Game on...Shamelessly Seeking Your Vote in My Journey

When I stumbled upon the Progresso Soup Souper You Contest, I decided what the heck. The only way to have a chance to win was to enter the contest. All I had to do was submit an original photo and write a few words about the soup. Then I would have a long shot at a trip to New York (never been there) and a make over (needed).

My words were simple, limited by the contest specifications - "April 2008 I started a journey to get healthier. Progresso Light Zesty Southwestern-Style Vegetable Soup is one of my go to meals. I've lost 75 pounds & have another 30 to go. Please soup up my style."

And yes, I really do enjoy Progresso Southwestern-Style Vegetable Soup.

For quick comfort meal, mix two cans of the vegetable soup and one can chicken stock. Make some Bisquick dumplings to go on top of the soup and enjoy. Because the soup is so low calorie, this is still Weight Watcher point friendly.

Not concerned about WW points - try a warm mug of Progresso's Tomato Basil Soup with a splash of milk. Spend a little extra effort to make Emeril's Grill it Up a Notch Ham and Cheese Sandwich. The only change we make to the sandwich is to substitute sourdough bread. My guys love this combination.

When it comes to weight loss, there is no magic food or pill to take. Slow and steady is the way to lose. It is important to eat a wide variety of foods in proper proportions. And, current research points to reducing total calorie intake to lose weight. Duh.

Diets don't work. Life style changes do. My advice is to try new recipes to keep things more interesting as you make life style changes. Journal what you eat. Measure at least some of the time to keep yourself honest. Keep quick meals on hand, like soup in the pantry. Eat sensibly, playfully on occasion. Yes, you're going to need to get some exercise. It also helps to surrounded yourself with great friends to share in the journey, encouraging each other, picking each other up, and getting each other back on track as life happens.

Won't you please join me in my weight loss journey and vote, vote often for Janine, through April 12?

Credit Union Association of Colorado - CU Grow Fun

Happy Friday! You never know what's going to happen when the CU Grow team is in town. We had a blast hanging out with the crew from the Credit Union Association of Colorado. Below is a snap shot of the fun we had with Shay Thompson.  Click here to join the conversation and get involved with the collaboration.

Credit Union Association of Colorado - Interview with Nicole Brusewitz

We were able to get a quick interview with Nicole Brusewitz from the Credit Union Association of Colorado about the Annual Meeting. Click here to join the conversation and get involved with the collaboration.

Credit Union Association of Colorado Day 1 Recap Video

Watch the Day 1 recap video below as we are full speed at Credit Union Association of Colorado Annual Meeting and Convention, "The Business of Collaboration".  Click here to join the conversation and get involved with the collaboration.

Live: Credit Union Association of Colorado

Watch the live feed and follow along with @jrwlay @jennbills @mrjlay @mrsjlay Feel free to join the conversation using #CUAC10.

Plus, you are invited to get involved with key note speaker Dr. Michael Hudson as he closes the conference on Saturday, March 27 at 12:00 MST and we will be inviting participation from those following along. You can follow along and leave a comment below or simply use #CUAC10 on Twitter.

Video - Jason Dias - NAFCU SG 2010

CUGROW was at the NAFCU Strategic Growth Conference in Las Vegas and caught up with Jason M. Dias, President, Eloquent Online following his session on the "Power of Performance."  The session featured two live acoustic musicians and gave some amazing insight on how Gen Y Connects with its financial institution brand. 

Check out the video below as we chat with Jason and don't forget to shout back on ways your CU is reaching Gen Y.

Video - Scott and Nyke - NAFCU SG10

This three-day program was designed to connect credit union senior staff, CEOs and board members to the latest strategies to grow membership and increase non-interest income.  Here is a quick peak at some of the action from the NAFCU Strategic Growth Conference in Las Vegas!

Day 1 Recap: 2010 CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council Conference

Watch the video below from Day 1 at the 2010 CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council Conference in Washington, DC.  Click here to follow along with the live stream.

