Broadview Federal Credit Union – Public Relations
B2C , Financial
Two of upstate New York’s most prominent credit unions— State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU) and CAP COM Federal Credit Union—had identified a single, and significant, opportunity for growth: a merger.
Spotting the wealth of potential benefits that would come with merging, both institutions knew they’d be able to better navigate the ever-changing financial services landscape and, with the support of their member-owners, position themselves as one of New York’s top five credit unions while ranking nationally among the top 40.
SEFCU and CAP COM weren’t just vying for market dominance. Both were consistent contenders for Best Places to Work accolades that emphasized their strong corporate cultures—cultures that we knew would play a crucial role in building internal merger support.
But externally, the success of the merger hinged on the approval of both organizations’ member-owners. Facing an extended due diligence process and the lingering effects of the global pandemic, member engagement was crucial to secure the majority CAP COM vote required for regulatory approval.
We understood that initiating strategic communications with each organization’s stakeholders would need to follow parallel tracks. We had two sets of employees, unique community partners, and different member-owners—but one common goal.
Recognizing that a routine, business-as-usual message wouldn’t alleviate employees’ concerns about potential job changes or losses, and that maintaining their trust and confidence was paramount, we opted for messaging designed to evolve effectively. And we capped that messaging with a carefully planned CTA, which ultimately collected the necessary member votes to secure approval from merger regulators.
We love exceeding expectations. And we did with the member-voter turnout that resulted from our strategic communications platform. The merger was overwhelmingly approved by CAP COM members and led to the creation of Broadview Federal Credit Union, whose 1,400 employees now proudly serve nearly 500,000 members.
Hey! Our name is pronounced Mōw-rrr, like this thing I’m pushing.