The credit unions teamed up to launch a cooperative, collaborative, employee sales promotion, called Apples 2 Apples, which enabled staff from both cooperatives to share best practices and challenges during a loan buy-out campaign. As a result, staff teamed up to help members save $2.7 million in future interest payments, the credit unions said.

Having the word "apple" in the promotion's name seemed fitting given Washington state's reputation for the fruit staple and New York city's popular moniker, the Big Apple. The connection helped staff from both coasts to improve the loan buyout process.

During the three-month campaign, Empower increased loan volume by 19% over the same period the prior year and Red Canoe raised buyouts by 35%, the credit unions said.

Apples 2 Apples also earned the 2014 Excellence Awards' Best of Show at the CUNA HR/TD Council's 20th annual conference.

Both credit unions worked simultaneously to help members save money by moving loans to each respective credit union.

"We were cooperating, rather than competing," Kelly explained. "Working with another credit union in this capacity was something we had never heard of, but it really encapsulated the credit union spirit of people helping people."

The spirit of cooperation extended even further.

Read more: Employees join in the collaboration …

"We were also able to leverage each other's strengths such that it became credit unions helping credit unions," Justin Roth, director of cultural affairs at Empower FCU, said.

Employees at each institution shared real-time challenges and success stories, which assisted and inspired members of both teams.

The Apples 2 Apples program was designed to build on existing strengths at both credit unions, Kelly said.

For example, he said, Empower had extensive database tracking system and excels in data management, while Red Canoe had a unique internal brand and sales culture that had been finely tuned over the years with the support of its senior management team.

A website bridged the two staffs by facilitating communication and paperwork. capabilities. Along the way, there were a few minor challenges in coordinating both teams.

"The largest hurdles arose due to the almost 3,000 mile location difference," Roth said. "We knew communication would be critical to the success of this campaign, but with a conscious effort by all parties, we kept the lines of communication open between the credit unions."

Kelly agreed that obstacles were also minimal for Red Canoe.

"The time difference wasn't an issue at all, but figuring out our strengths took some time," he said. "Collectively, we were able to accomplish an incredible amount, but it took a real self-evaluation from both credit unions in order to figure out who should be focusing on what."

There were individual and team incentives, which were the main cost of the campaign.

"The only budget items explicitly for this campaign were the prizes, including two iPads, which totaled under $1,500," Roth said. "The other costs revolved around the time everyone dedicated to making this a success, which added up to about 10 hours a month for each credit union's development team."

In addition to helping members, both organizations reported other benefits.

"Several departments such as marketing, IT, training, branches and lending were involved, which allowed back office areas to see how they directly impact membership," Roth said. "Loan officers were able to share stories and gain new perspective from peers at Red Canoe. The collection of stories from members became inspirational and increased employees' intrinsic motivation and drive to help more."

There were other long-term bonuses, the organizers said.

"Red Canoe has become a resource above and beyond the conclusion of the campaign," Roth said. "As organizers, we became very close friends."

Kelly said he hopes the campaign's success will motivate others.

"We really feel like we've inspired a new way of thinking within the credit union industry," he noted. "Credit unions should be working together more for the collective good of the people we serve. When we evaluate our resources, we shouldn't feel limited to looking inside our own organizations."

Both cooperatives received positive feedback from members.

"When you tell a member we can save your hundreds or thousands of dollars over the life of your loan, they light up and are ready to sign," Roth said. "They also enjoyed being spotlighted on our webpage holding a sign of their overall savings."

The member testimonials added value to the marketing campaign based on the joint venture, Roth said. Red Canoe also earned praise from members.

"They loved the Facebook posts about how much we were saving their fellow members," Kelly said. "It brought a lot of positive energy our way."