Is your CU ready to “Share & Save & Spend Smart Too”?

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Hi there, credit union friends,

Remember how, in the last installment of this newsletter, I mentioned that my family and I were traveling for the holidays? We made it to North Carolina and back safely, but we picked up an unwanted hitchhiker along the way. And upon our return, it reared its ugly head. (Insert dramatic music here!)

For the next two weeks, everyone in my house fell victim to a superbug that started as a stomach virus, morphed into a chest cold, and ended as pink eye. As we all dropped one after another like dominoes, we wondered why we were beginning 2024 on such a bad note. The New Year is supposed to represent a fresh start, right?

Instead, I found myself feverishly (literally and figuratively 🥵) disinfecting my house. But during this process, I realized that one specific date, like January 1st, doesn’t necessarily dictate a new beginning. (Here in the Prim household, we’re ringing in 2024 on February 1st!) So if you already feel behind on planning your youth programming for this year, then never fear. The Marketing Manatee is here! Read on to discover how to start fresh, like me, in February and beyond.

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April Already?: Still deciding on a theme for this year’s Credit Union Youth Month? We at Snigglezoo have you covered with

Our Money Mammals tagline is a wonderful way to introduce your young members and their families to financial wellness, as it emphasizes not only mindful saving but also charitable giving and smart spending. We have a host of corresponding courses, materials, and tools to help you spread this money-smart message, including:

  • A YouTube channel
  • Educational resources
  • Printable activity sheets
  • The Art of Allowance Podcast
  • The Art of Allowance Academy
  • The “Raising Money-Smart Kids” Blog

And don’t forget about the award-winning Money Mammals movie! Just try keeping this tune out of your head. 🙈

If you’d like to leverage any of these materials this season, then reply directly to this email so we can get started. And if you’re interested in truly making a splash for your young members and their families, then let’s chat about how you can become an Art of Allowance Project digital partner in time for April.

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Turning a New Page: Another key resource to help you engage kids and empower parents navigating the money-smart journey is The Art of Allowance, written by none other than Chief Mammal John Lanza. This book is a short, simple guide filled with practical tips, funny stories, and clear strategies to help families create an allowance that will grow with their children from when they learn to walk until they walk across the graduation stage.

The Art of Allowance could benefit your credit union’s Gen-X and Millennial parents who:

  • Find themselves digging into their pockets routinely to finance their children’s shopping habits
  • Are worried they’re raising spoiled kids
  • Want to know the three core money-smart skills children should learn
  • Have kids whose rooms are full of stuff they don’t use
  • Feel the piggy bank isn’t working for them
  • Wish their children were more goal-oriented
  • Are wondering when they should start an allowance
  • Wonder if all hope is lost because they haven’t started teaching their teenagers about money (Hint: It isn’t! 😅)
  • Believe they’re terrible with money and are worried about passing down those “genes”

Ready to demonstrate your commitment to family financial wellness? Then consider distributing The Art of Allowance at account openings and community events. (Don’t forget to ask me about customization options for your credit union!) Updated pricing for 2024 makes this tool an even better investment. So place your order now to make an impact during Credit Union Youth Month.

📸: Tostoini on Giphy

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So Fresh and So Green: As you’re heading into April, are you wondering how to keep the money-smart conversation top-of-mind for parents and guardians? Then look no further than the latest episode of The Art of Allowance Podcast! On it, author, explorer, and visionary Kevin Kelly offers novel approaches to money to provide families with a fresh perspective.

Kevin is the Senior Maverick at Wired, an award-winning magazine he co-founded in 1993. He is also the co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking, and the founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. What’s more, Kevin has authored multiple best-selling books about the future of technology. His newest one, Excellent Advice for Living, contains 450 modern proverbs for a pretty good life.

During Kevin’s podcast appearance, he and John touch on topics from billionaires and dying broke to protopias and traveling Asia. Here are some highlights:

  • Money’s losing importance as a meaningful metric
  • How much money you actually need to realize your dreams
  • The generosity paradox

For an explanation of this last point, watch the video clip below. In it, Kevin and John discuss the relationship between generosity and selfishness.

You can stream Kevin’s full episode here. And be sure to check out our new YouTube shorts series, which features snippets of the podcast that provide money smarts in a minute.

Well, friends, we’ve come to the end of yet another edition of “Marketing Manatee Musings.” Or is it really a beginning? 😉 Hopefully these strategies, suggestions, and resources will help you gear up for a new year of engaging kids and empowering parents on the money-smart journey.

Until next time, here’s to putting our best fin lit flippers forward!

Erin Prim

Marketing Manatee