Hi there, credit union friends,
This year, my husband and I decided that our family’s motto is “experiences over things.” So in that spirit, we recently spent the night with our daughters at a local theme park to celebrate his birthday.
When we arrived at the resort, we discovered that our room was on the far end of the fifth floor. You know, as far away as possible from anyone or anything that could help us. So we took matters (literally) into our own hands! đź’Ş
Determined to unpack everything from our car in one trip (Yes, we’re those people!), we piled on the overnight bags, pushed the baby stroller, and hauled the travel crib up to our room. And once we made it, sweaty and sore, we looked at each other as if to say, “Why are we even doing this?”
Despite frequently asking this question on family “adventures,” I’m fortunate not to have to do the same when it comes to work events, especially during Credit Union Youth Month. So read on to discover what Team Snigglezoo was up to in April!
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In Your Back Pocket{nest}: Early last month, Chief Mammal John Lanza joined Jessica Willis, an Art of Allowance Podcast guest and the founder and CEO of the financial wellness platform Pocketnest, to answer a spirited set of money-smart questions from the platform’s users. Here’s a quick preview:
You can watch the full session here. During the event, Jessica and John fielded questions about topics such as:
- Including children in financial conversations
- Matching as a tool to communicate family values
- Demystifying investing for kids
- Setting up an allowance system
- Saving for SMART goals​
- Instilling confidence in children by optimizing for money mistakes
Moderated by Pocketnest’s CMO — and new mom — Ashleigh Craven, this 30-minute conversation is a lot of bang for your or your members’ buck.
— 2 —
On Firm “Financial Foundations”: We at Snigglezoo also recently teamed up with the Bay Area’s Patelco Credit Union to present an updated Art of Allowance Academy interactive course to the institution’s employees and members.
Titled “Financial Foundations: Raising Money-Wise Teens,” April’s session was hosted by Art of Allowance Podcast guest and self-proclaimed “financial cheerleader” Veronica Dangerfield and facilitated by John.
In addition to reviewing core money-smart skills that younger children should learn, John highlighted concepts particularly helpful for parents of older kids, including:
- The flex allowance
- The “circle back” technique
- How and when to end an allowance
Interactive elements, a chat feature, and a live Q&A transform this course from a typical webinar into a true learning experience for families. States Callie Bloem, a previous participant and co-founder of the digital parenting community MiLOWE:
“I’ve always known I wanted my young daughter to grow up with an understanding of money and to encourage smart spending habits, but I didn’t know how to get started. After attending the Art of Allowance Academy, I feel less overwhelmed and like I have a solid game plan.”
Interested in offering this financial wellness learning opportunity at your credit union?
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“LEVERAGE”-ing Family Financial Wellness: Our team closed out Credit Union Youth Month by collaborating with Growth by Design, a subsidiary of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions, on a webinar for its “Learning with LEVERAGE” series.
John and I joined forces with Misty Waldrop, the Marketing Manager of Growth by Design, to speak to League members about becoming champions for financial education.
During this session, titled “Engage Kids and Empower Parents: Credit Unions Connect with the Next Generation,” John and I shared:
- Why offering financial education, especially to Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z kids and their Millennial and Gen-X parents, matters
- Why providing money smarts to not only credit union members but also employees is important
- What practical strategies credit unions can use to engage kids and empower parents through a family financial wellness program
- How credit union rock stars (Our Art of Allowance Project partners!) are implementing such strategies to drive program and institutional growth
Click here to stream the full recording. And if you’d like to engage kids and empower parents with our program, and you’re not already a partner, then book a time to learn more about how we can help you help families on their money-smart journeys.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read up on the happenings here at Snigglezoo. But enough about us; we want to hear from you! Share your strategies for connecting with your young members and their families throughout April for a chance to be featured in the next edition of “Marketing Manatee Musings.” I’m looking forward to your “super fancy” ideas!
And until next time, here’s to putting our best fin lit flippers forward!
Erin Prim
Marketing Manatee
