San Diego Metropolitan CU Works Member Referral

SAN DIEGO – San Diego Metropolitan Credit Union has its members not only talking up the credit union experience but also encouraging new members to join. Playing up the idea that the best advertising is by “word of mouth,” the $305 million credit union has launched a member referral program that rewards both the referrer and referee. Current members who refer a friend, family member or coworker fill out a form to be entered in a monthly drawing for prizes up to $300 dollars- $200 for the referrer and $100 for the new member. There is no limit to the number of entries made by current members. Promoted via the Web site (www.sdmcu.com), branch posters and the newsletter the campaign has been running some six months and drawing in an average of 25 new members a month. “We wanted a program that would garner new membership and who better to promote us than members who already understand how our credit union works and have been benefiting from membership,” said SDMCU Marketing Administrator Marianne Randall. “It has been great. We’ve opened everything from share accounts to loans and members love the opportunity to win.” Randall says they’ve found the program works better with reminders so a staff incentive program has also been implemented where employees who get members to complete a referral form are eligible to win $25 giftcards. Once the new member’s account status has been confirmed the employee’s name is entered in a monthly drawing. Currently there is no fixed deadline for the program, which is re-evaluated each month after reviewing the prior month’s results. “It’s a win for everyone including the credit union,” said Randall.