The Value of Member Testimonials

Tena Lozano
August 31, 2010 | COMMENTS

Member testimonials can be a valuable marketing and public relations tool in letting potential members—and even legislators—know how your credit union reaches out and helps people achieve financial success.

Some credit unions use comments and praises from members for their websites; others have used them for their newsletters. But they can also be used for so much more—ads, brochures, radio, television, and advocacy visits. The cost is minimal, and a good word from a member can be more powerful than advertising.

For some, the idea may seem daunting. But through this testimonial- based approach, the League's Community Outreach Committee has developed a comprehensive online toolkit to assist credit unions in promoting their message to members, the community at large, and the media.

The toolkit, which can be found online here, includes guidelines on how to collect member testimonials via video, audio, and written means. It also features trigger events that can help in collecting remarks, such as a member appreciation event. The toolkit contains the National Credit Union Foundation's (NCUF) Guide to Gathering Member Testimonials and a sample release form for members. This sample agreement is for illustrative purposes only and is intended to be modified by credit unions as needed in order to comply with operational needs and applicable law.

If you need assistance with media publicity efforts, the Leagues' Public Affairs Department can help your credit union with those efforts—from creating custom media contact lists, to drafting news releases on your credit union's behalf. Please contact Public Affairs and Community Outreach Specialist Tina Ramos-Ingold at tinar@ccul.org.

Tena Lozano is director of credit union development for the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues. This article was reprinted with permission from Credit Union Digest, the publication of the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues.