By Kelsey Havemann and Melina Golembiewski
This time of year often makes us think of the Alice Cooper song, “School’s Out.” Visions come to mind of kids bursting through school doors and parents waiting outside to give hugs and celebrate their kids’ newfound freedom. Of course, as we all know, the initial euphoria and excitement often wanes. By the following week, moms and dads everywhere will be desperately looking for places to bring their kids anywhere they can to get them out of the house.
Your bank can help. Now is the perfect time to showcase your bank family to the families in your bank’s footprint.
Below are three tips for banks to connect with their communities and help develop long-term relationships with people of all ages:
1. Host a family day at the bank! Offer a full or half day session, where parents can come in with their kids for fun activities and meet folks at the bank. Provide bank tours, give balloons and have a grill going outside with soft drinks to share. Have bank product information available, but don’t make this a sell opportunity. Treat it as more of a meet and greet. Incorporate “ask a banker” sessions for both kids and adults (picture Lucy from Peanuts and her psychiatrist booth). And when it leads to more questions, schedule one-on-ones.
2. Exhibit or have a booth at summer community and civic events in your bank’s neighborhood. Check your town or county’s online calendar for farmer’s markets, fairs, movie nights or other events where you can engage with the community. Be sure to offer giveaways and host an interactive activity to drum up interest and draw folks in. After all, who doesn’t want to spin a prize wheel or throw a corn hole bag for a t-shirt? It’s the perfect summertime fun way to connect with people and promote your bank.
3. Partner with a summer camp or a local parks and recreation center to host financial literacy sessions. Offer one-time lessons or arrange for a series of financial lessons. It not only supports community groups struggling to find free and engaging resources, but the sessions could potentially also qualify for CRA credit. Use the ABA Foundation’s turnkey lesson plans at aba.com/FinEd to make it a quick and easy lift.
Whatever approach you use, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Engaging and connecting as caring community residents will promote those long-term relationships AND provide critical financial education that many will not get elsewhere. Just remember to embrace that sense of family and fun by sharing with your communities the lighter side of your bank.
Kelsey Havemann is senior manager, youth financial education programs at the ABA Foundation, where Melina Golembiewski is an intern.
