All Diamond Award winners in this category are listed below.
Category’s Best winners—marked with a 💎—earned the highest score within their asset grouping.
Assets less than $250 million | Meadville, PA
Wellness Wednesday showed us that the most effective wellness programs start by listening. By inviting employees to define what wellness meant to them, ONE FCU transformed a simple idea into a year-long, employee-driven experience that strengthened engagement, connection, and culture. Using familiar internal channels, such as emails, flyers, and reminders, we consistently reached employees without disrupting their routines, proving that meaningful impact doesn’t require complex platforms or large budgets. Partnering with local wellness providers allowed us to offer diverse, accessible experiences while reinforcing our commitment to community. Most importantly, Wellness Wednesday introduced employees to new wellness practices and empowered them to continue those habits beyond each session.
The key takeaway: when wellness is collaborative, voluntary, and thoughtfully communicated, it becomes more than a program—it becomes part of the organization’s culture.
Assets $250 million – $1 billion | Knoxville, TN
A leadership transition is a pivotal period for any organization. Brand perception, audience attitudes, reputation risk, engagement...so many risk factors flow throughout the onboarding process, all of which could ultimately impact our members. As champions of our brand, Marketing took the lead in onboarding our CEO, with this multifaceted Listening Tour being the largest aspect of that charge. This was an incredibly strategic and multifaceted marketing campaign with several components, analytics, and reporting. I'm very proud of my team and our CEO for this incredibly successful campaign.
Assets greater than $1 billion | Kalispell, MT
NewToMissoula.com proved that the fastest way to launch a new branch isn’t to “advertise banking”—it’s to earn local attention with something the community wants to talk about. We led with bold out-of-home that felt like a genuine introduction by featuring Ryan Nong, who was new to Missoula himself, and invited people to a simple microsite and real in-branch events built around local outdoor culture. The medium did more than drive reach; it sparked recognition, organic conversation, and credibility—exactly what a new market entrant needs. Our key takeaway: when OOH is human, specific, and culturally aligned, it becomes a community touchpoint, not just media. The campaign met our objectives by quickly building visibility, driving steady local web engagement, and turning awareness into in-person connections that accelerated early familiarity and trust.
Assets $250 million – $1 billion | Beaumont, TX
This campaign proved that meaningful growth happens when you meet people where they are and invest in their future, not just their accounts. By partnering with Lamar Institute of Technology and showing up on campus in a real, consistent way, DuGood moved beyond traditional student banking to become a trusted resource during a pivotal life transition. We learned that physical presence, paired with purpose-driven products and financial education, builds credibility faster than awareness alone — especially with younger audiences. The on-campus branch, career-focused lending, and active involvement in student life allowed us to build relationships rooted in trust. Most importantly, we met our objectives by deepening engagement with students and staff and reinforcing our commitment to Southeast Texas. It demonstrated that when marketing aligns with mission, the result is lasting value for both members and the community.
Assets greater than $1 billion | Gadsden, AL
The Billion Dollar Bash was a one-of-a-kind celebration that transformed a milestone into a multi-sensory, multi-channel experience. We combined hand-lettered invitations, branded treats, teaser videos with celebrities, live entertainment, themed transportation, keepsakes, and interactive event elements to honor employees, retirees, vendors, and stakeholders. Every detail was designed to delight, engage, and create lasting memories. This campaign showcased the power of integrated creative strategies, blending design, video, and experiential elements, to deliver a fully immersive celebration. By executing an event of this scale and creativity, we not only celebrated a historic achievement but reinforced pride, strengthened relationships, and elevated our brand internally, setting a new standard for recognition and engagement. This thoughtful, multifaceted approach turned a milestone into an unforgettable experience, demonstrating innovation in internal marketing and event design.
Assets $250 million – $1 billion | Defiance, OH
The Community Hero Award series was more than a campaign — it was a platform for community connection. Each post invited members and non-members to participate by nominating local heroes, sharing stories, and celebrating individuals who often go unrecognized. By recognizing trusted community figures, Midwest positioned itself as a credit union that listens, cares, and actively supports the people who serve our neighborhoods every day. As a smaller credit union (14,000 members), this initiative positions Midwest Community as a credit union that is deeply personal, community-driven, and committed to celebrating those who serve others every day.
Assets greater than $1 billion | White Bear Lake, MN
Royal Credit Union’s 2025 Hunger Action Month campaign demonstrated a creative, community-centered approach to public relations through donations, coordinated volunteer efforts, and multimedia storytelling. The campaign showcased our partnerships with area food banks, inspired greater community engagement, and reinforced Royal’s commitment to addressing food insecurity across our footprint. Royal team members volunteered at each food bank and in addition to this hands-on participation, a total of $19,500 was donated to the food banks in support of their missions. The campaign combined volunteerism, donations, and storytelling into a cohesive, impactful effort that increased visibility and positioned Royal as a champion of hunger-relief initiatives in the communities we serve. Overall, it was a powerful reflection of Royal’s core purpose to create a positive impact in the lives we touch and embodied the credit union philosophy of people helping people.
Assets $250 million – $1 billion | Marshfield, WI
The New Branch Coloring Contest transformed a traditional branch opening into a creative, community-driven experience. By inviting kids and families to engage with the new branch through art, Simplicity Credit Union built awareness and goodwill before the doors even opened. The key takeaway was that meaningful engagement doesn’t require complex technology—simple, interactive ideas can deliver outsized impact when executed across multiple channels. Using the coloring page as a unifying visual allowed the campaign to scale seamlessly across billboards, digital ads, social media, in-branch signage, and print, creating consistent recognition and excitement. This approach exceeded our goals by driving participation, sparking organic social sharing, and positioning the new branch as friendly, approachable, and people-focused. The campaign reinforced that when marketing invites the community to take part—rather than just observe—it creates stronger connections and lasting brand impressions.
Assets greater than $1 billion | North Charleston, SC
The objective of this five-week fraud prevention campaign was to educate members such that by campaign's end, they could articulate and apply preventative actions. We developed the THINK Method framework, which detailed five actionable fraud prevention steps where members were encouraged to demonstrate mastery of each step through weekly quizzes. To get attention, these lessons were taught by a fraud-fighting Boykin Spaniel (South Carolina’s beloved state dog). To incentivize participation, successful quiz completions unlocked weekly sweepstakes entries. Our 81.5% website quiz completion rate significantly outperformed the 65% industry benchmark for educational quizzes, demonstrating exceptional content design and member engagement. This metric validates that participants didn’t just start the learning journey—they completed it. The 6,945 members who updated passwords represent concrete behavioral change.
Assets $250 million – $1 billion | Sioux Falls, SD
The Voyager partnership showed how community-first marketing can build genuine brand affinity in ways traditional financial advertising cannot. By collaborating with a local brewery to create a limited-release product and hosting a purpose-driven event that gave back to the community, Voyage met people where they already gather and connect. The campaign blended creativity, local pride, and philanthropy to spark organic engagement and conversation, while reinforcing Voyage’s identity as a modern, approachable credit union. The key takeaway: when brands support local culture and causes authentically, community loyalty follows.
