Weber Marketing Group rolled out a new merchandised branch for Advantis Credit Union on January 23rd.

The Credit Union Growth Strategies Study 2008 report surveyed CEOs of 118 credit unions and examined 5,300 performance reports from 2000 through 2006. Results indicate that despite the growth of community charters, nearly half of all credit unions have experienced net membership loss since the beginning of 2000.

In the article, Mark states that community charters and good service don’t solve growth challenges. “There are two big surprises when a credit union gains a community charter. First, absolutely nobody is beating a path to your door. Second, you have to completely transform your business, operational and sales models.”

“If good service were the secret, credit unions would be thriving in membership growth today,” he continues. “Unfortunately, good service is not the bar by which people switch financial institutions. We’ve had seven years of the worst growth in history in credit union membership. You absolutely have to be working much, much harder than simply saying ‘We have great member service’ when everyone else is saying it.”

In the article, Mark cites the “Seven Key Drivers for Accelerated Growth” for credit unions facing growth challenges today.

Click here to view the full article.

You can purchase the full 2008 CEO Growth Study report at the CEO Advisory Group website.

Using the organization’s new online gift catalog, Weber Marketing selected gifts that included cans of worms, women’s small business loans, acres of seed, and clean water projects.

Weber Marketing donated a flock of chicks to Agros on behalf of client Tracy Fournier, Senior Marketing Specialist for Cal Coast Credit Union, who said, “I am so glad Weber Marketing chose to help these people. It means more to us than sending us a gift of chocolates.”

Nancy Olmsted, VP Marketing at Columbia Credit Union in Vancouver, Washington, agrees. “I can’t think of a holiday gift I would have enjoyed more! What a thoughtful and impactful thing,” she said.

Since Agros was founded in 1982, they have helped over 6,000 people build new lives by providing land ownership, technical assistance, training, capital loans, village infrastructure, and volunteer service teams. These valuable resources support the vision of local community members as they build their own villages across Central America and Mexico.

“Agros is having a major impact, transforming lives by stopping the cycle of poverty in Central America,” said Mark Weber, President of Weber Marketing. “In our partnership with Agros, we’ve been able to integrate our credit union philosophy and cooperative spirit.”

Weber Marketing has been a proud pro-bono brand partner of Agros for over six years, helping them build a powerful international brand that supports their mission.

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For more information, contact Mark Weber, President at 206-340-6111, or Sean Dimond, Director of Marketing and Communications for Agros, at 206-528-1066.