Why We're Encouraging Our Members to Get Vaccinated

Last week, we did something big: we reached out to a million Borrowell members to encourage them to get vaccinated. Specifically, we sent emails highlighting an innovative contest called Rewards for Change, which gives anyone who’s vaccinated a chance to win prizes such as free trips, concert tickets and gift cards.

Why was this big? Our members have given us permission to contact them, and we don’t take this lightly. With so much unwanted email zipping around the internet, we work hard to make the emails we send personalized and helpful. (This largely works: we see a very high open rate and low unsubscribe rate on our emails, a good sign that those receiving them find them relevant and useful.)

So why did we send an email about the Rewards for Change contest? At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of vaccines is clear. By significantly reducing transmission, severe illness and death, they are the best tool we have to manage the risks from the pandemic and allow us to get back to a more normal way of life.

By emailing our members, our goal was to encourage more people to get vaccinated—and to let everyone know about the great prizes to be won by people who have protected themselves and their communities by getting the vaccine. To be clear, Borrowell didn’t receive any payment for promoting the contest, which was organized by This is Our Shot, a campaign by leading Canadian businesses and organizations (including Borrowell and companies such as CIBC, KPMG, Manulife and more) to accelerate vaccine takeup and reduce hesitancy.

Borrowell is a company focused on helping people do the best they can with their finances. That’s a big enough mission on its own—we’re not in the business of recommending what our members do with their health or social issues. However, here’s why we decided to alert our members to the Rewards for Change contest:

• COVID has had huge impacts on the financial lives of millions of Canadians, leading to unemployment and financial hardship; it’s an economic challenge as well as a health challenge

• There’s clear action that nearly every individual can take: get vaccinated

• The Rewards for Change contest added a further financial layer: a chance for our members to get rewarded for taking action

The response has been, on the whole, very positive—and will have been worthwhile if we helped prevent a COVID case, hospitalization or worse. Above all else, we felt it was the right thing to do for our members.

If you haven't been vaccinated yet, click here to find an appointment.