Filene Research Institute

Each new year, Filene invites our members, credit union friends and system partners to join us for a little fun and a little discussion on what we see coming to the credit union industry in the year ahead--This is Filene360. In 2017, we went back in time to tell our story through interpretive retro gameshow reenactments. In part one of this two-parter podcast, CEO Mark Meyer gives a virtual hug to all the credit unions out there that have done amazing work over the past year. In this episode we explore the hot topics and most relevant issues for credit unions to focus on in the year ahead stated directly from several industry leaders. We also hear from Mark Meyer and a distant cousin called Mark Trebek. Be sure to listen to part 2 for more of the fun side of Filene360.

Constance Anderson, Principle and Founder of MemberXP and Erin Coleman, Senior Impact Director walk us through a mile (or more!) in our members' shoes. Understanding the data, the research, the motivations and the drivers behind why members are loyal or not, Constance, through the work of MemberXP, shares what we can do to improve the member journey so credit unions can truly be everyone's best financial partner. Here's what's covered: 2:20--What is MemberXP and how does it help credit unions improve their members' experiences 3:45--Collaboration with Filene on Omni-Channel Voice of Member program 4:45--Making sense of member data 7:20--The story of how Filene has come to work on mapping the member journey with Constance and MemberXP (Learnings from the Amazon Credit Card Application Pilot) 10:06--Loyalty is driven by the experiences we create for our members 10:56--Mapping Net Promoter Scores 12:23--Making the data actionable with MemberXP 13:19--Why don't satisfied members bring all their business to the

Born from the concept of credit score subscription services popularized by catchy theme songs, SavvyMoney brings all the benefits sought by consumers and creates a winning program for credit unions seeking to increase their members' financial expertise, offer more competitive rates and deepen loyalty and engagement. Chris Fraenza of the FinTech company SavvyMoney joins the podcast to tell the story of just what's so savvy about it.

Tansley and I jump on the line with Qcash Financial CEO Ben Morales to find out more about this short-term small-dollar lending solution that offers credit union members instant funding in less than 60 seconds. Ben shares insights from more than a decade of work behind refining this program and the relationship-based data that makes it so innovative, while Tansley talks future opportunities for credit unions with Qcash. Not only is this program beneficial for credit union members, it's sustainable for the credit unions that provide it. In 2015, $28M was lent by Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU), saving members an estimated $3.7M. WSECU experienced a net margin of 11% on these loans. Tune in to see how you, too, can offer funds to your members with 6 clicks in 60 seconds.

On today's show we talk with Gregg Hammerman, CEO of Larky -- a member engagement and loyalty program that helps credit unions add value for their members. We've also got Tansley Stearns, Chief Impact Officer on the line to share the Filene story of how Larky came to be our partners in support of the credit union industry. Gregg created Larky when he realized it would be nice to have something on his mobile device to let him know of rewards or special offers available to him because of other memberships he's part of...rather than finding out later. Being loyal can really pay off for the consumer, but also businesses see that loyal members buy 14% more products than non-loyal members. Listen on for Gregg's full story...

One fateful day at Filene, we received an email, and the subject line solemnly read, "Andrew Downin is leaving..." SPOILER ALERT: After a collective panic attack had by all, the story ends with a win, for both Filene and for professional growth and development. Hear Andrew's story and learn from Tiffany about opportunities that might be right for you to join Team Filene!

Saturday, September 3, we celebrate our namesake Ed Filene's birthday! He was born in 1860 in Salem, Massachusetts. Join us in celebration of the father of the U.S. credit union movement! How did Filene come to be such, you ask? Well, when Ed traveled around the world in 1907 to source products for his department store, he was exposed to cooperative business models practiced in India and elsewhere. He came home inspired by the incredible social and economic potential of enabling workers and communities to work together to create access to savings and credit. Filene then invested over $1 million of his personal fortune spreading the credit union message because he saw credit unions as the future source of financial services for working Americans and their families. Happy Birthday, Ed! Share your birthday wishes for him below!

