‘Save Away for a Rainy Day’: CU Youth Month Materials Available

During April, credit unions across California, Nevada, and the nation can celebrate “National Credit Union Youth Month” and “National Financial Literacy Month”!

While credit unions take financial education seriously all year long, this month provides even more opportunities to work with members and community partners to promote financial wellness — especially younger members.

To help your credit union tailor your efforts to younger members, please join in promoting the theme “Save Away for a Rainy Day” — because when kids learn about the importance of saving money for the future, they are laying the foundation for financial success!

The hashtag #CUYouthMonth can be utilized on social media to demonstrate the power of every credit union’s collaborative efforts. Click here (downloadable browser file) contains the Credit Union Youth Month logo, social media graphics, coloring page, crossword puzzle, word search, posters, and more. You can also access a helpful information sheet here.

This messaging/marketing can be edited and customized to reflect YOUR credit union’s brand!

A special thanks goes out to Maine Credit Union League for creating and sharing these materials so that CU Youth Month can continue. People helping people — and collaboration — is what our movement is all about.

Ways to Celebrate Credit Union Youth Month
Focus on celebrating youth members:

• Offer a match on the members’ initial youth savings account deposit.
• Offer a free gift to any youth member who opens a new account or makes a deposit into their existing account.
• Offer a drawing for youth members who open a new account and make a deposit into their existing account. Examples include movie tickets, admission to a local children’s museum or zoo, gift cards, etc.
• Offer a new youth member goodie bag that includes credit union promotional items and Credit Union Youth Month coloring sheet, word search and crossword puzzle.

Focus on driving awareness in the community:

• Modify the Credit Union Youth Month press release to meet your credit union needs and share with local news media.
• Pitch the story to your local TV and radio outlets to drive awareness of the importance of teaching children about savings during Credit Union Youth Month.
• Create tips for ways to teach children about saving in a digital world.
• Incorporate Credit Union Youth Month at existing community events in April. Bring along copies of the Credit Union Youth Month coloring sheet, word search and crossword puzzle and a flier about the description of your credit union’s youth savings account promotion.
• Look for community events to target young families. Consider a partnership with your local children’s museum, aquarium, zoo and other like-minded organizations that appeal to families.

Focus on driving awareness among members:

• Highlight Youth Month throughout credit union channels, including a statement message, website banner, ATM/ITM graphics, in-branch signage, and closed-circuit branch TV network.
• Write an article about Credit Union Youth Month to feature on your website.
• Post trivia questions about your credit union on your social media networks in exchange for giveaways like gift cards and special prizes.

Focus on education:

• Host a financial literacy workshop in your service area.
• Partner with Junior Achievement to volunteer for a JA class to help educate students about financial responsibility.
• Offer your credit union as an elementary/primary school field trip destination.
• Offer a series of lectures on basic finance in the evenings or over the lunch hour for your members. Topics can include managing a checking account, building good credit, shopping for a mortgage, handling credit cards and saving for college/university.
• Sponsor an essay or art contest for young members or your entire membership. A short essay (100 words or less) about why the credit union is special or how has the credit union has helped your family could be essay topics. Publish the winning entries in your newsletter or in the local newspaper.