AUSTIN, Texas-Drawing on its history as a credit union for educators, A+ FCU here has launched a website to teach financial literacy to members and non-members.
Known as "Your Guide To" (www.YourGuideTo.org), the site is an extension of the classes and workshops that A+ has offered for years. While the 102,000-member, $975-million credit union will still offer those, the web content is meant to expand the reach of its efforts.
"We have a few branches with a training facility, plus we go to the SEGs, but that doesn't cover a lot of our area. In order to make it more convenient for our members and their communities, we wanted to offer this service," said Twila Gamble, adult financial education coordinator.
The site offers information on buying a home, getting out of debt, planning for retirement, buying a car and more, and each module offers materials such as printable PDFs and worksheets. Many of the materials in each module come directly from the credit union's in-person workshops, though some items were prepared for special seasonal workshops such as one on holiday budgeting.
Your Guide To is presented as a product of the credit union, and the CU's Twitter feed can be seen on the home page, but there is no sales pitch involved. There is no link to join the CU or apply for various products and services, though Gamble said similar links will likely be added later.
Site Is Free
Anyone can use the site for free, but registration is required. The registration page asks for the user's employer so that the CU can track who uses it, and run contests and incentives to encourage participation among its SEGs.
A+ is announcing the website through e-mails to members, ads on its website and in-branch signage. A billboard campaign is also in the works, as are ads via the credit union's social media channels.
"We're also hoping for word of mouth promotion," said Gamble. "Sometimes you're afraid to ask for some of these things, but if someone gives you an idea, you'll go look. People don't always want to admit that they don't know these things, but we're hoping that if they find out about it, they'll go to the website."
Regular Updates Planned
The site was launched in mid-November and is still somewhat a work in progress, confessed Gamble, who said that it will be regularly updated with additional resources and new materials. Projected workshops to be added in the near future include health savings accounts-"That's a real hot topic right now," said Gamble-trust funds and more.
"We want to be sure we have workshops that can meet everyone's needs at different stages of their life," she said.
