If your credit union wants to enhance its membership and image within the Hispanic community, it's important to develop valuable partnerships with Hispanic-focused groups. These partnerships will help give you a deeper understanding of the Hispanic market, speed up the learning curve and help build trust. 
 
Building trust within the Hispanic community is an essential part of branding your credit union as a safe, reliable financial institution. One way to begin developing a partnership is to identify real leaders (not self-appointed leaders) within the Hispanic community and form a Hispanic Advisory Committee for the credit union. This committee would provide guidance on local, community dynamics and serve as a sounding board as the credit union's Hispanic outreach initiatives evolve.
 
With insight from the committee, your credit union will be able to decide which organization would best be suited to partner with, while also developing a solid reputation of being a reliable resource within the Hispanic community. A partnership can be between employers of Hispanics, schools, churches, businesses, civic organizations or any other Hispanic-focused groups.
 
If developed correctly, your partnership organization could potentially act as an "ambassador" of your credit union to the Hispanic community, touting the good work you provide to them. But remember to take your time to build an effective partnership. The end result could strengthen the relationships between your credit union, your members, and your potential members.

 

By getting your credit union involved and developing proactive strategies like this, you're not only elevating your credit union within the community, but also providing value to your membership.