Social Networking

VISIONS Federal Credit Union is proud to announce their recent participation in the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook. These social networking sites are changing the way that our Gen Y members are doing business and VISIONS has decided to utilize them as a way to communicate with this growing part of our membership.

With the click of a mouse you can "follow" VISIONS on Twitter by searching 'VisionsFCU' and be a "fan" on Facebook by searching 'Visions Federal Credit Union'.

Our pages on these sites will provide insight on products and services offered at Visions, as well as upcoming events. The sites will be sharing links to educational articles, discussions and video's that will help them make better financial decisions in the future. What a convenient way for our tech savvy members to receive educational information at their fingertips, anytime of day or night! Social networks, live searching and link sharing - the future way of communicating at VISIONS.

Financial Literacy

Generation Y has a staggering amount of purchasing power. The problem is that their discretionary income greatly exceeds their experience in money management. They are being provided credit and debit cards without proper education on how to manage these tools, or how to plan, budget, save, or establish good credit history. We are concerned that the amount of financial training young adults receive today has not kept up with the pace, and their ability, to receive and spend money.

So what has VISIONS done to get our financial literacy messages out? We have provided in-class financial literacy programs for all our local high schools for several years. In an effort to reach more students, we are taking a different approach to the "norm" by offering some innovative financial literacy tools such as "Life is a Reality" expos and designing a web-site specifically for Gen Y members. Our new site, VISIONSfcuROCKS.org, is a great way to learn about the products and services we have to offer and help Gen Y with a "Smart Start" to their financial future.

This past May we partnered with Union Endicott High School to put on a "Life is a Reality" expo for students. The expo is an interactive, hands-on, real life experience for students to learn about money management first hand. Volunteers from VISIONS assisted the students with purchasing life's necessities - housing, transportation, groceries, and more. The truth of life's responsibilities sets in quickly as several twists (to include the reality of taxes) await them while visiting each of the 15 "life" booths. The "Life is a Reality" Expo was a great initiative to teach financial literacy in an innovative way. This experience is something that students will remember as they start setting up their own financial household.

Gen Y Music Initiative

Using music to educate students about financial literacy is our newest endeavor to reach Gen Y! We partnered with musicstream LIVE and our first concert was held at Binghamton University's University Fest in late August and our second concert, for approximately 700 students, was held at Elmira Free Academy in early September. You can view live videos from each concert at www.VISIONSfcuROCKS.org, thanks to our partner, musicstream LIVE (who also streamed the concerts live the day of the event).

The credit union had the opportunity to hand out financial literacy information and create a buzz among this generation by using a music based theme to make financial literacy fun! "This program creates awareness in the community that our credit union cares about the future of our young adults and does it in a non-traditional way", says Jayne Searles, AVP Marketing & Business Development. "Feedback from administrators at both schools was fabulous - they thought it was a unique way to get the message out and a great way to start the school year off for their students".

Gen Y Friendly New Branch

Our new University Center office was built with Generation Y members in mind. This branch was designed with a Music Cafe area where students can use headsets that hang from the ceiling to listen to music. To encourage students to visit the office, whether they're a member or not, the office features free WiFi, several large flat-screen TVs, and comfy bean bag chairs.

This branch will hold its first Guitar Hero Tournament in early September to welcome back Binghamton University students for the new semester and as a way of introducing them to this new location built with them in mind.

Gen Y is Important to Visions Federal Credit Union

With the economy as it stands today - what a perfect opportunity to remind Gen Y, the future leaders of our communities, that credit unions are unique and truly make a difference in their communities. Doing business with a credit union early in life is the best decision they can make today to benefit the rest of their life!

When comparing financial institutions, credit unions provide an attractive option to young adults. Stop by any branch and ask about our "Smart Start" programs, with products and services designed especially for young adults.

Visions Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Endwell, New York has over $2 billion in assets and serves more than 122,000 members, with 23 branches located throughout Central New York and Northern Pennsylvania.