“We like to say with every tap, you give back,” Ryan Betz, EVP/Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer said. “This is really a chance for our students and local school supporters to bank with pride and purpose and have a real impact when it comes to improving student opportunities.”
“The team at OlyFed has been instrumental in supporting classroom learning, district initiatives and countless student activities over the years,” said Conor Schober, Director of Communications and Community Relations with Olympia School District. “Funds from the School Affinity Card program will directly support ASB funds at our high schools, ensuring students have access to meaningful learning and growth opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.”
OlyFed started its Two Cent Program almost seven years ago to connect their customers with the bank’s charitable giving endeavors. The program was designed so that with every debit card transaction, the bank would donate two cents to a new nonprofit every month. Since it started the bank has supported more than 65 local organizations with donations surpassing $200,000.
“Our new School Affinity Card Program expands our Two Cent Program to include our local schools because we believe education is so important to the future of our community and we want to help every student thrive,” Josh Deck, OlyFed, President & CEO said.
In fact, over the past five years, OlyFed has invested more than $2 million in local community organizations. Even better, the bank’s employees volunteered more than 1,500 hours last year and its team members serve on the board of directors of more than 35 local nonprofits.
“OlyFed and Saint Martin’s University are two of the longest-standing institutions in our local region with a partnership that dates back more than 100 years,” said Nate Peters, Vice President of Marketing and Communications and Interim Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Saint Martin’s University. “With every swipe, cardholders directly support Saint Martin’s students while showing their Saints pride — a simple but powerful way for our students, families, alumni and fans alike to rally behind the University and make a difference in students’ lives.”
“A big part of our volunteerism and our School Affinity Card program is also financial education,” Betz continued. This past year OlyFedders have been in dozens of classrooms at high schools across the South Sound region along with local youth-serving nonprofit organizations. OlyFed bankers have taught on topics from saving and investing, to budgeting, entrepreneurism, account security and so much more. “We’ve even created a student specific CD to help them understand compounding interest and to get them into the habit of saving at an early age,” Betz said.
Along with the launch of the School Affinity Card Program, OlyFed is introducing a LYFE Account, which is a free youth checking account for students ages 12 to 18. The LYFE account offers many great tools and resources to help students save and manage their money, while giving parents digital controls to turn their child’s debit card on or off, set spending limits and get real-time alerts and more.
“We named this account LYFE because right in the middle of OlyFed is your LYFE and that’s the way we look at our customer relationships,” Betz said. “We want to be there for our customers every step of their life to ensure they have the expert care and support they need to not only manage their finances, but to also achieve their greatest pursuits. This is why we are so dedicated to financial education and to developing products and services that improve the quality of life for our community.”
