In his president's address on the final day of the convention, NWCUA President/CEO Troy Stang revealed his goal of increasing the market share of credit unions in Oregon, Washington and Idaho from 50% to 75% by 2020, and said the biggest barrier to reaching that goal is the lack of consumer awareness. The general public's misconceptions about credit unions include believing they're only for the needy, not everyone can join and that they're not safe or secure places to store your money. Stang even described how one of his own family members sent him a payment request via Venmo (which he refused to accept), unaware of the P2P technology offered by credit unions.

Plus, in a breakout session focused on reaching the non-member earlier in the conference, CUNA Mutual Group Vice President of Credit Union System Relations Gerry Singleton noted there are many consumers who use a credit union product, but still don't consider themselves credit union members. So how can we reach outside our bubble to these non-members, some of whom already have one foot in a credit union's door?

In an onsite interview with CU Times, Stang told me the outreach should begin with existing members and employees. We need to demonstrate relevance to non-members, who generally don't understand how to join a credit union, the value proposition credit unions offer or the fact that credit unions are the fabric of their communities, he said. "Employees have to articulate the relevancy and value to members so they'll repeat that when they're out talking to their friends and family members," he emphasized.

As we begin to close in on the 2017 holiday season, here's an end-of-year to-do list that can help you ensure you've done your part to spread the word about credit unions outside your immediate bubble:

Be more relevant. A non-member isn't likely to make the effort to join a credit union unless they have a darn good reason to. In Singleton's session, he mentioned the four top things that would motivate non-members to switch financial institutions are a better interest rate on a savings account or investment product, a financial incentive for opening an account, a better interest rate on a loan and access to free financial counseling/planning services. Try incorporating these benefits into your marketing strategies.

Implement a referral program. Singleton noted referral programs can be very effective if they're executed properly. Offering an incentive for the member, such as a $25 deposit for each new loan or account opening that results from their referral, is a good place to start.

Get employees to take action. Educate all frontline employees about why credit unions are important so they have a pitch ready for members who come into the branch that explains why they should encourage their own friends and family members to join. Then, ask all employees – frontline and back-office – to talk to at least one non-member they know about the benefits of membership before the end of the year. You might create digital and print versions of a branded informational sheet for prospective members that explains why credit unions matter to their communities and members, how they can join, and, if your credit union is specific to an organization or employer, includes a list of other credit unions that are open to everyone in the community. Incentives go a long way here too for employees who actually get a non-member to join (holiday bonus, anyone?)

Of course, this is just a start. There are so many intelligent minds in the credit union community and I'm sure many more innovative ways to get our message across to the outside world. The point is, it's time to start talking.

Natasha Chilingerian is Managing Editor at Credit Union Times. She can be reached at [email protected].