30 THE NAFCU JOURNAL March–April 2022 Christmas, which includes the wish list of children in the community. Working with community-based organizations and schools ensures the efforts of SkyPoint’s employees and community development teams are genuinely helpful. In addition to offering financial education classes, Pettus’ team also attends events at which they can set up a table to provide information about SkyPoint and financial literacy classes and an opportunity to open membership accounts at the event. “It only takes $5 to open an account, and if someone opens an account at one of the special events we attend, SkyPoint covers the cost,” said Pettus. “We follow up with people who have opened accounts after we’ve reviewed their credit report to talk to them about where they are with credit and develop an action plan to meet their goals.” Talking about next steps to build credit, manage a budget, create a savings plan or learn more about personal finance is easier when you can talk specifically about their needs and answer their questions, she adds. “You have to be open to new ideas and flexible to successfully serve a diverse community,” pointed out Pettus. “If you assume that you know what people need, they shut down and you lose their trust, so my team and I are always listening.”
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