deposit growth was 22.8%
•  Minnesota credit unions had one of the lowest delinquency rates in the nation for the first quarter with 19 basis   points.

Minnesota’s 2021 Credit Union Awareness Initiative started the year strong. The campaign, now in its third year, is a research-based effort to grow awareness of credit unions as the best financial partner for consumers. Digital media ads continue to drive consumers to the YourMoneyFurther.com website to learn more about the advantages of credit unions.
 
New creative assets have been added to the mix, and engagement with the ads is good. Video and banner ads are performing with .13-.18% CTRs, and Facebook is seeing .36%. Last year we expanded our tactics to include OTT (Over the Top) streaming TV ads – and our February attrition report is showing  10,348 people who saw OTT ad visited a MN CU, and 2,125 people who saw OTT ad visited our site. 5.7 million digital ad impressions have been delivered in total first quarter 2021.

A webinar was held February 25th for credit unions to learn more about 2021 plans and enhancements to contributor benefits. The recording of the webinar is available on the Publications page of the Member Portal. If you haven’t already, please designate an administrator for your credit union’s listing and links on the YourMoneyFurther.com website by completing this simple form.
 
CUNA’s Credit Union Awareness team has just released a variety of new customizable campaign creative that contributing credit unions can use in their organic digital channels. These assets are available on Contributor HQ. In addition, they are also sponsoring Bravely Go’s 2021 Financial Feminist Summit. Registration for this free event is available here, and you are encouraged to share the opportunity with your members as well. Soon to be live in 26 states, from July 2020 –March 2021 CUNA recorded over 4.56 million consumers visiting YourMoneyFurther.com.
​
The Awareness initiative represents the true spirit of the cooperative movement to help more consumers understand the advantages being a credit union member. With questions, please contact Andrea Molnau, VP Communications & Engagement, by email or 651-288-5527.

Contributors to the 2021 Awareness campaign have access to several new benefits. To get the most from your contribution, we encourage credit unions to complete the following steps:
​

• Download and share the 2020 Awareness Result Report with your credit union team
• Contributors can be granted access to administer your credit union’s listing and links on the YourMoneyFurther.com website via the self-service portal.
  • To access this feature, please designate an admin for your credit union by completing this simple form by March 31, 2021.
• Review and update your credit union listing on YourMoneyFurther.com
  • Send any updates to Branch locations to hello@yourmoneyfurther.com
  • Update Links visa the Self-Service Portal (see above)
• Visit the Contributor Headquarters to review new creative assets and incorporate them into your social media and marketing calendars
• Like and Share MnCUN’s social media posts

​MnCUN held a webinar last month that detailed plans and enhancements for the upcoming year. If you missed it, the recording of the webinar is available online. With questions, please contact Andrea Molnau, VP Communications & Engagement, by email or 651-288-5527.

Minnesota’s 2021 Credit Union Awareness Initiative is in full swing. The campaign, now in its third year, is a research-based effort to grow awareness of credit unions as the best financial partner for consumers. Digital media ads continue to drive consumers to the YourMoneyFurther.com website to learn more about the advantages of credit unions. Thank you to all who have committed to financially support this ongoing effort.

MnCUN held a webinar on Thursday, February 25 that detailed plans and enhancements for the upcoming year. Contributors to the campaign learned more about how to access new features and upgrades. The recording of the webinar is now available on the Publications page of the Member Portal.

Contributors to the 2021 campaign may now administer their own listing on the YourMoneyFurther.com website. To access this feature, we are requesting each contributing credit union select one admin by completing this simple form.   

The consumer Awareness initiative represents the true spirit of the cooperative movement to help more Minnesotans understand the advantages being a credit union member. With questions, please contact Andrea Molnau, VP Communications & Engagement, by email or 651-288-5527.
​
We look forward to continued success in 2021!