Case Study: America First Credit Union (AFCU) achieves 92.5% reduction in bonus administration and 307% increase in recognitions with Awardco

AFCU uses recognition to adapt to changing global circumstances and keep employees engaged

AFCU (America First Credit Union), a 3,300‑employee credit union, ran a high‑touch bi‑annual bonus program that built strong manager‑employee connections. When COVID-19 forced over 1,800 staff to work remotely, AFCU could no longer administer the program in its traditional form and needed a digital solution; they turned to Awardco, which they had already implemented in October 2019 for service award programs.

Awardco built and deployed a digital bonus distribution solution in days and rolled it out to the entire workforce within two weeks, preserving personal manager messages while automating logistics. The Awardco implementation cut administration time by 92.5%, saved 296 work hours annually (37 days), produced a 307% average month‑to‑month increase in recognitions (including 20,000+ spot recognitions) and a 1,606% jump in recognitions right after the work‑from‑home shift, plus real‑time budget tracking — enabling AFCU to scale and expand its recognition programs.

AFCU

Kent Streuling

SVP of Human Resources