ANAHEIM, California — The three credit union employee innovators who are finalists for the $10,000 CO-OP Financial Services THINK Prize all have proposed ways for CUs to use technology differently to reach and help members.
The winner will be announced tonight at COOP's THINK 2011 conference in Anaheim.
Shari Storm, chief marketing officer for the $372 million Verity Credit Union in Seattle has proposed credit unions develop and use a smartphone app called Squirrel, because it will help member squirrel away money they would have otherwise spent.
Matt Weidler, IT coordinator for the $1.2 billion Evangelical Christian Credit Union in Brea, Calif., proposed credit unions using CO-OP Network ATMs be able to let their members access their funds at the ATM by using just their cell phones.
Weidler told conference attendees that he came up with the idea after having forgotten his ATM card many times and thinking “why shouldn't I be able to do with a cell phone what I always have?”
Candace Vogelsong, marketing specialist for the $116 million Community Powered FCU in Newark, Del., developed an initiative to help CUs start to use social media more effectively.
