Speaking

Tim McAlpine is a highly rated keynote speaker at credit union conferences around the world

Tim's Bio

Tim McAlpine
President & Creative Director
Currency Marketing 

Tim McAlpine lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. He is the President and Creative Director of Currency Marketing, an integrated marketing agency specializing in helping credit unions attract the next generation of members.

Tim is a credit union advocate best known for developing the Young & Free program that credit unions from around North America are using to connect with new young adult members. He is also the driving force behind CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec competition and a co-founder of the CU Water Cooler. Tim believes that credit unions and the credit union movement need to work harder to prove that there is a difference and that it matters.

Tim and Currency are the recipient of dozens of awards including the Credit Union Central of Canada National Credit Union Innovation Award and 1st place in the Forrester Research Groundswell Awards.

Tim is a popular speaker on the credit union conference circuit. In his dynamic presentations, Tim tackles relevant marketing and technology issues in a no-nonsense yet entertaining way. He has presented at numerous credit union and finance conferences in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Jamaica for many top organizations, including Forrester Research, Credit Union National Association, Credit Union Executives Society and the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions. His writing has been published in numerous credit union publications, such as Credit Union Management Magazine and Credit Union Times.

Praise

“Best was Tim McAlpine.” “Favorite: Young & Free.” “I can't believe I am crying about overdraft fees!” “Very inspired by Tim McAlpine.” “Homerun with Tim.”

Topics

Young, Free and Supercharged

An inspiring and entertaining look at the Young & Free young adult marketing program

Young & Free started as an interesting social media experiment for a mid-sized credit union in Alberta, Canada seeking to attract new young adult members. More than half a decade later, this innovative integrated marketing program has turned into a movement within the credit union movement. There are now more than 100,000 Young & Free members at credit unions in 11 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Tim will tell the story of how an interesting idea combined with social media, traditional marketing, grass roots community involvement and hard work have translating into business success with the allusive young adult segment. Learn from firsthand experience and come away with strategies that you can apply to your credit union.

Integrated Social Media Marketing 

Move beyond simple Tweets and Facebook updates and into integrated marketing campaigns that include traditional and social media 

Traditional media is not dead and social media is not the cure-all. You have a far greater chance of finding marketing nirvana when your strategy combines traditional and nontraditional real-world activities with an online destination to create excitement and inspire action in your own backyard. Tie a relevant and differentiated product offer to your campaign, and you have a legitimate recipe for success. Learn how your credit union can take its social media marketing activity to the next level.

What Do Young People Want and Need?

What are young people really looking for from their financial institution?

Gen Y, Millennials, Net Generation, Echo Boomers, Generation Next—no matter what label you give them, the fact is, credit unions are failing to attract the next generation of members. There is a decade-plus age gap in credit union industry. While the average age of a North American is 37 years old, the average age of a credit union member is almost 50. Credit unions are not replacing maturing depositors with young borrowers fast enough. But your credit union doesn’t have to fade into the history books. Learn how your credit union can understand and connect with young adults.

Better Together: Uniting Marketing & IT for Success

Credit unions are stronger competitors when marketing and IT join forces. So why can't the super nerds in I.T. work with the romantic artsy fartsy scatter brains in marketing and vice versa?

Have you been in a brainstorming session lately? Have you noticed that every good marketing idea has some online or technical component to it? Or how every new technology needs good marketing? This is the new reality. In most credit unions marketing and I.T. are completely different silos, usually at odds with one another. Learn how you credit union can break down barriers and work together more effectively.

Fired up for Life or Just for Now? 

Why do some young professionals stay at credit unions while others take their talents elsewhere?

There is a vocal and growing community of fired-up young people who are super passionate about credit unions. There is both a positive energy and a palpable sense of frustration. This group falls into two camps. Camp one sees the credit union industry as a dead end and a stepping stone to something better and the second camp includes young professionals who have chosen credit unions as a career for life. Learn how you can understand and nurture the next generation of credit union leaders and give them the guidance and freedom to make a difference and stick around.

