Tips for a Successful Member Education Effort

1. Prepare a plan outline for your program. Seek information from employees, members and other credit unions to get ideas.

2. Evaluate what topics are important or timely to members. Offer a variety of topics that are of interest to your members, including those tied to current news or seasonal periods. Pinpoint how your credit union can help meet members’ needs related to these times. Besides traditional topics like auto and home buying, think outside the box and provide education on how to keep holiday spending under control or spring cleaning of financial records, for instance.

3. Get their attention. When promoting your program, appeal to your audience by using fun or amusing titles or themes. For instance, instead of naming your seminar "Budgeting Basics," consider calling it "Why Am I Always Broke?" Pique their interest.

4. Take a soft-sell approach. Avoid directly pushing your products and services. Rather, outline the members’ needs with tips on how they can address them, and mention credit union services where appropriate.

5. Make programs free or low-cost and offer value-added services. Consider adding value-added services, such as a free financial analysis with attendance of a seminar. Expand on what your credit union can offer its members in terms of waived class fees, discounts and more.

6. Seek out specialized speakers for seminars. Hire a mortgage expert for first time homebuyers, a credit counselor for getting out of debt seminars, or professional organizer on how to organize their financial records and paper.

7. Open education efforts to members and the general public. Conduct efforts at civic group gatherings, schools, etc. Get the word out by putting press releases in area papers. You’ll position yourself as a community resource, and possibly plant the seed of membership among nonmembers.

8. Explore multiple vehicles for your message. Your credit union’s newsletters, Web site, seminars, statement stuffers and drive-up envelopes can all be used as a way to get the word out about your educational effort. The more ways to get the word out, the more likely your members will get the message.

9. Don’t forget to educate your staff, too. When a member asks a question, your staff must be trained and educated to be able to answer. Make sure each staff member is ready to answer questions even if they are not financially oriented to the topic, or is able to refer them to someone who can answer them.

10. Evaluate your training effort. Evaluate each member education program you do. Use feedback to improve and refine your program for future sessions. Positive comments from members in the form of testimonials can serve as a powerful promoter for your next program.