Credit Unions for Kids 2019 Year in Review

Credit Unions for Kids Champions,

By every measure 2019 marked another successful year for Credit Unions for Kids (CU4Kids).  In 2019 credit union raised over $13.5 million! That is up from $12.3 million raised in 2018!  In a powerful display of the cooperative advantage, credit unions raised record funds for children’s hospitals across the United States.

This means that Credit Unions for Kids has raised just under $200 million in the past 24 years, incredible results. It also maintains CU4Kids as a top 5 fundraising partner for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

More important than the dollar amount raised is the impact these funds will have on over 10 million children treated by a Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) partnered Hospital. These donations will fund critical needs at the hospitals including advanced equipment, research, and life-saving care. As we have visited and toured many hospitals across the country, we have found the high standard of life they create for patients and families as important as life-saving care. Through child-life programs, hospitals make the visits comfortable, affordable, and as worry-free as possible.

2019 was successful for many reasons, here are a few highlights:

• NWCUA Wine Auction and Masquerade Ball raised $872k, over a $200k increase from 2018.
• NW Golf Classic, sponsored by First Tech FCU and supported by credit unions and industry organizations across the country set a record fundraising over $1.5m.
• Credit Unions for Kids Wine Auction in Southern California hosted by the CA/NA Credit Union League / CU Direct and supported by many credit unions and industry organizations also set a record raising over $1.5m
• Two national road races continued their successful events in 2019: Cherry Blossom Race in DC and SacTown 10 in Sacramento.
• CO-OP Financial Services entered their 12th year sponsoring the Miracle Match program, which led to a record amount of funds the MM sponsored events raised: over $3.7m
• CU4Kids partnered with Filene Research Institute to start the process of updating our brand and value proposition we bring to the industry. This is a project that will be worked on throughout 2020.
• We launched Project 2025, which brought together 12 emerging leaders across the country to work collaboratively and research what the future of philanthropy will look like in the credit union industry. The program wraps up in April 2020 where participants pitch ideas to Credit Unions for Kids National Advisory Board.
• Numerous other credit union events throughout the U.S. made significant gains in fundraising.

These wins, and many more, have positioned us for greater growth in 2020. As always, our ultimate objective is to work collaboratively with credit unions to raise more funds for kids in need. Here are a few ways we will tackle this:

• The official launch of Give on the Go, a fundraising tool to engage members through online/mobile banking. As they log-in, there will be a lightbox pop-up that encourages them to make a donation to their local children’s hospital.
• Executing new philanthropic ideas from Project 2025, like:
  • Call Center Fundraising
  • Revamping www.cu4kids.org to provide more value and include an interactive map of fundraising and impact
  • Creating an ambassador program to more effectively communicate the program to the network
• Working with Frontstream to provide a comprehensive menu of digital fundraising tools like employee giving campaigns, auction sites, and more.

With your help, these new strategies will allow us meet our 2020 fundraising goal of $14.8 million. Together, we can: Change Kids Health to Change the Future.

Thank you for your continued partnership with children’s hospitals across the United States.

Sincerely,

Sarah Canepa Bang, Credit Unions for Kids Advisory Board Chair

Nick Coleman, Director of Credit Unions for Kids