CUNA AND LEAGUES TO TAKE CREDIT UNION STORIES TO 
STATE CAPITOLS ACROSS THE NATION

In a state where we love “talking story” it’s surprising how many “good news” stories about Hawaii credit unions go untold. CUNA’s Advancing Communities is a website where credit unions share individual stories illustrating how credit unions promote financial well-being for all through the voices of credit union members and staff.

Hawaii has its own landing page on this website where we can tell our unique stories. Advancing Communities also pairs data and statistics with these stories to demonstrate ways credit unions contribute daily to Hawaii’s diverse communities.

CUNA has undertaken a robust campaign to target and educate lawmakers in state capitols across the country on the credit union difference. CUNA has focused on driving lawmakers and staff working inside all 50 state capitals to the Advancing Communities website to learn how credit unions in their state are improving consumers’ financial well-being.

We encourage you to join the Hawaii credit union narrative! If you’ve had a special interaction with a member, a story that sticks out in your mind as a perfect example of your dedicated service, we’d love to hear about it. 

Share stories that demonstrate the impact your credit union has on:

• Individual members and their financial lives,
• A local business and helping them better serve your community,
• Your community, through focused charitable giving,
• Young people as you provide financial education in new and interesting ways, or
• The humans you serve as unexpected events occurred that dramatically changed their lives and how your credit union stayed constant in service by maintaining branch access, growing community outreach, and providing even stronger digital access.

We’re not looking for professionally produced videos, but simple heartfelt messages that tell your story. Here are tips for gathering credit union stories, which you can share here:

• Talking to loan officers is helpful– often they have the best stories and know which members would be excited to share their stories.
• Everyone has video capability on their smart phone. Shooting video from your phone makes it even easier to upload.
• If making a video is overwhelming or it’s not possible for members to come to the credit union in person, simply record members via Zoom and upload. (Always have signed permission agreements).

​Let’s fill Hawaii’s Advancing Communities landing page with as many videos and stories as we can to create a powerful public relations and advocacy tool.

​If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to League Communications Officer Laurie Okawa.