Dakota West Credit Union Offers Scholarships

(WATFORD CITY, ND, 19 February 2019) – Expanding its annual tradition, Dakota West Credit Union is accepting scholarship applications from both high school seniors and current college students throughout the communities it serves. The western Dakota credit union also welcomes applicants who will be attending trade schools in the fall.

Four $500 scholarships will be awarded to members of Dakota West Credit Union through an essay competition focusing on the financial institution’s values: Communication, Respectfulness, Positive Attitude, and Responsibility.

“Our values represent the level of service we strive to provide to our members and our communities. For the students currently working their way through college or finalizing their post-secondary plans, we want to live our values by contributing to their futures and their success,” Juliet Jones, Marketing Coordinator for Dakota West Credit Union offered when asked about the purpose of the scholarship expansion.

Students must be already attending a two- or four-year college, be enrolled in a trade school program into late 2020, or graduating high school this spring to be eligible. Students also must be a member at any of the eight branches of Dakota West Credit Union, and submit an essay based on one of the values of the non-profit credit union headquartered in Watford City, North Dakota.

“This year’s essay topic focuses on communication, which will be a large part of both national and global topics this year, as well as in the future,” believes Jones. “We look forward to reviewing their thoughts on the subject and helping four deserving students grow in their education and careers.”

Established in 1941, each of the Dakota West Credit Union branches and its members and employees help grow the Dakota West family with exceptional commitment to building relationships and strengthening communities. Offering scholarships to students within its communities continues its focus on this growth through the next generation.

Applications for the scholarship are available on the Dakota West Credit Union website at https://www.dakotawestcu.com/members/member-services/. The deadline for submission is Friday, April 10, 2020 with winners announced on Friday, May 15 on Dakota West Credit Union’s Facebook page.

Dakota West is also offering Teacher Financial Education Grants to promote personal financial responsibility for all students in the communities it serves. “Helping them understand the concepts behind money movement is a good place to begin understanding personal financial responsibility.” The deadline for teachers to apply for these grants is Monday, February 24. Applications are available in the Media link at www.dakotawestcu.com.

With branches throughout west and central North Dakota, Dakota West Credit Union is dedicated to helping its members grow with comprehensive, competitive financial products partnered with personal, professional service. To learn more about its services and communities, visit https://www.dakotawestcu.com/members/member-services/.

Pay A Friend - Right Now

Need to send money quickly? Dakota West proudly introduces Pay A Friend, a new way to send money from your Dakota West mobile app or online account to a friend, family member, or co-worker.

How does it work? “It’s like a banking app and a cash app had a baby,” one recipient told us when she received money to treat herself to coffee. That’s because Pay A Friend allows our members to send up to $500 to anyone with a mobile phone or an email address – and that’s a lot of people. You don’t need a separate website to send money, and your friends only need their debit card and a secret phrase you create to claim their money. It’s secure and fast, plus you receive notifications when the payment is received.

Want more information? It’s pretty simple to use, but if you want to check out the process, read through our Pay A Friend how-to guide. Watch for the Person to Person option when you log into your online account or find it in your mobile app and send a friend money for lunch, rent, coffee, groceries, or just for fun.

Watch for Pay A Friend - coming soon!

We Love Rewards

You’re probably seeing hearts in all directions this week. From restaurants to convenience stores to department store sales events, everywhere you go this week you’ll be seeing red.

But what if each of those stops – grabbing lunch, filling up your gas tank, or buying a new watch – paid you money back. With a Kasasa Cash Back® account at Dakota West, you get rewarded for each of those purchases.

Every month you can earn 3% cash back on debit card purchases (up to $72 cash back per year, $6 per month), just for swiping your card or making online purchases with your debit card that you already make every day. You can even receive refunds on ATM fees up to $15 every month. What a way to love using your debit card!

There are additional requirements, such as logging into your online account and enrolling in eStatement delivery, but there is no service fee for switching from a Badlands Checking account to a Kasasa checking account. To learn more about Kasasa Cash Back® rewards, visit our Personal Checking page, or stop into a branch and ask about switching to our rewards checking. You’ll love rewards, too.

Meet Lani Schafer

If you’ve only visited your local Dakota West branch, there’s a good chance you may have missed out on our little gem in Turtle Lake. One of the Member Service Representatives in our smallest branch, Lani Schafer, keeps the community traditions in eastern McLean County alive and well, brightens each day for our members, and represents Dakota West’s values.

Lani first joined Dakota West when the Turtle Lake Community Credit Union merged with Dakota West in 2002 and returned a second time after taking a break to spend time at home with her family. She’s part of a small-but-mighty team that works with her community partners every December to plan the annual Turtle Lake Santa Day, complete with sleigh rides, giveaways, and a visit from the big man himself.

Whether answering a common question like, “What’s my balance?” or a more complex challenge like assisting a member with attempted fraudulent purchases on a debit card, Lani works with members of communities from Underwood to McClusky, but speaks with members from all of our branches by phone.

“I don’t think people realize how many branches we have and that we are in many smaller communities.” Keeping that personal service in these communities is exemplified by Lani’s every day interactions. Last fall she organized surprise snacks for the girls’ volleyball team to take with them on their six-hour, round-trip bus ride to an away match.

When not serving our members or bringing joy to her local community, Lani enjoys traveling to warmer climates when it gets cooler in North Dakota, and spending time at her family’s cabin on a nearby lake when the days get long. If you are traveling throughout western North Dakota, stop in to one of our other branches, including a visit with Lani and her team in Turtle Lake.