Mission Brands Consulting partners with credit unions of all sizes across the US, and we have conversations with new folks every week about what we do and what it’s like to work with us. To help better understand what a partnership with us could look like, we’ve rounded up some of the questions we get asked most often.

The biggest takeaway is that every partnership is unique, but they are all rewarding, collaborative, flexible and (best of all) fun.

1. Do you charge by the hour or by the line item?

Whichever makes more sense for how you work. Some credit unions want the predictability of a monthly retainer or a flat project fee – this video series will cost X, a logo redesign is Y. Others prefer hourly billing so they can see exactly where time went and scale up or down as needed. We don’t force one model on everyone. Tell us how your board or finance team likes to see costs broken down, and we’ll structure it that way.

2. What happens with overages?

Again, your call. Some partners want a hard cap – if a project is going to run over or if we max out our hourly retainer for the month, we stop and talk before another dollar gets spent. Others prefer a heads-up-and-proceed approach, where we flag it, explain why, and keep moving so deadlines don’t slip. Either way, you’ll never get a surprise invoice. And we are true partners – discussing priorities and key goals for the month or quarter ahead of time, so our energy is focused where it’s most needed.

3. What if something comes up?

We can handle whatever life throws at you and work as an extension of your team, not a vendor. If interest rates change and we need to kick off a refinance campaign, if there’s an incident at a branch that urgently needs communicating, if a board member wants to see new color palette options, if your balance sheet is suddenly in desperate need of deposits – whatever it is, we’re there for you. Our team is flexible, understanding and ready to jump in and pivot whenever plans change.

4. Can you run point with all of our marketing vendors?

Yes. If you’ve got a fintech partner, a printer, a media buyer, a website hosting company, a compliance reviewer or anyone else that needs coordination and communication, we’re happy to be the one organizing conversations and keeping everyone on the same page. We’re here to help take work off your plate and give you one less thing to worry about, and that includes being open and collaborative with your other relationships.

5. What are the get-out clauses?

There aren’t any. No lock-in contracts, no penalty fees, no fine print designed to make leaving impossible. If it’s not working, tell us, and we’re gone in 30 days. We want to earn our relationships every month rather than trap you.

6. What do you actually do?

Whatever you need. We can support everything from integrated campaign execution to big-picture brand strategy to one-off copy or design support. And we’re flexible from month to month – sometimes you need a big auto campaign, other times you need a handful of new pages added to your website, yet other times you need a workshop with your team to align on company culture. We’re truly your full-service team, here for whatever your credit union needs.

Want to learn more?

Get in touch with our team – we’d love to hear about your organization and how we could help you.