BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash.-When most branch managers lament their office's access problems, their concerns are generally about a poor location off the main drag or a parking lot too small for the membership.
But Patti Kelley, who manages the Bainbridge Island office of Kitsap FCU, would love to face those issues.
Instead, for many members to reach her branch, they have to ride a ferry boat or travel down a narrow two-lane road and cross a bridge.
"Bainbridge is a 35-minute ferry ride and a longer drive from downtown Seattle and we are surrounded here by big banks. I have B of A and Wells Fargo on one side and Union Bank and Columbia Bank on the other," explained Kelley. "It's a challenge."
Kitsap's island office serves a fairly affluent membership, as well as a small segment of strawberry farmers. But the well-to-do members raise another problem regarding access to the credit union, according to Kelley-they travel a lot and tend to lean toward doing business with the big banks due to the larger number of offices.
"We can't match that kind of bricks-and-mortar reach," she said.
The $840-million credit union is making inroads, however, communicating with Bainbridge members that the CU now has mobile banking and emphasizes home banking and access to a large number of surcharge-free ATMs.
"We tell members that they can maintain their relationship with a big bank for travel needs, but that most of their personal and children's accounts should be with the credit union."
The island not only presents the Kitsap branch with access issues, but problems with understanding the value of credit unions, said Kelley. "Since we are the only credit union on the island, a lot of the townspeople do not really get what a credit union is about. They don't understand the credit union difference and our not-for-profit model."
To counter that issue, Kelley makes sure she gets out into the community, attending local events and taking part in many community organizations. "Not only am I spreading the CU word and letting people know the credit union is here, I am also delivering financial education."
Kelley speaks at local high schools and part of her message in the financial education classes is to let students know the difference between a bank and a credit union. "We also get a great deal of word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied members."
Despite the local barriers, the branch has done well. Since 2008, membership in the branch has steadily climbed and member checking account penetration has risen by 12%.
Being on an island also has an impacted staffing, noted Kelley. "I have higher employee turnover because of the sticky commute. Most employees are off island and they get tired of the drive. But I have two employees who live in Bainbridge, which helps me out a lot. In the winter when the weather is bad, I know we can at least open the branch and then I can make it in on the bus."
Kelley lives off the island and has a 20-minute drive when she doesn't have to fight the traffic. "But when that ferry boat unloads, they roll off hundreds of cars at once and really clog up the two-lane road. It turns my drive into 45 minutes. Sometimes that seems like a long time to travel, but it's always worth it to me because I know the credit union is improving the lives of our members and I like being part of that."
Kitsap is based in Bremerton, Wash.
