Relationship Rewards

Strategy

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Relationship Rewards Program

Turning Everyday Banking Into a Tiered Loyalty Experience
At Desert Schools (now Desert Financial), I led the strategic development and omni-channel rollout of the “Relationship Rewards” program — a pricing and loyalty initiative designed to reward deeper member engagement and increase household product adoption. My role spanned messaging architecture, member segmentation, digital strategy, channel planning, and campaign execution.

By marrying data-driven segmentation with clear, member-first communication, we transformed a static pricing model into a dynamic loyalty experience that delivered real business results.

The Challenge
The credit union needed to deepen relationships, encourage multi-product adoption, and reward loyalty — but the complexity of pricing tiers and benefit structures posed communication risks. The challenge was to create clarity, drive action, and increase member value while aligning internal operations and external messaging.

Outcome:
The Relationship Rewards program became a cornerstone of Desert Schools’ brand evolution and member engagement strategy. By creating transparency, emotional alignment, and true value for members, we moved beyond pricing — and built lasting relationships that scaled impact across the organization.

$10.6M

Total Annual Giveback

Including cash rewards distributed through Relationship Rewards and community giving initiatives.

83%

Member Enrollment

Indicating widespread program adoption, product growth and credit union member satisfaction.

13%

Product Utilization

Increase in product utilization year-over-year, driven by strategic tier-based messaging and upsell paths.

Project Process

From Insight to Execution

1. Discovery

Audited internal pricing models, analyzed product engagement trends, and mapped member behavior to identify friction points and unmet value opportunities. Developed tiered personas to surface motivational triggers.

2. Define

Built a comprehensive communication framework with messaging by tier, lifecycle stage, and member value. Defined visual identity and naming hierarchy for the program tiers: Start, Grow, Achieve, Prosper.

3. Design

Developed a full campaign system including an interactive Relationship Wizard, tier-based email journeys, homepage personalization, mobile prompts, and in-branch education tools. Created over 30 personalized content tracks tied to behavior and product mix.

4. Launch & Optimize

Rolled out across email, web, ATM messaging, print collateral, and digital signage. Partnered with product, branch, and analytics teams to embed feedback loops and create a self-reinforcing engagement engine.

Silver Addy Award

Catch Larry Campaign

CUNA Diamond Award

DFCU Website Redesign

CUNA Diamond Award

Shine On Campaign

Diverse Magazine Award

UOPX "I am a Phoenix"

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