Build relationships and boost revenue in the digital channel

In recent years, changes in consumer expectations have driven a seismic shift in the financial landscape. With an increasing demand for digital solutions across generations, financial institutions have risen to the challenge, providing consumers with digital tools that offer convenient and secure ways to manage their finances. Consequently, it’s important to create awareness and educate consumers on the value of these solutions, encouraging them to use the digital banking capabilities they’ve been seeking. 

Digital engagement is not just a buzzword; it helps drives business revenue. According to a Fiserv study conducted with Boeing Employees’ Credit Union (BECU), digitally engaged consumers generate 45% higher net profit and carry 30% higher deposit balances than those who are not digitally engaged with their financial institutions. 

How can financial institutions creatively incentivize consumers to embrace these digital solutions? One effective approach is through charitable giving campaigns.

 

How charitable giving campaigns work

Charitable giving campaigns provide consumers with a unique opportunity to give back and make a positive impact while managing day-to-day finances, such as paying bills, transferring funds and making person-to-person (P2P) payments. Typically, a charitable donation is made with every transaction completed, up to a predefined total amount. Some campaigns enhance the appeal by incorporating a sweepstakes component, in which each transaction earns customers an entry to win prizes.

During the Season of Giving & Receiving promotion at participating Fiserv clients in November and December, each qualifying transaction generated a $1 donation to charity and one sweepstakes entry for a chance to win one of four $5,000 prizes. In previous years, this campaign has donated up to $50,000 to various charities.

 

Factors for driving a successful campaign

To help ensure the success of a charitable campaign, take a comprehensive approach. First, understand the audience demographic and its unique needs, as customized, targeted marketing is more likely to effectively engage and retain consumers. When a campaign aligns with an institution's core values, and the messages are relevant and resonant with the audience, it fosters a more meaningful connection. Choosing to support causes with which an institution shares community ties, or those already championed by the institution, can increase the campaign's overall impact.

To maintain lasting relevance and keep the audience engaged, strategically aligning campaigns with seasonal themes is another invaluable strategy. Campaigns can span the entire year, including the holidays, spring cleaning and back-to-school, and encompass an extensive selection of product options, such as bill pay, auto pay, transfers, mobile card management and P2P payments services such as Zelle®.

 

The value of charitable giving campaigns

Charitable giving campaigns serve as vital catalysts for financial institutions, driving customer engagement while making a positive impact in the community. Among the success stories that underscore this significance, the 2022 Season of Giving & Receiving campaign produced meaningful results, with four customer/member winners from Nevada State Bank, Zions Bank and Apple Federal Credit Union (which had two winners). Specific solutions experienced up to a 49% increase in engagement, according to analysis of institution solutions, and the campaign generated significant donations for the charity Good 360.

Regions Bank, one of the nation’s largest full-service banking, wealth management and mortgage product providers, has seen consistent success with charitable giving campaigns, running several such marketing campaigns from 2019-2023. These community-focused campaigns, which encouraged bill payments, account transfers and P2P payments, made a significant impact. There were impressive increases in active users and transaction volumes during these campaigns, along with a reduction in dormant users and improvement in new user retention. 

Additionally, these campaigns successfully engaged traditionally hard-to-reach demographic groups. For example, 29% of new bill pay users during the campaigns were millennials, a demographic known for typically lower bill pay adoption. Since 2019, Regions Bank’s charitable giving campaigns have raised nearly $300,000 for Children’s of Alabama® and for the Mike Slive Foundation for prostate cancer research.

The impact of charitable giving campaigns on consumers

Charitable giving campaigns help build product awareness and excitement among consumers. They not only encourage giving back, but also offer a chance for consumers to explore new financial tools and discover solutions that enhance their daily financial lives. Beyond increasing product adoption and usage, these campaigns strengthen a financial institution’s brand identity and client relationships. Campaigns tied to philanthropic causes have the potential to build goodwill and enhance an institution's reputation, fostering a stronger sense of loyalty. 

 

How organizations can get involved

If you feel charitable giving, awareness or sweepstakes campaigns may be a fit for your institution, you may consider participating in one of the many campaigns Fiserv conducts throughout the year. The turn of the new year is the perfect time to get involved, as consumers often look at this time as a moment of reflection and want to identify ways to improve their financial wellbeing. 

Charitable giving campaigns can level the playing field for smaller financial institutions that might not have a dedicated marketing team, providing access to new capabilities and creative materials. Marketing campaigns should be an integral part of a broader marketing and communication strategy to ensure ongoing awareness and education about the digital features these institutions offer. 

By fostering a sense of purpose, togetherness and excitement, charitable giving campaigns can help financial institutions build enduring consumer relationships while driving digital product adoption.