SIGNET EARNS FIVE NATIONAL MAC AWARDS AND TOP-FOUR MACQUEE FINALIST RECOGNITION
Signet’s ‘Start with Kindness’ selected from record 548 entries for live national competition
PADUCAH, Ky. — Signet Federal Credit Union® earned five national awards and was selected as one of only four MACQUEE finalists at the 2026 Marketing Association of Credit Unions (MAC) Awards, bringing the Western Kentucky credit union’s total to seven national awards in 2026.
A record 548 entries were submitted for this year’s MAC Awards. From those submissions, national judges selected Signet’s Start with Kindness campaign as one of four finalists for the MACQUEE, MAC’s Best in Show recognition.
The selection advanced Signet to a live competition at the MAC Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Vice President of Marketing and Communications Katelynn Rowe took the stage to pitch Start with Kindness before hundreds of credit union marketers and industry professionals from across the country. After all four finalists presented their campaigns, conference attendees voted to select the MACQUEE winner.
“To be chosen by the judges as one of four campaigns to make it to that stage was an incredible recognition on its own,” Rowe said. “But what made this one especially meaningful was getting to stand in front of other credit union marketers from across the country and tell them about Western Kentucky, our members and why Start with Kindness mattered to our community. Everything we create starts with knowing exactly who we work for — our members.”
Signet received five additional MAC Awards in the Under $750 Million asset category:
Gold — Social Media
Silver — Innovative Marketing
Silver — Community Engagement
Silver — Public Relations
Bronze — Community Engagement
The recognition is especially significant for Signet because Start with Kindness was conceptualized, developed and executed entirely in-house by the credit union’s one-person marketing department with a campaign budget of less than $500.
“For a credit union from Western Kentucky to compete on a national stage alongside campaigns backed by much larger teams and resources says something important about what is possible when you truly understand the people you serve,” Rowe said. “Impact isn’t always determined by the size of the budget. For us, it starts with listening to our members and creating something that reflects the community we call home.”
That philosophy is rooted in Signet’s cooperative structure. Unlike a shareholder-owned financial institution, Signet is owned by its members. There are no outside shareholders to serve, allowing the credit union to focus its programs, products and community initiatives on the people who own it and the Western Kentucky communities it serves.
Start with Kindness was created with that purpose in mind. Rather than asking the community to simply watch a marketing campaign, Signet invited individuals, families, businesses and organizations to participate in weekly acts of kindness and share those actions with others.
The five MAC Awards add to the national recognition Signet received earlier this year for its Voices of the Vault campaign from America’s Credit Unions, including Category’s Best in Brand Awareness at the 2026 Diamond Awards. Combined, Signet has earned seven national awards in 2026.
“We don’t have outside shareholders asking us to put their interests first. Our owners are the people walking into our branches, raising families here and building our communities,” Rowe said. “That is who we work for, and that is who we want our work to represent.”
Signet Federal Credit Union® is a member-owned financial cooperative serving 11 counties throughout Western Kentucky. Membership begins with a $5 share deposit, giving eligible members an ownership stake in the credit union.
About Signet Federal Credit Union®
Founded in 1939 by local railroad workers, Signet Federal Credit Union® is the oldest financial institution established and operating in Paducah today. Signet is a member-owned financial cooperative serving 11 counties throughout Western Kentucky. Built on the credit union philosophy of “People Helping People,” Signet remains committed to local decision-making, financial education, community involvement and providing financial products and services designed around the needs of its members.
Built by Western Kentucky. Still owned by Western Kentucky.
Federally Insured by NCUA. Please see website for full disclosures on becoming a member.
