October is National Cooperative month and co-ops across the country are celebrating with a new campaign. The theme of this year’s National Cooperative Month is “Cooperatives Build,” which spotlights the advantages that cooperatives offer to their members and the communities where they live and work.
There are more than 30,000 cooperative businesses in the United States, serving more than 120 million people. These businesses stretch across every sector from banking (credit unions) and insurance to agriculture and healthcare. There are even cooperative breweries in some parts of the United States!
Rural America is served by a network of more than 900 electric cooperatives, many of which were formed in the 1930s and 1940s. At the time, large, investor-owned power companies had no interest in serving rural farms and communities because of the high costs involved with electrifying broad areas with small populations.
SPEC began offering electric service to those in our rural communities in 1938 after a group of local residents came together to secure financing for rural electrification. To receive electric service, prospective members had to sign an agreement to buy power from the co-op once lines were built and pay a membership fee. In return, each member was given one vote in all regularly-held elections to choose their cooperative’s representatives or board of directors.
Today, your co-op’s board, staff and management direct all of our efforts toward enhancing the quality of life for you, the members. This goes beyond the delivery of reliable and affordable electricity to include expanded services, support for community service endeavors, and scholarships and educational opportunities for youths.
Cooperatives Build Trust
Co-ops strive to adhere to the Seven Cooperative Principles, which combine to help build trust between the co-op and its members. Through the fifth principle—Education, Training and Information—we enable members to learn about the way co-ops work and contribute to the development of our cooperative.
Cooperatives Build Community
The seventh cooperative principle is Concern for Community. Cooperative work for the sustainable development of their communities through employee involvement in local organizations, charitable contributions to community efforts and support for schools.
Cooperatives Build Jobs
SPEC employs a full-time workforce of 36. Through the property taxes it pays, the co-op is a major contributor to the tax base of local governments, helping to support schools, police and fire protection and other vital community infrastructure.
Cooperatives Build Democracy
The second cooperative principle, Democratic Member Control, gives members a voice in the co-op’s policies and decisions. Members control the co-op by voting on candidates for the board of directors. The democratically elected directors keep members’ well-being in mind each time they make a decision on behalf of the co-op. This arrangement keeps local communities strong and stable while showing how combined effort can improve conditions for everyone.
Cooperatives Build a Better World
When people talk about “the cooperative difference,” they’re referring to the advantages the co-ops offer their members. With the Seven Cooperative Principles binding these unique and divers businesses, co-ops truly can build a better world.