Affinity Federal Credit Union Launches the Great Savings Challenge

    CHICAGO, IL, August 20, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Working Americans are still struggling when it comes to saving money. In fact, a recent survey from Bankrate.com reports that more than one in five of those working Americans don't save any of their annual income. The ones who are saving are not saving very much – only 16% are saving more than 15% of their income.

Beyond offering products with favorable rates, how can Credit Unions help their members save more? Affinity Federal Credit Union's answer: start the conversation and incentivize members to save.

Affinity Federal Credit Union in Basking Ridge, NJ launched a new initiative in 2019 called the Great Affinity Savings Challenge. The goal of Affinity's initiative is to encourage members to save their money, save their time, and save on interest, fees etc. by using Affinity's savings tools. This savings challenge campaign idea stemmed from the fact that Americans simply don't save enough money for emergencies or to reach their goals, and Affinity exists to see their members financially succeed.

Once the structure of the Great Affinity Savings Challenge was in place, leadership knew that creatively communicating the initiative to members in an exciting and easy-to-understand way was going to be key to the program's success. They enlisted the help of Michael Walters Advertising, a Chicago-based agency with 30 years of experience in working with financial institutions.

Michael Walters Advertising assisted Affinity with this goal by designing an engaging and attention-grabbing advertising and marketing campaign that invites Affinity's members to enter a monthly sweepstakes to win $1,000. The campaign educates members about saving, takes them step-by-step through processes that make saving stress-free and simple, and incentivizes members with cash prizes for their efforts.

Affinity's members are saving money for the important things in life – the things that make life feel worthwhile and special such as a family vacation, college tuition, a comfortable retirement or a dream car. MWA utilized language and visuals that would ease members into practicing better savings habits and showcased examples of goals within their reach. After all, the mission of this initiative is to simply get members saving, no matter how much. This initiative was brought to life in multiple mediums including desktop, mobile, tablet and in-branch, so that no matter where the consumer was, they were reached by the Great Affinity Savings Challenge message.

Activities that allow members entry (or entries) into the monthly drawing include:

-Open a new Savings Account
-Deposit Money via automatic transfer or direct deposit into Savings Account
-Meet with a Mortgage Loan Officer
-Enroll in HomeAdvantage®
-Take an online course through Enrich®
-Open a Home Equity Line of Credit
-Invite a friend

Jacqui Kearns, Chief Brand Officer at Affinity FCU says "I am concerned that Americans have more debt than savings. It means that many would not be able to cover their monthly expenses, such as their car payment, mortgage, day care or rent, if an emergency occurred. The Great Savings Challenge is designed to break that trend and the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle. Beyond encouraging a traditional savings account, Affinity will help our members save on costly credit card rates and fees other organizations put on their customers' backs. My team and I find it equally important to offer free financial advice and reward healthy savings practices. It only takes a few dollars a day to get started at any income and any age. All are welcome here at Affinity!"

Months into the program, new members are becoming more deeply involved in the credit union than before, and members who needed a little extra push are starting to save more for the future. As of June 2019, Affinity members have saved over $320,500 using the Great Affinity Savings program.

"Our passion is to work with companies that make their communities a better place to live. We believe our mission is to help our clients achieve theirs," says Jim Lake, Vice President of Michael Walters Advertising. Michael Walters Advertising is looking forward to continuing to design and execute strategies that deliver results for Affinity and its' members.

ABOUT AFFINITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
With more than 20 branches, Affinity is the largest credit union headquartered in the state of New Jersey, proudly serving the tri-state area and ranking in the top 2 percent of all credit unions in terms of asset size*. With thousands of businesses, associations, clubs and individuals comprising the Affinity family, they are truly a community connected. Affinity members have access to a network of more than 5,600-shared branches and nearly 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs nationwide. As a member-owned, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), Affinity's products and services are designed to fit member needs, all while offering great rates and fewer fees. For more information, please visit affinityfcu.com.

ABOUT MICHAEL WALTERS ADVERTISING
Michael Walters Advertising is a full-service advertising agency that has partnered with many of the world's premier brand names to deliver custom marketing strategy and solutions to their clients including: Chicago Cubs, Morton's The Steakhouse, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, Paul Mitchell Schools, Comcast SportsNet, Hunter Douglas and many more. MWA's approach is to develop superior strategic advertising programs that drive results. MWA specializes in marketing strategy, brand development and management, digital marketing, social media, direct marketing, media planning and placement, and production. For more information, visit michaelwaltersadvertising.com.

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