Moving the Young Adult Needle

A special three- to four-hour session that encapsulates most of Tim's topics—ideal for a half-day seminar

Not only are your members aging, but so are your employees. Learn to connect with young adults and discover what makes Gen Y and Z tick. This session will discuss what young potential members really look for from their financial institution, including which products, services and technology your credit unions needs to remain relevant. You’ll also take a look at your credit union staff to figure out how to attract and engage the next generation of leaders. The session is capped off with an in-depth look the Young & Free Marketing Program filled with ideas to inspire your own young adult marketing.

Canada and the United States Credit Unions—What’s the Diff?

A fact- and fun-filled ride exploring the differences and similarities between the U.S. and Canadian credit union systems

Tim McAlpine is 100% Canadian, yet U.S. credit unions represent 80% of Currency’s client base. Every page of Tim’s Canadian Passport is filled with temporary work permits and stamps. He’s also a board member of a small credit union in British Columbia. Wrap all of this together and you end up with someone who spends a lot of time thinking about credit unions and their challenges on both sides of the 49th parallel. U.S. and Canadian credit unions may look the same but the differences are huge!

For Fun

Talk about crowd interaction! The Young & Free Jam World Tour started in 2012 and will continue at all upcoming speaking engagements (organizers and attendees willing, of course). Learn more about the Young & Free Jam World Tour!

Downloads

+ Speaker Profile (PDF)
+ High-res photo (JPG)

Upcoming

07-29-2013

NYIB Conference
Workshop
San Diego, California

10-17-2013
CU Water Cooler Symposium
Nashville, Tennessee

2013

Oklahoma Credit Union League Annual Meeting
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Andera Webinar

CUES Execu/Summit
SnowMass Village, Colorado

Crash The GAC 
Washington, DC

2012

Andera Webinar

CUES CEO/Executive Team Network
Manalapan, Florida

Quebec International Summit of Cooperatives
Quebec City, Canada

Large Credit Union Conference
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Geezeo Edge12 Webinar

Credit Union Association of the Dakotas 2012 Annual Summit
Rapid City, South Dakota

CCCU & CUES International Convention
Montego Bay, Jamaica 

National Cooperative Grocers Association Conference
Portland, Oregon

CU Toolbox Webinar

2011

CUES CEO/Executive Team Summit
Las Vegas, Nevada

CU Water Cooler Symposium
Fishers, Indiana

Social Media Camp
Victoria, British Columbia

Maine Credit Union League
Augusta, Maine 

2010

CUES CEO/Executive Team Network
Dallas, Texas

CU Water Cooler Symposium
Fishers, Indiana

HOW MYOB Conference
New York, New York

CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference
Boston, Massachusetts

33rd Annual National Directors' Convention
Las Vegas, Nevada

CUNA Councils Marketing and Business Development Conference
Washington, District of Columbia

NCUF Real Solutions Conference
Orlando, Florida

2009

Canadian Co-operative Association 100th Anniversary Congress
Ottawa, Ontario

Maine State Credit Union League
Portland, Maine

Open Solutions Client Conference
Las Vegas, Nevada

BC Association of Integrated Marketers
Vancouver, British Columbia

2008

FORUM Solutions/Trabian Partnership Symposium
Fishers, Indiana

US Central Moving Members' Money Conference
San Antonio, Texas

Indiana Credit Union League
Indianapolis, Indiana

CUES Annual General Meeting
Cancun, Mexico

Forrester's Financial Forum
New York, New York

Member Gateways Meeting
San Antonio, Texas

Millennial Financial Services Forum
New York, New York

CUES Experience
Minneapolis, Minnesota

CUTech Spring Forum
New York, New York

Doxim Exchange
Toronto, Ontario

CUES Execu/Summit
Steamboat Springs, Colorado