Live: 2010 CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council Conference

Follow along and join the conversation below with @jrwlay @mrjlay @nidajaz @acm1985 @mrsjlay

Tell your friends and co-workers to join and follow along as well to grow through innovation, communication and collaboration.

Video - Credit Union Association of Colorado Annual Meeting

Video - GAC - Home & Family Finance Radio

The CU GROW Team had the opportunity to meet up with the Home and Family Finance Radio at the GAC.  They have a one-hour weekly program of helpful information and advice on consumer finance issues!

Home & Family Finance airs Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on the Radio America network.

Check out our short interview with them and don't forget to shout back!

Make a Credit Union Video. It's Good for Your Culture.

It's been a good race and congrats to Amy Leahy-McGraw for a job well done and bringing home first place.

I just came across something that hits close to home as we just completed the Young & Free "Lookin' Like a Fool With Your Money in the Bank" video challenge.

Geico just released a new video featuring staff and yes, even Warren Buffet himself dressed up rocking it out like Axel Rose (tats and all).

While it's a simple video titled, "All for You", the Geico culture really bleeds through in a fun and quirky way. Here you have one of the richest men in the world most likely stepping out of his comfort zone to do something different.

So what can we take away from this "service video" that Geico did?

Sharing from our own experiences in making the Young & Free  videos, I feel the video challenge was a great way for us to do something different at the office.

It was a great team building exercise for PTP NEW MEDIA and CU*SWAG that allowed us to come together to create something different while having fun.

Many times we are busy creating for our credit unions, however, we were able to step back and create something for everyone to enjoy and help spread the credit union love.

As always, wanting to go above and beyond, there was a lot of time spent in planning, recording, shooting, production and then campaigning through non-traditional channels with full microsite. 

Traditional thinkers may say "wow... what a waist of time and resources". 

On the contrary, the investment that was dedicated to this campaign was well worth it from an internal perspective simply for the fact that it forced us to come closer together as a team, step outside comfort zones and do something to help promote a movement that we love and are so passionate about.

Watch, enjoy and feel free to share and use our labors of love and passion below:

Video - CUNA Marketing Conference Promo

GAC - Jeff Hardin Interview

Jeff Hardin serves the North Carolina Credit Union League and credit unions by advancing the work of the state's credit union industry in the media, informing member credit unions of industry news and events, and promoting the benefits of league membership by communicating the many ways in which the league supports and partners with credit unions.  At the GAC Jeff was one of the speakers in the “Be Socialist - Using Social Media as an Advocacy Tool” breakout session.

Check out the interview with Jeff below as it highlights his breakout session.  How is your credit union using social media as an advocacy tool--Give us a shout and let us know!

A Message From Paul for Video #8

Listen to Paul share his story about how Video #8 changed his life. Click here to watch, share and vote video #8. If you missed it, you can also watch the original campaign spot here.

GAC - Winter Prosapio Interview

Winter Prosapio is the director of public affairs at the Texas Credit Union League. She has a long history of issue advocacy, best know for her work on lawsuit abuse at the nation's most successful and innovative tort reform group, San Antonians Against Lawsuit Abuse. At the GAC, Winter was one of the panelists in the “Be Socialist - Using Social Media as an Advocacy Tool” breakout session.

Check out the interview with Winter below and give us a shout back on ways your Credit Union is using social media.

Crash the GAC - Gigi Hyland & Gary Kohn Interview

Gigi Hyland was sworn in as a Board member of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) on November 18, 2005 for a six-year term. Prior to joining the NCUA Board, Ms. Hyland’s career spanned fourteen years serving the credit union community as an attorney and advocate. During her tenure, Ms. Hyland has spearheaded a number of key initiatives. She recently hosted and moderated a two-day Symposium to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Federal Credit Union Act. The Symposium provided a forum for robust and frank conversation about credit unions’ unique business model and its future sustainability.

