Submitted by WSECU
WSECU counts Olympia, Wash. and the surrounding Thurston County area as its home “neighborhood” – the location of the credit union’s corporate headquarters and greatest number of branches. When most of the county implemented a retail plastic bag ban July 1, WSECU used the change as a chance to get branded reusable bags into their members’ hands and donate to a local non-profit.
Each local branch put out 100 of the WSECU shopping bags on a self-service table. The credit union asked members for a $1 donation per bag and then promised to match the money raised and donate it to Garden Raised Bounty (GRuB), an Olympia non-profit organization working on food sustainability issues with a particular emphasis on youth involvement.
“It just hit me that we should capitalize on this ordinance change and in one fell swoop we could help members, market the credit union and support a great local partner,” said Ann Flannigan, WSECU’s Vice President of Public Relations. “We quickly distributed the bags to the branches and they just as quickly flew off the table.”
The result? A $1,506.34 donation to GRuB.
WSECU is increasingly implementing opportunities to give back to the community through its relationships with business partners. Asking the credit union’s members to participate in a similar way was new. Flannigan said she expects WSECU will continue to build on the success of this pilot effort.
“Our members are community-minded,” Flannigan added. “They loved getting the bag and didn’t hesitate to pitch in to donate to GRuB. We are already thinking of what the next giveaway-donation promotion will be. It’s a powerful testimony of how by banking together we can do more together.”
She added that seeing the WSECU name on bags around town at local grocery stores is the “icing on the cake.”
Founded by seven state employees in 1957, WSECU has grown to 200,000 members, 20 branches and more than $2 billion in assets. With an unmatched dedication to members’ success, membership is now open to all residents of the state of Washington.
