One of the big issues facing credit unions is their aging membership with no younger generation of members waiting to succeed them and uphold fairness in credit union board elections.
Credit union election results and their impact on a local community isn’t always embraced by the younger generations. In fact, the average age of membership in a credit union is forty-seven and older.
Engaging young members in credit union elections can be achieved by utilizing social media to create, curate, and circulate relevant content as well as hosting in-person community outreach events that are fun and entertaining. In order to cater to a younger demographic, many credit unions have migrated into the online space in order to facilitate a number of their processes–including credit union elections.
While having senior board members brings a unique value to the credit union space, there is an equal value to young professionals who serve as board members, guiding a credit union’s future. This article will explore some ideas to equip senior members of credit unions to engage the younger membership.
There’s nothing profound about saying that everyone is on social media these days–especially young people. Credit unions can take advantage of social media to expand their reach.
Hashtags are a powerful tool credit unions can use on their social media accounts to increase their reach and engagement on social media platforms. Simply including a few researched hashtags can help increase the visibility of an upcoming credit union election. By adding these hashtags to posts that will be seen by people in the community, young members will be more likely to engage.
Selfies are not just for beach pics and duck faces; they can also inform young credit union voters why their vote matters to the communities they can impact. Taking selfies and posting them online is a fun way to bring awareness and encourage participation throughout the election process.
People love video content almost as much as they love still images. A voting day video or series of entertaining videos leading up to voting day that involve young members of the credit union can be an effective way to achieve a larger voter turnout.
Though the internet and social media reign as king and queen of the promotion space, don’t discredit the value younger generations find in face to face human interaction.
Having ‘I Voted’ stickers or buttons made and distributed to those who have voted in a credit union election can be an incredibly impactful way to reach young voters who consider themselves active members in their local community. The stickers can also serve as a reminder to vote in the first place, even if onlookers weren’t originally planning to.
Community outreach is a great way to bring awareness to an upcoming election. Any credit union can host community events, specifically ones tailored to attract young people.
Doing away with old antiquated methods and embracing ‘the new’ is refreshing to young voters. Making online voting available is one way credit unions can do this.
It’s fair to say that openness and honesty from financial institutions is something people from all age groups can appreciate. Though this may be the case, young people, in particular, have come to expect a certain level of transparency and immediate accessibility to all things. Leveraging this knowledge through online voting is how credit unions can earn trust from the younger, tech-savvy members and show them how important their participation really is.
Looking to engage young board members in your next election? Find out more by checking out the ElectionBuddy platform today!
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