Maine’s credit unions have found a fun way to engage the “Gen Y” crowd. Windham resident Lauren Reeves is the Spokester for Young & Free Maine, a statewide effort in which she represents credit unions to the millennial generation. Her job has her creating an online presence by blogging, posting and tweeting on the Young & Free Maine website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – all sites that people her age often visit daily she said.
Young
& Free Maine is designed to inform Maine’s 18- to 25-year-olds about credit
unions and encourage membership, as well as offering financial tips and advice
in a format that this generation is open to. “It’s easier for some people to
hear it from someone their age rather than their moms and dads,” said Reeves. “It’s
not that the same skills aren’t there. You have to know the same things your
parents do, but it’s not in the same platform,” she said.
It’s not enough to simply inform the Gen Y
crowd about the benefits of credit unions and offer financial advice. If all
she posted was financial advice, said Reeves, people wouldn’t want to visit the
site. Instead, she posts on a wide variety of topics from simple recipes to
area events, giveaways, contests and more. “It’s not always about finances, but
it might relate to how to maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget,” she said. “Some
things have more relation to finances, some things don’t. Some things are just
fun,” she added.
In
addition to her online responsibilities, Reeves spends a great deal of time out
in communities, attending events hosted by individual credit unions across the
state. Reeves works to support all of the credit unions in the state, a task
made easier by her employer, the Maine Credit Union League. “I could not
imagine working with all 63 credit unions without the Maine Credit Union
League,” she said. “They really let me know who’s who, and what’s going on.” Events
she participates in span a wide range of activities, from running a 5K to raise
money to end hunger in Maine to driving her flashy bright green Young &
Free car in community parades.
Young
& Free Maine is part of a larger Young & Free network, though many
Spokesters in other areas are supporting the needs of just one credit union,
Reeves said. This network is a great resource for Reeves, who said they all
work together to share ideas and brainstorm.
Reeves
said the information she provides is important to her generation because they
are the future borrowers. “I think credit unions want to get the young people
on board now so you know what to do,” she said. The website provides resources
to inform this younger generation of the differences between a bank and a
credit union, and figure out what might come next for them financially. “I
think that a lot of young people have preconceived notions about credit unions
that aren’t necessarily true anymore,” she added. “They have the same services
and conveniences as a bank does. A lot of young people don’t know that.”
Reeves
began her job last July. It is a one year position, after which a new Spokester
will be selected in order to keep the site fresh, she said. Reeves landed the
position by applying to a contest after graduating from the University of Maine.
The process included submitting a video, uploading a profile onto the Young
& Free Maine website, and then going through a public voting phase. Though
that was a nerve wracking experience, she said, she was confident that she had
the skills to do the job, so decided to go for it. Reeves is the third Spokester
for Young & Free Maine.
Even
though this job is a short-term position, Reeves said she thinks that she fell
into the credit union world for a reason. “It’s something I can really believe
in, so it might be something that I continue to work for and in,” she said.
The
Young & Free Maine blog, videos and connections to Young & Free Maine
social media can be found at www.youngfreemaine.com.
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