BURNSVILLE, Minn.–Firefly Credit Union is going one step further than usual when it opens an in-school branch at Burnsville Senior High School for the 2016-17 school year.
Firefly is involving the BHS students in the planning of the branch, including meeting with members of Firefly’s executive team in the areas of human resources, marketing, and member services, as well as architects.
“Firefly is not looking for Burnsville High School to be a traditional branch location. We’re starting from a clean slate and asking the students what they want,” said Marty Kelly, SVP/chief marketing officer at Firefly Credit Union. “It is a combination of access to funds and education.”
The students involved in the planning of the in-school branch are members of the high school entrepreneurship and business program, DECA. According to Firefly, the students have been assisting with the planning process from day one – aiding decisions on how the branch will look, from exterior signage to indoor finishes, and how the branch will operate on a day-to-day basis.
“Currently the planning team meets twice a month to design the credit union,” said Meggan Malone, DECA advisor at BHS. “The students will be using the research they uncover from the design of the Firefly Credit Union and incorporate it into a DECA marketing project for the 2016-2017 school year.”
Located one mile from the Firefly’s corporate office, the in-school branch will provide students with opportunities to learn and develop business and finance skills. The in-school branch comes as part of a multi-faceted relationship between BHS and Firefly, which includes an annual scholarship and classroom visits on financial education.
Separately, students in the BHS DECA program attended Firefly Credit Union’s monthly board meeting at its corporate office. Students sat in for the board meeting where they learned about credit union governance as well as a variety of updates for Firefly Credit Union including the kickoff of a new media campaign.