How much do you love your credit union?

Sure, members love their credit union's lower fees and rates and great service, but they also love what their cooperatives do for their communities to help people.

A video may be one of the best ways to show how much your community loves your credit union and to raise money for your charity, Dave Adams, CEO of CU Solutions Group, said.  That's why the Livonia, Mich.-based organization and CUNA are sponsoring the second annual Love My Credit Union campaign, which got under way earlier this month.

Last year, more than 130 credit unions from across 35 states expressed how much they loved their credit union by producing videos that raised more than $100,000 for their favorite charities in their communities.

The videos highlight credit unions, their employees and how they are involved in their communities and charities, which epitomize the credit union's people helping people principle. The videos that pull the most votes win money prizes for charities.

The campaign officially launched Oct. 1 and will end Dec. 16. The videos are posted on votelovemycu.org where everyone is invited to view and vote for their favorite videos.

This year, the Love My Credit Union campaign will award $122,500 to charities on behalf of the winning videos submitted by credit unions in four asset size groups and industry-support organizations.

In 2015, $105,000 was donated to local charities on behalf of nine winning credit unions throughout the country.

To encourage credit unions from all states to enter videos, campaign organizers introduced a new state-level prize. When at least five videos are submitted from each state, a credit union can win a $1,000 donation for their charity. In addition, eight $5,000 donations will be awarded. What's more, one grand prize winning credit union video and one credit union support organization video will each receive a $15,000 donation for their charity.

“So all in all, a credit union can win $21,000 for a charity of their choice, and that can make a big difference,” Adams said.

The campaign also will award five randomly selected voters each with a $500 gift card, plus a $500 donation to the charity of their choice.

“It's a fun way to give to charities through credit unions, and it's also a fun way for credit unions to tell their great stories in a very compelling way,” Adams said.