Gary J. Kohn has been serving as Senior Policy Advisor to NCUA Board Member Christiane Gigi Hyland since January 2006. Among other duties, Kohn formulates recommendations on policy and administrative matters, matters before the Board, and matters relating to Board Member Hyland’s responsibilities.  Prior to his service at NCUA, Kohn was Vice President, Legislative Affairs and Senior Legislative Counsel for the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).

Gigi and Gary lead a session at Crash the GAC entitled “The Future of Credit Unions.”  Check out the interview with them below as it briefly highlights their session from February.  Make sure to give us a shout back and speak your mind on the future of credit unions. 

GAC - Individual Achievement Award - Dick Einsweiler

Dick Einsweiler the President and CEO of TCUL was honored at the Herb Wegner Dinner and awarded the Individual Achievement Award. Interviewed him outside the resource fair at the GAC. His thanks for the award and impression of the GAC conference in the video below.

Check it out and give us a shout back!

How SCMS Changed My Credit Union Life

When I was introduced to SCMS, my first thoughts were:

• I have a degree – no more school for me – “CompSci til the day I die”.
• I have friends – I do not need more.
• I am not good at networking – what would I say?
• How will this help me and my credit union?

My first summer day of SCMS:

• I met great people – yes, the first day.
• I now had lots of instant friends who were in the same world as me – credit union.
• We had fun while we were acclimated to more credit union business.

What I learned:

• Time definitely does fly.
• You are never too old to learn.
• You know more than you think you know.
• Your questions can help others.
• Sharing is still a wonderful feeling.
• You are never too old to meet new friends.

How SCMS helped me:

• I was new to the credit union industry and SCMS was the orientation I needed.
• I learned more than I thought was possible.
• We are a small credit union but I have made contacts and never feel isolated or alone.
• I know where to go for help when we need it.
• And I never have to re-invent the wheel. Resources are there waiting for me.

What happened to me after SCMS:

• Those instant friends are now my BFFs.
• I started out as Technical Operations Administrator and am now Manager of the credit union and now confident in this new role.
• When our staff turned over 75%, leaving me as the sole leader, I had no need to panic because I knew at least 10 people who had gone through this before and they became my mentors. I had and still have a great support system of people who supported me through SCMS and continue to support me in anything I need. Without my SCMS support, I would have had a major meltdown, but I did not because I knew where to go.

Guest Post - Iris R. Netters, Class of 2008
One of the "Great 08" Class Members
Manager, New Mount Zion Baptist Church CU

Credit Union Video Contest - Vote #8

In an effort to help spread the credit union love of people helping people, I now ask for your vote in the Young & Free video contest. Watch the campaign video below then click here to watch video number #8. Furthermore, to help you out, you can join the move your money movement and the campaign with three simple steps (WATCH, VOTE, SHARE). 

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1. WATCH - I invite you to first watch the videos that we produced for this challenge. Wanting to go above and beyond, the entire www.cuswag.com and www.ptpnewmedia.com teams came together to make something special.

We produced not one but two videos for this challenge to show our love for credit unions in addition to the microsite: www.isyourmoneyinthebank.com

Click to Watch Video #8 | Click to Watch Video #13 (the remix)

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2. VOTE - After you have watched our videos above and see our true love and passion for credit unions, I now ask for your vote. It will take only 30 seconds to cast your vote for Video #8 - James Robert Lay.

Click Here to Vote for Video #8

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3. SHARE - Once you have watched the video and have voted for video #8, I now ask you to help spread the word and share the credit union love with your friends, family and co-workers.   

You can share by sending emails, tweeting, Facebooking, texting or simply telling those around you to repeat the same three steps (Watch, Vote, Share).

Video - NAFCU Strategic Growth Conference Intro

Follow along today and tomorrow as Jenn Bills and Nida Ajaz will be at the NAFCU confernce in Las Vegas. You can stay in the know with their twitter feeds and video interviews soon to follow.

