The Membership Growth Committee met for the first time last fall and came up with four avenues to boost membership numbers–through education and training; advertising and awareness; delivery channels; and technology tools. The league has also developed a logo that will help to brand the issue of membership growth and draw attention to initiatives, products and services.

"Credit unions grew because they met the needs of Maine people as the state grew," Lemieux said. "Today, it's a different road map and our mission is clear. Together, we must reclaim the things that set us apart and re-energize the movement for future growth."

Since the fall, several growth initiatives have taken place. In January, the league conducted four focus groups to learn about the habits and perceptions of financial services among Generation Y. Forty participants were asked a number of questions including what types of advertising they respond to, said Jon Paradise, governmental and public affairs manager at the Maine Credit Union League. Not surprisingly, Gen Y is much more Internet savvy (but hate pop-up ads, early focus group data showed) and relies on word of mouth and its own research when it comes to making decisions. The league's membership growth committee plans to meet in March to discuss the focus groups' findings.

"We can not do things the same way we did 20 or 30 years ago to be able to reach Generation Y," said John Murphy, president/CEO of the league. "The future of credit unions has a lot to do with what Generation Y will do."

The membership growth campaign will also promote technology as a means to deepen penetration, Murphy said. Data mining and cross-selling are two examples of reaching out to existing members. The convenient positioning of ATMs and branches as well as Internet-based banking will also be promoted as delivery channels. Twenty-seven Maine credit unions now participate in shared branching, and the SurF surcharge-free ATM network has grown to more than 200 locations across the state.

"Despite all the technology, location is still very important in selecting a primary financial institution," Murphy said. "We're planning more focus on shared branch networks."

Another component of the campaign will see the formation of a financial literacy council to help link credit unions up with schools to help educate students on basic financial skills. Through a new human resources council, new activities will be created to equip credit union staff with the tools to attract, serve and retain new members.

Murphy said he expects the league's membership growth committee to share and exchange ideas with other leagues and with CUNA that have begun or have plans to begin exploring this issue.

"It's the old adage–what gets measured, gets results," Murphy said. "There's been a lot of focus on products and services but not on membership growth. We do believe over time, we will see results."

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