In Case You Missed It (Vol 16)
Why you should look into becoming a Juntos Avanzamos CU. How Fortnite and an author are raising millions. How you really need to use that NCUA logo, and why I now want to earn my black belt in Verbal Aikido. Here are the items that caught our eye, in case you missed it:
Does your credit union serve a Hispanic Community?
Of course you do – Hispanic people are a vital part of pretty much every community in the US. That’s why more (Or most? Or all?) credit unions should look into becoming a Juntos Avanzamos credit union. Juntos Avanzamos (“Together We Advance”) is a designation for credit unions committed to serving and empowering Hispanic and immigrant consumers. Looking for member growth? It just makes sense to make sure you’re doing a good job of serving the fastest-growing demographic.
This time, Fortnite does it for Ukraine
Remember how Fortnite re-imagined advertising as entertainment for Wendy’s? Well this time they’re making big moves with humanitarian aid. On March 20th, Epic Games announced that they would commit all Fortnite proceeds over two weeks to relief programs for people affected by the war Ukraine.
On day one they raised over $36 million, and on April 4th they announced they had raised a jaw-dropping $144 million. (You can check out the Destructoid article to see where all that moolah is going.) Once again proving that you’d be a fool to underestimate the folks at Epic, and the power of the gaming community as a whole.
The real scoop on the NCUA logo and your website
This article from NAFCU’s Compliance Blog puts all the rules around the NCUA logo (AKA the “advertising statement”) in one handy-dandy place: https://www.nafcu.org/compliance-blog/ncuas-advertising-statement-and-websites
Fortunately, we’re doing everything right on the credit union websites we build (sigh of relief…)! We usually put this in the footer that appears on every page, and give the credit union the ability to easily turn it off on pages that deal with things that aren’t NCUA insured, like investments.
Who raised $40M+ on Kickstarter? An author??
Author Brandon Sanderson (and his more than 185 thousand backers) recently broke Kickstarter’s previous record by raising a whopping $41.7 million for the four novels he wrote during the pandemic. Sanderson is a well-known sci-fi/fantasy author of some acclaim, and he finished Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time saga (now an Amazon TV series), so he comes with an avid fanbase. If other authors try to emulate his Kickstarter success, their mileage may vary. Regardless, it’s a huge accomplishment in a field dominated by big publishing companies, and Sanderson and his fans deserve some applause.
April Fools, sort of
Beloved credit union curmudgeon Chip Filson released a few interesting articles on the first day of April. Buried in this article on CAMELS ratings was a real gem: this PDF checklist to help you assess how well your credit union is actually living up to the cooperative principles. Seriously, download it and take the test. I bet you’ve got work to do…
How to diffuse workplace conflict with Verbal Aikido
Instead of pushing back when someone challenges your ideas at work, what if you used Verbal Aikido on them instead? Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art based around the idea of moving with, instead of pushing against your opponent; to defend yourself while also protecting your attacker from injury. Holly Buchanon believes you can use this same approach, but with words instead of blocks and chops. The goal is to de-escalate any situation, reduce resistance and create win/win solutions – all without appearing defensive or aggressive. Holly spoke at HeartlandCUA’s SHIFT conference, and her approach just makes sense in an industry build on cooperation. Be sure to keep an eye out for her new book that is in progress.
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