Crash the GAC - Pete Crear Interview

Pete Crear is president and chief executive officer of World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). Mr. Crear directs the activities of the World Council, whose goal is to develop “Quality Credit Unions for Everyone,” enabling millions of people to gain access to affordable financial services. In addition to his work at WOCCU, Crear has organized 23 credit unions since he began his career as a management trainee at the Michigan League.  At Crash the GAC Mr. Crear spoke on "The Global Impact of Credit Unions." 

Check out the video below to get an overview of his session and shout back with your thoughts and ideas.

Crash the GAC - Lois Kitsch Interview

Lois Kitsch joined the National Credit Union Foundation as the National Program Manager of the REAL Solutions program in December of 2006. In her prior role as the Director of Field Projects with the Filene Research Institute, Lois piloted the REAL Solutions program in three leagues which implemented and tested new business models designed to serve new target markets, including young adults, immigrants and modest income households.  At Crash the GAC, Lois lead a session entitled "Growth Strategies With A Conscience." 

Check out the interview with Lois below as it highlights the key take-aways from her session and don't forget to shout back at us!

Show us Your Leadership and We’ll Show You The Money!

Do you have talented staff under the age of 30? Are you looking for opportunities to hone and develop their leadership skills? The Texas Credit Union Foundation (TCUF) and Southwest CUNA Management School (SCMS) have joined forces to invest in the future of the credit union system through the SCMS C2C Scholarship – Connect to Collaborate!

The Scholarship? Up to $2,899 (tuition for 2010 SCMS summer session) – The full amount of tuition paid by the student’s credit union will be reimbursed for one student. Odds are better than 1 in 34 to win! At the end of the 1st year session of SCMS, the student’s classmates will vote on who among the under 30 group exhibited the most leadership on campus. Simple majority wins. In the event of a tie, the scholarship will be split. We will announce the winner during the July 21 graduation ceremonies.

Who is eligible? Credit union professionals under the age of 30 as of August 1, 2010 who are enrolled in the July 2010 first year SCMS session. The credit union must be affiliated with their state league. Enrollment closes at 55 students.

What’s in it for the student?

• Connect - opportunity to network and learn side by side with current and future credit union leaders and the school's highly acclaimed faculty.
• Collaborate - peer to peer mentoring.
• Added value for the 1st year students under the age of 30 
  - a special leadership packet – top secret contents!
  - additional bonus opportunities are in the works, like an invite to join 2nd year faculty member, marketing and branding expert, Mark Arnold, for lunch on campus.
  - VIP seating with industry leaders during graduation.

What’s in it for the credit union?

• Connect your rising leaders to a phenomenal credit union network.
• Collaborate with your student(s) as work is done to create a strategic business plan for your credit union.

To encourage and mentor up and coming credit union leaders, SCMS C2C will also hold a casual chat for all SCMS students and alumni under the age of 30 on July 20, after the annual alumni/student auction dinner. Watch www.scms.coop additional details. Wait until you see who is coming to campus to spend time with this group!

A huge thank you goes out to Brent Dixon, Mark Arnold, and PTP New Media for helping me get C2C from concept to reality!

Have questions about SCMS? Contact Director and Synergist, Janine McBee at 800.442.5762x6634, jmcbee@scms.coop or tweet @SCMSJanine.

(No scholarship application is required!)

Is Your Money in the Bank?

Quick question... Is Your Money in the Bank? The PTP NEW MEDIA and CU*SWAG team had a blast putting this little diddy together for the Young & Free video contest in an effort to help educate the public about why you should move your money.  You can watch the video below or on the Young & Free HQ web site.  Voting starts Monday and we will keep you updated on that. Mad props to Tim McAlpine for putting together such a great challenge. 

CUNA GAC Twitter Recap & Archive - #GAC10

It was awesome getting to hang out and meet everyone at the GAC last week.  We have pulled out all the #GAC10 tweets from Twitter before the bird gets hungry and eats them all.

Take a look at all the innovation, communication and collaboration going on last week in DC. Wow!

Video - Intro to GAC in D.C.

Check out the video below and be on the look out for more to come from the GAC in Washington D.C.