HERNDON, Va. — Credit union e-statement pioneer DigitalMailer Inc. is now offering its electronic services in a new way: sending out free e-mail blasts for charitable and community causes on behalf of the company's client credit unions.

Ron Daly, the company's president/CEO, said he expects more than a million such e-mails will be sent this year.

“We have participated in credit union and local community efforts as a company since our inception and this is the natural fit for us,” said Daly, a former Northwest Federal Credit Union executive who founded the CUSO eight years ago as an e-statement provider and has seen it grow to an e-marketing specialist serving about 125 credit unions and their 2.7 million members.

“By extending our e-marketing capabilities in this way, we can give credit unions a boost in their fundraising and other outreach goals by quickly connecting them to their network of online members,” Daly said.

One of America's best-known charities is one of the first beneficiaries of the electronic fund-raising. Neighbors Credit Union in St. Louis worked with DigitalMailer to send out alerts encouraging member participation in the $192 million CU's campaign for the Children's Miracle Network.

“Supporting our local hospital's work through Children's Miracle Network is one of the ways we give back to the communities Neighbors Credit Union serves,” said John Servos, the CU's president/CEO. “Credit unions' 'people-helping-people' philosophy is an important part of who we are. DigitalMailer is helping to make our efforts even more productive.”

–[email protected]