Prospera and Westminster Savings were two of British Columbia’s most successful medium sized credit unions with over 75 years of history, strong brand presence in their respective trade areas and established employee cultures. The proposed merger offered several synergies and benefits for members and employees and would better position the credit unions against their competitors. By merging their operations, they would build upon the credit union’s roots as community based, purpose driven organizations which exist to enrich the lives and the communities in which they serve. Prior to embarking on the largest merger in Canadian Credit Union history, Prospera Credit Union (PCU) and Westminster Savings Credit Union (WSCU) required approval from their respective memberships. While the benefits of the merger were compelling, there were several things that could affect member and employee perceptions of the potential merger, therefore influencing the outcome of the vote. Knowing the challenges ahead, an agency was selected to help drive communications in support of 1) educating the membership and employees on the proposed merger benefits 2) encouraging higher voter turnout 3) obtaining a positive membership vote and merger mandate. A six-week integrated campaign was developed and executed. This campaign targeted members and employees and utilized multiple channels and methods to communicate the benefits of the two organizations merging. One of the key pieces to this campaign was the development of the member circulars (voting packages) that had to be distributed to every member at each organization and contained information about the vision for the new organization, the benefits of the intended merger, potential risks, voting information and the amalgamation agreement. The campaign included a thorough pre-launch plan that focused on surveying and interviewing employees and members in advance to better understand initial perceptions of the merger. Those findings would be used to build out the messaging and help identify the required tactics to execute on this important venture. The result was approved by both sets of members and not only met the minimum threshold of two-thirds support but exceeded them in dramatic fashion! WSCU: 81% in favour and PCU: 92% in favour.
