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Netgiver Wins NACUSO Next Big Idea 2020 Competition With Innovative Charitable Giving Mobile App

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Posh Technologies Places Second; $10,000 in Prize Money Provided by CO-OP Financial Services

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, California – Results of the NACUSO Next Big Idea 2020 competition show that the spirit of innovation – as well as the cooperative spirit – of the credit union movement is advancing full-speed in spite of the pandemic.

“The Final Four” to this year’s competition was held on October 27, with NetGiver emerging as the winner, as selected by attendees to this year’s culminating round. NetGiver’s first place finish earned it $7,500 in prize money, furnished by CO-OP Financial Services. Posh Technologies finished in second place, earning $2,500, also provided by CO-OP.In total, according to ROI Revolution, “Digital Commerce 360 estimates that Amazon Prime Day 2020 sales hit $10.4 billion – up from $7.16 billion (+45.2%) over Prime Day 2019 and from $4.19 billion (+148.2%) over Prime Day 2018.”

The Final Four and their ideas included:

  • Illuma Labs (www.Illuma-labs.com). “Illuma Shield” is a real-time voice authentication and fraud prevention service for credit union call centers. Replacing traditional and intrusive authentication processes like knowledge-based authentication (i.e., mother’s maiden name, etc.), Illuma Shield passively analyzes the member’s voice over natural conversation and results in higher authentication accuracy in a fraction of the time.
  • NetGiver (www.netgiverapp.com). NetGiver eliminates credit card, platform and administrative fees associated with charitable transactions and the charity gets 100 percent of what credit union members donate. Provided to credit union members as a mobile app, NetGiver is a unique acquisition and retention tool which delivers a branded, feel-good experience by simply and securely facilitating donations to a member’s preferred nonprofit organizations.
  • Posh Technologies (www.posh.tech). Posh has built a powerful conversational AI platform that is more humanlike and natural. The platform is designed such that it can integrate seamlessly with credit union backend tools, from banking cores to customer relationship management systems.
  • Pure IT Credit Union Services (pureitcuso.com). Pure IT offers customized strategic roadmaps ahead to help the credit union crush their goals, regardless of what solution or gadget they implement. Pure IT services credit unions needing an objective blueprint that outlines where their current strategy is now, and where they want to grow.

Facilitating the final day’s event was the moderator, Guy Messick, of Messick Lauer & Smith P.C. The four judges included:

  • Sarah Canepa Bang, Recipient of the Herb Wegner Award for Individual Achievement in 2013.
  • Bruce Dragt, Chief Product Officer, CO-OP Financial Services.
  • Kris Kovacs, Founder of Constellation and the winner of the 2017 NBI competition.
  • Bolun Li, Founder of Zogo Finance and the winner of the 2019 NBI competition.

“We are energized by the growing boldness for innovation that’s emerging within the movement,” said Dragt. “By providing this platform for big thinkers in our industry, NACUSO is nurturing ingenuity that puts people first. We congratulate not only the two organizations that came away with cash prizes, but all of the entrants in NACUSO Next Big Idea 2020.”

Criteria for the Next Big Idea are initiatives to improve earnings, enhance member service, deliver new products and services to members and improve delivery channels to members. The innovations can be at various stages of development, including early stage and in need of investment, ready to be delivered or already in motion and are growing and changing the industry.

“We thank CO-OP once again for their continued support of NACUSO, and the Next Big Idea 2020 competition in particular,” said Jack Antonini, CEO of NACUSO. “The cash prizes – the first time they have been offered – no doubt played a role in the record number of entries we received.”

For more information on the CO-OP ecosystem for credit unions and their members, visit www.co-op.org/Solutions. For more information on upcoming NACUSO events, visit www.nacuso.org.

About the National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO)

NACUSO was formed in 1984 to help credit unions explore the use of CUSOs and the delivery of non-traditional products and services. Over the years, NACUSO’s focus has evolved to helping credit unions form multi-owned CUSOs and participate in collaboration and the cooperative business model. NACUSO’S core purpose is to be the leader of innovation, collaboration and advocacy for CUSOs and the credit union industry. For more information, visit www.nacuso.org.