Independent Banker - June 2022 - 59


Since its inception three years ago, FitnessBank, a division
of Aff inity Bank in Covington, Ga., has grown by word of
mouth in fitness communities. The online-only bank now
has more than 2,000 customer athletes, $50 million in
deposits nationwide, an average
account balance of $25,000 and
participants from every state in
the U.S.
" I'm proud of where we are today, "
says Ed Cooney, chief fitness off icer
of FitnessBank. " We had a lot to work
through with technology, and now
we're in a good place. We've proven the concept. It's about
engaging with our customer base on diff erent level. "
In addition to traditional account holders, FitnessBank
has accumulated a database of about 10,000 users. Many
of these users stem from partnerships the bank makes with
businesses looking to create internal fitness
competitions. HR departments develop
these programs for employees, aligning a
charitable contribution with the number
of steps taken. The business then uses the
FitnessBank app as an in-house tracker,
and the bank off ers a contribution as a
complement to the business' eff orts.
" We're really stepping with a purpose, " Cooney says.
" People use the app from all diff erent organizations, and it's
really meaningful for them. They can do what they need by
using our app. "
Findlay attributes this success to daily
microlearning, where employees play through
practice. Ultimately, that continued learning
loop drives sustainable long-term knowledge
outcomes. Having a fun environment to do it in
is just the icing on the cake.
" This has been a rough go for people for a
couple of years, " he says. " There's something to
be said for adding something fun and positive in
people's lives at this moment in time. Every little
thing we can do to help adds up. "
of personal motivators-from competition to
collection to plain and simple fun.
" The trick with a really well-designed program
is to feature something for as many diff erent
personalities as possible, " says John Findlay,
CEO of gamifi ed learning app LemonadeLXP,
an ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator fi nalist based
in Ottawa, Canada. " It's about walking a mile
in the other person's shoes and saying, 'What
would somebody fi nd delightful, and what would
motivate them?' "
That empathetic approach to employee
training pays off . LemonadeLXP customers
experience up to an 81% cost savings because
their employees are learning outcomes faster,
according to the company. In addition, bank
clients report a 25% knowledge increase when
they implement Lemonade.
BALANCING FUN WITH LEARNING
Yet, experts agree elements of fun must be
introduced into learning platforms in a balanced
manner for them to be eff ective, particularly
when the training relates to very serious topics.
" Can you create scenarios where people feel
like they are winning, benefi ting and growing
and help shape better choices and defaults for
them? That's the heart of gamifi cation, " says
David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Security,
a cybersecurity training platform based in
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. " The
philosophy we've taken is to celebrate the
fact that we are human. We teach people that
technology is just as awesome and frail as the
people that created it. So, we foster a sense of
healthy skepticism of technology in combination
with growing self-confi dence that 'I can make
informed decisions and be in control of the
technology I use.' "
Using Beauceron Security's platform, bank
employees can increase their personal risk score
by reporting phishes, completing courses and
engaging with the platform. In addition, the
platform off ers a competitive option, complete
with a leaderboard, to motivate employees to
continue increasing their personal risk score.
First Community Bank and Trust, a
$200 million-asset bank in Beecher, Ill., was
one of Beauceron Security's fi rst community
bank customers and can attest to the impact
the program has had. While First Community
Bank and Trust had previously conducted
cybersecurity training, instituting the Beauceron
program reduced the bank's phishing email
click-through rates from 15%-20% to under 1%.
" It's a signifi cant improvement over anything
we've done before, " says Greg Ohlendorf, First
Community Bank and Trust president and CEO.
independentbanker.org Q 59
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Independent Banker - June 2022

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