From Appreciation to Advocacy: Making the Most of ‘I Love My Credit Union Day’
By Alletta Emeno, Chief Marketing Officer at Ardent Credit Union
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Manufactured “holidays” can feel like marketing stunts. Cow Appreciation Day and National Cellophane Tape Day, I’m talking to you.
It would be easy to place I Love My Credit Union Day on the same crowded calendar. But since the Illinois Credit Union League launched the campaign in 2021, it has given credit unions nationwide something genuinely useful: a shared moment to tell our story with a broader reach than any one institution could on its own. It’s an opportunity to educate consumers, celebrate members and transform member loyalty into advocacy.
At Ardent, our approach to I Love My Credit Union Day has been a little different. We know that despite the industry’s best efforts, there is still an awareness gap regarding what makes credit unions different and what they offer members.
“What Is a Credit Union?”
Last year, we ran a month-long social campaign to acknowledge this gap and highlight the benefits of credit union membership. We sent a team onto the streets of Philadelphia for a man-on-the-street video asking people what makes a credit union different from a bank.
Spoiler alert: We only found one person whose guess was even close. Instead of hiding the public’s uncertainty, we spotlight it. We showed person after person struggling to answer. Our admittedly unscientific sample reinforced something credit union marketers regularly confront. Even people who recognize the term “credit union” often struggle to explain what makes one different from a bank.
The language at the center of our identity can create barriers. “Membership” may sound exclusive. A “share account” may sound like an investment product. Terms such as “field of membership” and “SEG” mean something inside the industry but almost nothing to the average consumer. These distinctions matter, but only if we translate them into language people can easily connect to their financial lives.
Closing the Knowledge Gap
The consumer education this challenge requires is more than what we can jam into one day. That’s why we have expanded the occasion into a month-long effort. Our approach focuses on three components:
• Educate about what makes credit unions different
• Appreciate our members with giveaways and sweepstakes that build excitement and loyalty
• Encourage our members to become advocates and share their experiences with their network
We also look for timely ways to make the campaign more relevant and fun. This year, with soccer commanding attention across the Philly region, we positioned I Love My Credit Union Day as the “world cup” of member appreciation and invited members to join “Team Ardent.” The theme gave us a playful way to connect a month of activities without losing sight of their purpose.
We introduced a new referral program this spring and used the month of July to grow participation as part of I Love My Credit Union Day. Members who brought us a new member during the month were automatically entered to win one of five $100 prizes, which is on top of the normal $50 referral bonus.
What’s Working
The strategy is based on two encouraging facts.
First, credit unions do not have an affection problem. A 2025 national poll found that 73% of Americans viewed credit unions favorably, 17 percentage points higher than the big banks.
Second, people still turn to those they know when making financial decisions. Friends and family continue to be the top source of financial advice for 42% of adults, according to a 2025 Philadelphia Federal Reserve report. A recommendation from someone they trust can put a credit union on their radar that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. Our sweepstakes gives members a timely reason and incentive to start these conversations.
While referral incentives are not going to solve the industry’s awareness challenge, they do allow us to chip away at the issue. Other credit unions may use community involvement or highlight member stories to create a spark of activity.
The additional incentive may prompt a member to make the referral, but the member’s own experience gives the recommendation its extra level of credibility. Our job is to make that experience easier to share. That means giving members more than a referral link.
Can they easily explain who is eligible to join? Can they describe the benefit of membership without relying on terms such as “field of membership,” “share account,” or “member-owned cooperative”? Once someone is interested, can that person easily determine their eligibility and open an account?
Maximizing the Impact of Your Referral Programs
Credit unions should pair referral programs with simple educational content, equip employees with consistent answers to common questions and use real consumer misconceptions to guide future communications.
We also need to examine the joining process itself. Advocacy loses momentum quickly if the person being referred encounters confusing eligibility language or unnecessary friction. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. We are still a work in progress at Ardent, and I suspect most credit union marketers, when pressed, would say the same.
Bottom line:One organization, one campaign, one day or even one month cannot close the awareness gap. But I Love My Credit Union Day gives the movement a focal point. We can use it simply to tell one another how much we love our credit unions, or we can use it to help more people understand why they might love one, too. The tactics will vary, but the measure of success should be the same. It should be less about celebrating ourselves, and more about how effectively we invite others in.
