A Conversation With ... Jenny Reynolds

Tell us about the credit union.

It was originally City Utilities Employees Credit Union, founded in 1934. At the time, only CU employees could be members. When we opened membership to the community in 2000, we didn't want to (lose) the fact that our heritage is strongly CU. We're a not-for-profit financial institution (that is) member-owned. Membership is available to people who live or work in Greene or Christian counties. We have just more than 5,600 members, and two branches. I joined the credit union in January 2006 as marketing director, and was made vice president of marketing in (early) 2008.

What is your role with the credit union?

I do everything under the marketing, (public relations), event planning, graphic design and Web development hat. I was offered a job at an ad agency to be a copywriter, and turned it down (for the credit union) because I hated the idea of just doing one thing.

How do you reach new members and inform existing members about available services?

With current members, we do a lot of direct mail. Because we have a lot of information about them, if we're going to do a loan promotion, we can decide to send it to (members) who already have loans with us or those who don't, as well as age breakdowns and things like that. (For members), we do e-newsletters, and that's helped a lot with communicating with them and getting feedback. (On) www.mycucommunity.com, ... we have basic banner advertising (for credit union services). Outside of our membership, we advertise on KSMU public radio. We like the community aspect of the station.

What are some key misperceptions you encounter while marketing the credit union?

With all of the financial turmoil, we've had a lot of people calling to ask if we're federally insured. We are insured by the National Credit Union Administration. Also, educating members of the community about what we are and the fact that even though our name is CU Community Credit Union, we're not just open to CU employees and family members.

Among your recent projects was revamping the credit union's Web site. What was that like?

We actually launched it on June 1, and it was all done in-house. I did all of the design and then worked with our programmer to make it functional. We spent a ton of time researching what we did and didn't want on the site. The previous site was all Flash-based, and we couldn't see very much information about who was accessing it. It was important to us to see who is viewing (the site). We've got podcasts on there and have been trying to create videos to demonstrate our products. That significantly helps with getting people to sign up for something, for example, our (PowerPlay online bill-pay option).

What other projects have kept you busy?

I just finished (marketing) projects for two things we offer within our membership every fall and winter. One is Skip-A-Pay, where we let them skip a loan payment. And then, we have a special rate on our Visa cards during the holiday season, with a lower percentage rate. I'm also updating our brochures again.

Tell us about your family and your interests outside of work.

I've been married to my husband, Chris, for almost six years. He co-owns IWS Custom Software. We've recently taken up golfing ... and like running. We have two puppies. I recently got involved with Downtown Kiwanis ... and I'm on the board of Junior Achievement, which complements the financial education aspects of my work.