CHICAGO–CUToday.info is turning one year old, and it is celebrating with record online traffic and visits, more reporting than any other publication, an international effort to help members–and gifts for its readers!
One year ago this week in 2014 CUToday.info went live and immediately began providing credit unions with the most comprehensive source for news and resources available anywhere in the credit union community
With the tagline “For Better Credit Unions Tomorrow,” CUToday.info was founded with a goal of helping credit unions to grow, prosper and better serve their members.
To celebrate CUToday.info’s first birthday, two unique projects have been announced:
- Recognizing that credit unions love a bargain, and that many continue to feel bottom line pressures, CUToday.info is offering Big Book of Bargains, which includes more than a dozen special offers, freebies and more from a group of partners “Collaborators” with CUToday.info. A free copy can be downloaded here.
- The “CUToday For a Better Tomorrow” initiative has been launched with more than 65 credit unions from around the world now onboard. CUs participating in the CUToday for a Better Tomorrow initiative have agreed to help one extra member in some way during October, November and December, with an overall goal of helping that person to have a better financial 2016. Each of those CUs will be compiling a paragraph each month to summarize who they helped and how. CUToday.info will then aggregate all those stories into one document illustrating how credit unions have made for Better Tomorrows.
“In the lead-up to the launch of CUToday.info in 2014 we teased, “Something cool is coming,” said CUToday.info Cooperator-in-Chief Frank J. Diekmann. “We were just slightly off in that prediction, as a whopping 5,735 things have arrived! That’s how many pieces of news reporting and other pieces of content we’ve delivered. That’s an incredible 110.2 items every week—all in a concise, easy-to-read format.”
Readers who may be new to CUToday.info, or haven’t taken the time to leverage all of the resources, will find that the site offers:
* Fresh Today. This is the daily reporting of fresh and breaking news, with short, tight news items. Fresh Today items are also delivered to e-mail inboxes every morning. In year one CUToday.info reported 3,217 different Fresh Today items.
* The Feature. This is where more in-depth reporting, some 223 stories in year one, are highlighted.
* The Vault. CUToday.info has compiled white papers, research and more from across the CU community and elsewhere. This is one of the most collaborative features of CUToday.info, and readers are invited to contribute to The Vault, as well. The Vault includes more than 100 items, and it grows each week.
* The Vids. These are videos and commercials by credit unions and others that deserve a view, with more than 185 vids currently available.
* The Boost. This reporting focuses on growth strategies, a core focus of CUToday.info. Looking for some ideas? There are more than 135 to be had.
* The Buzz. What’s buzzing in social media and elsewhere? That’s what The Buzz is all about.
* The Globe. You don’t need to travel to find out what credit unions around the world are doing. CUToday.info’s The Globe has more than 160 stories.
* The ‘Tude. This is where readers find views and opinions, with many of the 184 pieces showing a little ‘tude.
* The Neighborhood. Credit unions are active in many ways in their local neighborhoods, as the more than 800 examples here make clear.
* The Market. This is where the new product and service solutions are highlighted. Readers will find almost 500 such announcements here.
* The Corner. In the corner you’ll find more than 40 different takes on management and leadership, by successful leaders both inside and outside credit unions.
* The Gov. Credit unions and their trade associations interact nearly daily with various government entities. CUToday.info has compiled comment letters, testimony and more in The Gov.
* The Spin. What are credit unions doing online? Visit The Spin and you’ll be taken at random to a CU website so you can check it out.
* The Credit Union Mall. Looking for a product or service solution? Then shop first at The Credit Union Mall.
In addition, during 2015 CUToday.info also published its first two print issues. Those issues were so popular that in 2016 CUToday Quarterly will appear, with four issues published.
“Our editorial team has more than 50 years’ experience in writing and reporting on financial institutions and credit unions,” said Diekmann. “We don’t just know credit unions, we believe in credit unions. But while credit unions have a right to be proud, they do not have a right to rest. That kumbaya stuff and a superior business model in and of themselves are not enough. CUs need to grow. Organizations need to evolve with the times. And leadership needs resources. That’s where CUToday.info fits in.
CUToday.info will continue to grow and evolve—and we’ll do it with readers’ input. That’s how collaborations work. We have a lot more planned.”