PHOENIX — Arizona State CU recently launched a social media website to help its members - many of whom are employees of the state's government or universities-get through a time of vanishing jobs.
The website,
Paul Stull, senior vice president of marketing for Arizona State CU, here, said the $1.3-billion credit union's field of membership includes state employees and people who work at the Grand Canyon State's three major colleges: University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona State University in nearby Tempe and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
"They were impacted first by the current recession as the state furloughed many people," Stull told Credit Union Journal. "Thousands of people either gave up an entire month of salary or were laid off entirely. Certainly we were very concerned about those folks because many of them are our members."
The CU's management first responded to layoffs or furloughs using traditional outreach methods, telling members about loan restructurings, skip-a-pay, financial counseling and other support programs the CU offers Stull said the CU also puts on limited income workshops at state facilities to help people learn how to live on a smaller paycheck.
Those steps got great feedback, Stull recalled, but he said management realized it needed to do something more. "We looked to our brand and we felt if we took a page from that — assistance for state employees, which has been a part of us since we were founded in 1951 — we could do what credit unions do and that is unite. We felt we could bring people together and help them."
Arizona State CU's management discussed putting on community workshops, or perhaps allowing members to come into branches to use copy machines to prepare their resumes, but those ideas were deemed impractical as it serves more than 133,000 members throughout Arizona. Eventually, Stull said, the discussion came to social media.
"What social media is all about is bringing together people with common interests," he said. "We created HelpingAZ.com to allow people to come together to help each other. We don't offer answers or content on the site, it is a user-generated site."
For example, Stull said some members need to feed their families on significantly smaller paychecks but do not know where to find assistance. They might have heard of food banks, but do not know how such things work. On HelpingAZ.com, these people can post questions, such as: How does a food bank work? Is it embarrassing to use one? Do you have to pay anything?
Answers are provided by other visitors to the site. "The idea of people helping people is very much credit union-like," Stull said. "The credit union isn't answering the questions, it is other users, people in the community. Perhaps someone who has used a food bank can give answers."
HelpingAZ.com has four sections, the Sound Off section "allows people to get something off their chest," Stull said; the Information Exchange lets people post tips like where to get free WiFi so they can cancel Internet service; Helpful Resources has links and other user-generated suggestions, and Need A Job lists job opportunities.
Stull emphasized HelpingAZ.com is not part of the CU's website. He said the only identification of the credit union on the social media site is a notation it is "powered by" Arizona State CU.
"There is no advertising, no attempt to recruit members. We just want to help our members and service our community. It is not a marketing tool, it is just expressing our brand."
When times are tough, "that is when brands get tested," he continued. Stull pointed out people remember who help them in times of crisis. "This was true even during the Great Depression. The brands established during that time are still major brands today. It is not a matter of always needing to sell something, it helps to provide."
