by Ron Daly

Shell FCU recently was named business of the year by the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce. DigitalMailer wants to send its congratulations to a credit union that has set down deep roots in its community of members.

Why are they Business of the Year? Something tells us it's a matter of commitment.

To The Environment:

A look at Shell FCU's website shows they're big fans of a natural, eco-friendly look. At the bottom right-hand corner of their page is a logo showing their participation in the Green Business Alliance. On content pages, links to their eStatement enrollment page encourage members to "go green" with DigitalMailer's eStatements (see below).

To The Community:

From Shell FCU's press release:

In addition to time spent at work, employees also volunteer for the credit union’s FCU "Furthering Community Unity" Team. The FCU Team consists of Shell FCU employees, members and local individuals who participate in events such as blood drives, walks, runs, food drives, Habitat for Humanity and other charitable events. In 2008, the FCU team logged over 347 hours and donated more than $8,900 to help others. As of April 2009, approximately 465 hours have already been donated.

To Reaching and Helping Members:

In the past year, Shell started up iLife, a service for younger members that offers incredible rates and savings programs. You can go to the iLife webpage to learn about their rates and accounts, watch user videos, read their blog, sign up for their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.

So congratulations, Shell - you're setting a great example. Keep up the great work!

Labels: 20andChange, Credit Union News, Credit Unions, e-Statements, electronic statements, Generation-Y Marketing, Shell Federal Credit Union, Texas Credit Unions

Click Here to Read the Full Version of "A Case Study: Shell FCU"

by Ron Daly


Our Friday post had to do with resources available to Texans who had been uprooted by Hurricane Ike. Even as we put together our list, we were uncertain of exactly what was in store. Thousands of people trapped after ignoring the evacuation mandate, thousands more stranded far from home - the picture is grim. But there are those who try to make it a little brighter, bit by bit.

For starters, The Texas Credit Union Foundation is asking for donations to the relief effort.


Click the image above to donate. Special thanks to Brent Dixon at OpenSourceCU.com for breaking the story/providing the source code for the donation buttons. Visit their site to get the code for yourself/your blog/your credit union's webpage.

In a move that some would describe as shocking - and others would describe as the good nature of credit unions shining through in a time of need - Texas Dow Employees Credit Union has offered to delay loan/mortgage payments in the wake of the Hurricane. Their Senior VP of lending, Paul Perdue, put out this video:



But that's not the only big financial news from this weekend. Merrill-Lynch was swallowed by Bank of America, Lehman Bros. filed for bankruptcy, and the stock market hit its worst day since September 11, 2001 (won't link to stories, because they're everywhere already). How are CUs faring in the midst of this? This story from the Times Leader explains the urge for calm and how credit unions view the turmoil.

As someone who was a credit union CFO for a number of years and who has always kept an eye on how the financial industry moves, I'm interested to see what happens next in all these news stories.

Labels: Credit Union News, Credit Union Tech, Credit Unions, Hurricane Ike Texas, Special Reports, Texas Credit Unions, Texas CU

Click Here to Read the Full Version of "Stormy Weather: The Weekend Brings Bad News for the Financial Sector"

To Texas, from all of us here at DigitalMailer -

Just a note to let everyone know that you are in our thoughts in these next days. Here's hoping everyone stays safe and sound.

RESOURCES:

From Weather.com - Interstate Forecast, Airport Delays, Weather Blog

From Twitter.com - StormWire issues alerts about severe weather via Twitter

From Google - Get live information on your cell with Google SMS

CREDIT UNION RESOURCES:

From Texas Dow ECU - Live blogging of closings and other information

From CUNA - Article relating to Ike and possible CUs affected

From NCUA.gov - National Credit Union Administration Ike preparedness page. NOTE: The event management script is very helpful in preparing for and handling the effects of closures and delays of service.

DigitalMailer can provide Crisis Management Notification Systems for CUs concerned about impact/ recovery information. Visit our CMNS page for more info, or contact us at info@digitalmailer.com.

Please stay safe.

-The DigitalMailer staff.

Labels: Blogging, Credit Unions, e-mail, email, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Ike Texas, Special Reports, TDECU, Texas Credit Unions, Texas CU, Twitter

Click Here to Read the Full Version of "To Our Friends in Texas"