Tuesday was “Signing Day” for the Giants, but not the signing day usually associated with football, at least on the college level. New York Giants and Investors Bank announced an expansion of their partnership in an expansive ceremony at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, giving Investors, the largest Bank in New Jersey, some additional commercial rights to grow the partnership, along with a new cause-related program, teaming with Court Appointed Special Advocates CASA, in an effort to strengthen and support their work with at risk kids in the New Jersey community.
President of Investors Bank, Kevin Cummings, who lives in Summit, N.J., and grew up in Jersey City, felt the Giants were a perfect organization to help support their business and efforts in the community across New Jersey. “You’re known by the company you keep and being associated with the New York Giants football franchise is one of the greatest honors Investors Bank could have. It’s a great organization,” he said during the ceremony. “We’re a New Jersey bank, Giants are a New Jersey organization, and a lot like politics is local, business should [also] be local.”
Investors Bank is hoping that Giants fans will get on board w by opening up a “Big Blue Checking Crew” account at one of their nearest locations. The catchy name was developed in order to help cultivate the brand and bring in new customers, especially targeting clients in the 18-22 age range. “The digital aspect for millennials is something we are actively focused on,” Cummings added.
This includes online banking, the Investors Bank app that can be downloaded on any smart phones, as well as enhancements intended to grab the attention of the late teen-early 20’s demographic. The combination of digital banking and teaming up with the New York Giants will lead not just to additional signups amongst consumers of all ages, but will help grow the visibility of the brand in the tri-state area well beyond its current scope.
On the community side, Investors Bank and the Giants are both working with CASA in an effort to grow New Jersey’s youth in a positive way. CASA Director, Liza Kirschenbaum said the agency gives opportunity for ordinary people to be assigned by the Family Court to advocate for children taken out of there community or homes because of abuse or neglect. Ms. Kirschenbaum added, “so basically we are community volunteers who help foster children.” CASA has helped over 4,000 children last year with the help of around 2,150 volunteers all across the state. Her hope is that working with the Giants can help propel the popularity of this non-profit and get the football fans on board with another “winning team.”
“We hope to gain hundreds and hundreds of male volunteers to help our boys and young men who are in foster care,” she added. “Those kids really need role models and people to look up to.” That support will also come in the form of dollars from Investors Bank, who will donate $250 to CASA for every touchdown, field goal or safety this season.
The publicity that comes in the new partnership with the Giants organization will surely get the “word out” and potentially enlist volunteers who love football to work for CASA in nearby counties. Local counties like Sussex and Camden have the highest out of home placement in the state. This includes a significant number of Spanish speaking children. Kirschenbaum added, “We definitely hope to see a growth in volunteers and bilingual especially.” At the end of the day Investors Bank and the Giants hope their partnership with CASA can benefit these foster children to improve their lives and make a difference in the NJ communities.
The day concluded with a photo op and members of the Investors Bank front office received their very own jersey while Giants co-owner John Mara received a new debit card with the Giants logo on it. Giants fans will be excited to know that a debit card with the logo, also a checkbook and many more Giants fandom items are now available at any of the 150 branches located in NY/NJ.
It is a partnership which can enhance fandom, grow a disruptive and innovative business partner and make an impact beyond the dollars in the community, all of which added up to a winning Tuesday on a day when Big Blue wrapped up their public practices by announcing a program which all can touch and feel, and whose impact should go on for years.