How Bospar Made California’s Hometown Credit Union a National Financial Voice
Golden 1 Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in the United States, serving more than a million members across California from its Sacramento headquarters. Its name sits atop the Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings. And its mission is built on the credit union model: returning value to members and investing in the communities where they live.
The company’s problem was reach, or lack of it. The financial services company’s story rarely traveled beyond Sacramento. So it sat on the sidelines, watching national personal finance coverage go to big banks. That is, until the PR professionals at Bospar got into the game.
Challenge
National money coverage features a familiar cast: Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo.
Credit unions, when they appear at all, appear as a category, not as named authorities.
But this Bospar client had the substance to change that, with
- the opening of a first-of-its-kind Financial Resource Center in Del Paso Heights, one of Sacramento’s most underserved neighborhoods
- its use of AI to expand fair access to credit
- executives who could speak credibly on savings, credit and financial health for audiences the big banks overlook
Yet without a deliberate strategy and the right execution, that substance would remain local.
Strategy
Bospar built a program to make Golden 1 unmissable at home and quotable everywhere else.
The public relations strategy included the following four tenets.
- Turn community investment into broadcast news: The Del Paso Heights Financial Resource Center was a story about who gets access to financial services. Bospar framed it that way, as opposed to a basic branch opening, and delivered the grand opening to every major Sacramento outlet. When the client granted $50,000 to Grant Union High School’s student clubs, Bospar made the students the story and the check followed them onto three stations.
- Make the client a fixture in national personal finance coverage: Bospar positioned the client’s experts as go-to sources for the personal finance press on first credit cards, savings habits and banking for young adults. We planned media target placement for its syndication footprint, so a single interview traveled from the original outlet to Yahoo Finance, AOL and Nasdaq.
- Take its innovation story to the banking press: Our PR professionals knew this client’s use of AI to identify creditworthy borrowers that traditional models miss was a story people needed to hear from a credit union, not a fintech. Bospar brought it to the outlets bankers actually read.
- Compound the rankings: Best-of lists and workplace rankings are key drivers in consumers’ choice of their banks. Our team of PR experts made sure this client was represented across them, from best credit unions in California to best accounts for teens and seniors.
The strategy paid off.
The strategic PR campaign for this financial services companies resulted in more than 90 media placements with a total of more than 1.5 million unique visitors per month (UVM).
- CBS Sacramento covered the Del Paso Heights opening twice. An article by journalist Rachel Wulff at this media outlet included the client’s CEO quote explaining that the “new model… will be a resource for residents’ financial empowerment.” Yahoo News, CapRadio and the Sacramento Observer, picked up this story.
- Newsweek named our client to “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women 2024.”
- BankingDive published a story by reporter Ken McCathy about how the client used AI to find “good risk.” The story syndicated to Yahoo Finance.
- Bankrate published “How to Get a Credit Card for the First Time,” by Nicole Dieker, Ana Staples and Liza Carrasquillo. The guide syndicated to AOL and Yahoo Finance.
- Forbes included our client in “Best Checking Accounts For Seniors,” by Erin Bendig.
- Business Insider featured this Bospar financial services client in two articles: “Best Teen Checking Accounts for 2025,” written by Sophia Acevedo, and “The Best Banks and Credit Unions in California for 2025,” authored by Kit Pulliam.
The winning PR strategy Bospar created, our deep understanding of how media works, and the public relations team’s editor and reporter relationships and Politely Pushy approach inserted this financial services client both in the hometown media coverage that reaches its members and the national personal finance press that reaches everyone deciding where to bank next.
“California financial-wise can be very different from other parts of the nation. So relying on national and traditional scoring models can paint the wrong picture when the credit union is making loan decisions.”
— Golden 1 Credit Union CEO Donna Bland
About the author
Nick Yacenko is an Account Supervisor at Bospar. His experience has brought him to different walks of the public relations industry, from B2B technology such as HR Tech, APIs, cyber security, web3, AI and SaaS to consumer products, lifestyle, travel, and celebrities. His experience includes publicizing pink pineapples, dartboards, waterparks, ski resorts, and top actors, athletes and artists. He has also honed his craft in analyst relations, securing countless client briefings. Nick earned his bachelor’s in Communications and his master’s in Communications and Media from Rutgers University. He resides in Northern New Jersey with his fiance and their two kittens, Mango and Simon.
