How Vantage West Built a Competitive Estate Planning Program

In June 2025, Legal Karma hosted a leaders-only discussion featuring Jimena Valdes-Walls, Senior Vice President of Member Experience at Vantage West Credit Union. Jimena shared how Vantage West built an estate planning program that didn't just generate revenue — it fundamentally changed how members perceive their credit union.

By The Numbers

• 750+ — Direct member introductions from champions
• All branches — Covered by the champions program
• 60–90 days — Launch timeline from kickoff to full launch
• Full — Financial services positioning achieved

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Strategic Vision — Completing the Member Experience

Jimena's approach to estate planning wasn't about launching a product — it was about completing a vision. Vantage West positioned estate planning as part of their full financial services offering, not a standalone add-on. The result was a fundamental shift in how members viewed the institution.

"The member experience is really what we've focused on — everything we do is aligned with the members' goals and built into the everyday member experience."
— Jimena Valdes-Walls, SVP Member Experience, Vantage West Credit Union

The "Full Institution" Moment

When members completed their estate plans and went through the post-document support process, something unexpected happened — they started seeing their credit union differently. As a comprehensive financial partner, not just a place for checking and savings. This perception shift is the hidden ROI of estate planning that doesn't show up on a spreadsheet.

"Members started really considering us differently in the sense that they're like, 'Oh wow, I didn't know you guys offered everything.' We're a full financial services institution — we offer anything that your big bank can do, we can also do that here at Vantage West."
— Jimena Valdes-Walls, SVP Member Experience, Vantage West Credit Union

‍Champions Program — How Internal Champions Drove Adoption

Vantage West built an internal champions program — dedicated staff across every branch, trained and incentivized to introduce estate planning naturally in member conversations. The key insight: staff confidence drives member adoption. Vantage West invested 60–90 days in internal training and soft launches before going broad.

Over 750 direct member product introductions came from trained, confident staff having natural conversations — not from banner ads or email blasts.

"The active champions have been a big part of driving over 750 direct member product introductions. The numbers and results from those interactions have been high and continue to grow as the team continues to build its confidence."
— Jimena Valdes-Walls, SVP Member Experience, Vantage West Credit Union

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Implementation — A Structured 60–90 Day Timeline

• Phase 1 (Days 1–60): Foundation — Platform configuration, branding, staff training, and internal soft launch. Staff completed their own estate plans to build firsthand understanding.
• Phase 2 (Days 60–90): Launch — Champions program activation, member marketing, and ongoing optimization with Legal Karma's partner success team.
• Ongoing: Continuous Refinement — Marketing iteration, staff enablement, and program optimization in partnership with Legal Karma.

The revenue formula is straightforward: Member Count × 1% = Annual Transaction Count × Average Order Value = Expected Top-Line Revenue.

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What We Learned

1. Estate planning changes member perception. The biggest win wasn't revenue — it was members discovering their credit union offers comprehensive financial services.
2. Staff confidence comes before member adoption. The 60–90 day internal preparation period was the investment that made the external launch successful.
3. Champions outperform campaigns. 750+ introductions came from trained, confident staff having natural conversations — not from banner ads or email blasts.
4. Post-document support is the differentiator. Helping members understand next steps after completing their estate plan deepened the relationship in ways that document creation alone couldn't.

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