stunt . The credit union recently hosted the former Chair of the NCUA board of directors , Rodney Hood , who called financial illiteracy ‘ the civil rights issue of our time .’
This is something Streelman agrees with wholeheartedly , because “ as representatives of a credit union , REV bears the responsibility to provide the tools and education necessary for financial literacy ”.
“ But we also can ’ t just say that ,” adds Streelman , “ we have to be active champions of it . That ’ s what being in the community means .
“ Being in the community doesn ’ t mean you have a building on the corner . Being in the community means you ’ re actively going out and helping people .”
REV : Leveraging tech to reach the underserved How , then , can technology be leveraged to better enforce the connection between credit unions and the wider community ?
For Streelman , it ’ s about meeting members ’ expectations , expectations driven by the experiences consumers have in other digital engagements .
“ If a member can go on Amazon and order something in 30 seconds for the next day , then they better be able to expect the same speed at their bank too .
“ At REV , we ’ re in the middle of a digital banking conversion , as we move onto a new platform provided by our digital partner Alkami . The platform will allow us to present tools to our members , through its open SDK and API environment .
“ We now employ a development team , a crew of software engineers that will be able to write code on that open API . We ’ ve incorporated things in there like savings goals .
“ So if a member is saving for a new car , they can allocate the money and it will tell you how you ’ re tracking toward your goal
“ At REV , we live life looking through the windshield , not the rearview mirror ”
ZAC STREELMAN CTO ,
REV FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
in real-time , offering you alerts to help you achieve your goal .”
It ’ s an accumulation of what Streelman calls “ small things ”, like a robust alert system , that builds a broader digital member service offering to not only enhance the member experience but also educate members on the financial options available to them .
He adds : “ So much of the financial landscape right now is shrouded in dismay . People are despairing about their finances , but it doesn ’ t have to be that way . If we can be a shining light in our community to try to change that narrative , then I ’ m all for it .”
REV : A digital service built on partnerships Alkami is not the only partner helping deliver small changes for a big effect at REV Federal Credit Union . The fintech Glia is enabling REV “ to do things it could never do before ”, according to Streelman .
“ With Glia , we can chat with our members , send texts and engage with them in a new way . It is another pretty small thing if you think about it .
“ But from our members ’ perspective , that ’ s a huge win because now they have another avenue to talk to a person . It ’ s another avenue for them to know that they matter . Members want to know that their voice is heard .
“ These little things , small transformational moments ; they ’ re not massive shifts in
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