I bust in on a team of innovators' working session to get the scoop on what they're doing and why. Filene'rs Marnie and Andrew introduce us to the Debt Dragons and the real issues they are attempting to slay for us out there in the world. Listen in, learn a bit, and share YOUR tips for students about to enter college.

Today's Fill-In is all about what Filene has been doing behind the scenes to improve our communications, social media and digital presence. With the expertise of...experts, the energy of interns and some good ol' self reflection, we describe how we have and continue to seek ways to improve the Filene user experience as the social/digital channels continue to evolve and grow. Thanks for listening!

Impact Director Brenton Peck has been a Filene Team member only 4 short months but his knowledge on how to deliver Filene's research to credit unions in actionable and tangible ways is anything but short. Join us for a conversation about what drives Brenton's work with credit unions across the US and Canada, and where he sees things going for them in the future.

The credit union world has one more podcast! The National Credit Union Foundation launched their new podcast series, Murmurings (I know, clever, eh?) last month. I speak with the Foundation's Director of Communications Christopher Morris about tips, tricks, tech and our love for podcasting in general. Hey, a podcast about podcasts, how meta...

Impact Director & Analyst Elry Armaza fills us in on custom research projects, helping credit unions with converting innovation to implementation and developing strategies that live and breathe all year long. We also learn how discovering your member's pain points is like "the first time you download the Pokémon Go app and realize the Pokémon were all around us all this time and we didn't see them." Once you look through a new lens, you can make time to "catch 'em all" and resolve members' pain points in doing business with your credit union.

Sitting down with "acting CEO" George and Patsy, I learned a lot about how Filene performed over the past fiscal year and our plans for forging ahead over the coming year. George has a new (temporary) role and is getting the most out if it, and Patsy is enjoying the beautiful Wisconsin summer. Grab as seat, and let us fill you in since we last talked.

We sat down with Filene's Incubator Director, Adam Lee, to learn more about the research and work being done to forge a path forward through the power of credit unions to financially empower all members of our communities. Adam touches on the regulations coming from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the opportunities that credit unions have today to better help their most financially fragile members and the role and impact credit unions play in our larger socio-economic state.

Join the conversation with Cooperative Trust Manager James Marshall as we talk origins of the Crasher movement, recent adventures, future opportunities to get involved and exciting exciting exciting (fingers crossed!)things to come for The Cooperative Trust. Also, lets all wish our British friend James a happy 4th of July! Visit filene.org to keep on track of upcoming Crash events that YOU can apply for!

Strategy is alive! Rather than a 1-2 day activity producing a 100-page report that few will read, an organization's strategy should be an active part of who they are all year round. With that in mind, Filene's Strategy Cycle helps credit unions do just that...keeping board meetings and senior leadership meetings at a high strategic level instead of talking about the color of the carpet in the new branch. Listen in as Chief Impact Officer Tansley Stearns explains how Filene's work can benefit your credit union. Check out Filene.org for more info.

Research Manager Stephanie Galligan joins us on the podcast to explain the first research report ever released as part of our new Centers of Excellence. In this report, Designing Credit Union Culture for High Performance, Stephanie hits on the key elements that make an organization's culture what it is, shares an example of a successful high performing organization driven by its culture and gives credit unions the take-aways for gaining stronger culture.

Episode 2 of the Filene Fill-In podcast has us chatting with the fine Filene felines (aka cool cats) Marnie, Andrew and George about credit union innovators, ideas that bubble to the top, and the 2025 vision of the financial services industry. While we mainly stay on topic, deviations into exotic plants, chewbacca socks and 80s music hits may occur...

Here we are, the first episode EVER of the Filene Fill-In: The podcast where we fill you in on what's been going on at Filene and out and about in the financial services world. In this show we're joined by the genius George Hofheimer, the beautiful Ben Rogers and the Amazing Andrew Downin. We talk Australia and pork dumplings, Scotland and haggis and Washington D.C. and the Donald (Trump AND Duck)! See where the conversation takes us...

The Filene Fill In -- A Podcast where we fill you in on what's been going on at Filene Research Institute. This is our just for fun test episode featuring Chief Knowledge Officer George Hofheimer and CEO Mark Meyer