Strategic use of professional development tools builds careers and credit unions

Marsha Needham has used America's Credit Unions' CPD courseware and FiCEP certification program at three different credit unions across her career, transforming training departments while advancing from trainer to vice president. Her innovative approaches have driven measurable improvements in member satisfaction and employee engagement.

At PrimeWay Federal Credit Union in Houston, something remarkable happened across every department. Employee engagement scores climbed. Revenue increased organization-wide. Member satisfaction reached new heights. The catalyst? A strategic approach to professional development that has transformed not just individual employees, but entire credit union operations.

Organization-wide transformation

No transformation happens overnight. PrimeWay's transformation was the result of Marsha Needham's, vice president of organization development, nearly two-decade journey mastering two America's Credit Unions products: Center for Professional Development (CPD) courseware and Financial Counseling Certification Program (FiCEP). Her innovative implementations have driven measurable improvements across three different credit unions.

"We've seen the results because the engagement scores have gone up, income has increased across all departments within the credit union," said Needham. "Every area has experienced growth."

CPD courseware offers interactive, credit union-specific training for staff across 26 key topics with progress tracking and reporting capabilities. FiCEP provides credit union employees with the skills and knowledge needed to guide members through financial difficulties. Successful completion leads to the highly regarded Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor designation.

Building a foundation with CPD courseware

Needham's introduction to CPD courseware came out of necessity. Moving from banking's specialized roles to the credit union model where she was "responsible for creating a training department and all aspects needed for employees and the organization to be successful," she needed a comprehensive solution.

Initially focused on compliance training requirements, Needham quickly recognized CPD's broader potential. She built incentive programs around course completion, offering employees gift cards and recognition points. When the platform expanded to include certification programs, she created what she called a "university," complete with graduation ceremonies.

"I built a program from that certification saying if you do all of these courses and get certified, we will encourage you by giving you some points or gift cards," Needham explained. Her innovative approach earned recognition through America's Credit Unions' WOW Award (Women On Work) for outstanding achievement.

Innovation through necessity

At PrimeWay, Needham has refined her CPD implementation to address specific organizational needs. The system now segments training by employee experience and role.

New hires receive courses introducing credit union culture and member service fundamentals. Tenured employees get position-specific tracks, such as home equity courses for lending staff. Managers can request development-focused courses for their teams, which Needham organizes into customized tracks.

The competitive element remains strong. Employees earn 2,500 reward points for each certificate completed, with monthly raffles for participants and an annual $500 cash prize for the most certificates earned. One employee's enthusiasm nearly broke the system last year.

"We had an employee that completed 96 certificates," Needham recalled. "We had to stop and say, 'Wait a minute, what's happening?' We were blown away, so this year we had to cap it at 25 certificates per year for rewards."

Personal development through professional training

Beyond organizational metrics, Needham has witnessed CPD's impact on individual career development. She shared the story of an older employee who returned to work after years away, initially overwhelmed during new-hire training.

"She cried because she could not keep up with the others," Needham said. After a one-on-one conversation, Needham introduced her to CPD's self-paced learning approach. "I said, 'There's no rush. Just take your time and take one class at a time.'"

The results speak for themselves: that employee became one of the credit union's top performers in member engagement and is now a field trainer. Member feedback consistently highlights her knowledge, welcoming demeanor, and ability to offer relevant financial solutions.

"She's come to me and said the reason is because you saw me at new-hire, you identified me, you didn't just lump me with anything else," Needham noted. "That could only have happened because of CPD online."

Expanding impact with financial counseling

Needham's second major training initiative involves FiCEP. Her experience with this program spans all three credit unions where she's worked, each serving distinctly different membership bases.

At her second credit union, which served a diverse, lower-income community with many immigrant members, FiCEP proved particularly valuable. During COVID, when training provider Cornerstone League offered free FiCEP access, Needham organized an ambitious initiative.

"We put our entire front-line staff through the program within three months," she said. "We had about 45 employees at the front line. They all went through the program and got certified, and it was such a big deal, we had a graduation."

The measurable results followed quickly. "Our member satisfaction score went way up because of how FiCEP was able to train them on how to deal with that type of member, truly counsel people on how to be a good counselor," Needham explained. At PrimeWay, Needham identified a specific challenge: while overall member engagement scores remained consistently in the mid-90s, certain membership segments showed little account activity beyond basic savings.

"We realized those people fall under the low-income area," she said. The solution involved implementing FiCEP training, starting with branch managers and expanding into front-line staff. Early feedback suggests the strategy is working.

A partnership approach to professional development

What sets both programs apart, according to Needham, is their collaborative approach rather than simple product delivery. Over nearly 20 years of use, she has built relationships with America's Credit Unions staff who help translate her ideas into practical training solutions.

"If I had an idea, I could call and say, 'This is what I would love to happen,' and they would help me by asking questions and showing me what the platform could do," she said.

This collaborative relationship has supported Needham through three different credit union environments, each with unique challenges and different membership demographics. The scalability of both programs has allowed her to adapt training approaches while maintaining consistent quality and outcomes.

Measuring return on investment

Financial investment in professional development tools pays measurable dividends, Needham argues. At PrimeWay, with over 150 employees and only four staff members in the organizational development department, CPD's self-paced learning model provides essential scalability.

"We can't touch everyone as much as we want to, but we can help through CPD online," she said. "It offers scalable content that allows us to be more engaged with our employees."

For credit unions considering these training investments, Needham offers straightforward advice: "America's Credit Unions is tried and true. They are there for credit unions, tailoring what they have for credit unions. This is something built for credit unions by credit unions."