What value is there in community activities, and where should we be focusing our efforts?

Should people trust a CU more than a bank just because its community oriented? We answer to members not stockholders. We’re a co-operative. Banks have shareholders that have to derive a profit.

Does that message get across to our members?

People can love their bank. The attitude and heart people put into their jobs translate into customer engagement.

First Direct is the most referred bank in the world, and it comes from great customer service. The people make the experience. If your employee experience is excellent, customer service will be good and customers will be happy and loyal.

In theory, CUs are a step closer to their customers/owners than banks. In reality, it doesn’t always translate.

Banking is a commodity.

Banks throw more money at the community thaqn CUs can, but the perception is that CUs are more engaged in the issues.

Can an FI increase relevance with specific segments? Are we one size fits all with segmented marketing programs. If we were starting a bank today, we would model the brand on some segment specifically, and choose a market niche.

Do people want an iPhone app or just browse to the company’s site? How much more effective is a .mobi site?

Mobile web degrades in areas with poor reception, like some mountainous rural area. A native app passes less data so the degradation isn’t there as much.

The chip card could give greater access and data if plugged into a smart phone to allow for more complex transactions.

For alerts, there’s push and pull. A pull system sends out batch updates that meet a criteria (like a balance falling below a specified threshold). Push incorporates into a core platform and knows when the criteria is met and pushes the alert out. This will give more instantaeous results, and be more customizeable.

Will all FIs produce a very similar solution, or will they find a way to differentiate via a mobile offering. Right now, it’s first to market, but soon we’ll all just have the same thing?

Is it suprising that FIs haven’t tried to differentiate based on their online banking offer, functionality, usability, etc…

People will notice their mobile phone is missing long before their wallet or credit card is missing. Makes sense to embed payments into it.

If via mobile banking people want to see their full financial picture quickly, it may push people to use FI aggregators like Mint or Wesabe. Mobile could create the tipping point for those third party solutions.

Could it be something like a branded tip calculator is better advocacy and relevance than actual mobile banking. The tip calculator app in the iPhone app store is the most popular financial app. Are we overthinking?

Mobile is an opportunity to reach customers wherever whenever. What’s the most relevant way to do it. Alerts are a simple FI interaction that helps the customer. It differentiates from online banking in a way only mobile can.

ATM locator is a more powerful mobile app than mobile banking.

What is it? Is it giving a neighbour some money to start a business?

Is it microlending, Grameen Bank style?

The disbursement of money around society?

The societal impact of our spending?

How do we convene ethical business and not-for-profits to learn from each other?

Can an FI make money and do projects at the same time, such as investing in green building projects?

It isn’t rampant capitalism.

It’s spending money with an eye to social impact.

It’s looking at the entire suuply chain to ensure the business is providing equitable results.

How big is social? Is it our community, or is it global? Is it the people we do business with?

Spending, lending and investing with intention. To ensure good things results from those transactions.

If companies do more ethical business practices, they become more sustainable economically.

Social enterprise is a part of this. Not for profit and co-operatives are starting business models. This results in less environmental impact, and alleviates poverty.

Measuring impact is essential to being a part of social finance. ING Direct encouraging people to save, is that a social finance impact? Or is it marketing happenstance?

Intentions are key in order to examine the ultimate and inclusive impact of a business model.

Is there such a thing as an altruistic act. All transactions have to be successful.

It’s an amalgamation of capitalism, socialism and altruism all working together. Bill Gates calls it creative capitalism.

Do we have an anti-social economy?

Social capital. The Bowling Alone theory of a deteriorating community across society. How do we build in more social capital into our framework?

What’s the line between advocacy and advice. Giving people a sense of the societal impact of their spending, versus advocating that they change their patterns.

What is the relevancy to that community?

If you’re talking about lending, you’re not talking about telling people how to spend their money, but how to spend the bank’s money.

In social lending there is a fluid tie between socially progressive stories from those who want money and the good rate they get. People will offer a lower rate to socially responsible lendees.