Member Retention

Indirect Onboarding Project

This project demonstrates how I approach complex lifecycle challenges to build long-term member relationships.

Graphic of a member journey

The question I set out to answer

How could we build loyalty with new members who didn’t actively choose us and whose only relationship with our credit union was an auto loan?

What I discovered

  • Indirect members didn’t choose the credit union—they chose the auto loan
  • The loan was the relationship
  • Churn followed a predictable ~2-year pattern
  • A stronger onboarding experience could change that trajectory

What this meant in practice

  • Loyalty had to be earned through value—not rates alone
  • Touchpoints needed to feel human, timely, and relevant
  • Cross-functional alignment was critical to the experience
  • Sales messaging needed to stay secondary to usefulness

From Insight to Execution

  1. Strategy Brief
  2. Creative Brief
  3. Concepts Deck
  4. Development & Execution
  5. Why This Matters

What we’re solving and why this direction matters.

  • Strategy Brief: Slide 1
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 2
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 3
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 4
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 5
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 6
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 7
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 8
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 9
  • Strategy Brief: Slide 10

How the strategy comes to life in message, tone, and visuals.

  • Creative Brief - Slide 1
  • Creative Brief - Slide 2
  • Creative Brief - Slide 3
  • Creative Brief - Slide 4
  • Creative Brief - Slide 5
  • Creative Brief - Slide 6
  • Creative Brief - Slide 7
  • Creative Brief - Slide 8
  • Creative Brief - Slide 9
  • Creative Brief - Slide 10

Unique ways to bring the campaign to life and stand out in the market.

  • Concepts Deck - Slide 1
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 2
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 3
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 4
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 5
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 6
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 7
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 8
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 9
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 10
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 11
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 12
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 13
  • Concepts Deck - Slide 14

4. Development & Execution

Once a direction was selected, I translated the strategy into a flexible execution framework, designed to scale across channels while preserving a calm, member-first experience. This included message sequencing, tone guardrails, and visual guidance to support consistent rollout.

Member Journey – Flowchart

A flexible onboarding journey designed to support new indirect members—adapting over time based on engagement, needs, and behavior. The goal wasn’t more messages—it was better moments, timed to when they mattered.

  • Member Journey Flowchart

Tactical examples

5. Why This Matters

Indirect members didn’t start with a relationship—they started with a loan. This approach reframed onboarding as a long-term experience rather than a one-time welcome.

By pacing communication, adapting to member behavior, and prioritizing usefulness over selling, the strategy created space for trust to develop well before the first renewal decision.